Jammu, June 26
Jammu and adjoining areas today received 44.4 mm of rain, bringing some respite from heat, but caused flood-like situation in the low-lying areas as roads remained water-logged leading to traffic jams.

Though the maximum temperature remained normal at 34.1°C, heavy showers brought the mercury down to 23.3°C for a couple of hours this afternoon.

Busy crossings like Vikram Chowk, Dogra Chowk and parts of the national highway entering the city also remained inundated, disrupting traffic. Katra, Patnitop, Batote in the Jammu province and the tourist station of Pahalgam in the Kashmir valley were also lashed by rain.

According to weather forecast, rain or thundershowers are likely at many places in J and K in next 24 hours.

Srinagar, June 26
At least six persons, including three militants, were killed in separate incidents while six suspected militants were apprehended in the Kashmir valley since yesterday.

Two security personnel and a militant Ishtiyaq Ahmad Bhat of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were killed in an encounter at Gamroo in Bandipore district, 57 km north of here, last night. The house of Ghulam Mohammad Shah, where the militants had allegedly taken refuge, was damaged in the firefight.

Two unidentified militants were killed in an encounter with the police and security forces at Shalhal, Magam, near Handwara, in Kupwara district today.

Unidentified militants killed head constable Farooq Ahmad Tantray after he had been kidnapped from his house in the Awantipora area of Pulwama district. His beheaded body was recovered in the Tral area this morning, the police here said.

During searches, security forces recovered one AK rifle, one magazine with 52 rounds, one pistol, 39 rounds, one pistol silencer, two wireless sets, one hand grenade, three detonators, 4 kg RDX and 20 UBGL shells at Ragni, near LoC, in the Trehgam area of Kupwara district.

Four militants and an upperground worker of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen were held by the police in Sopore town and its peripheries in Baramulla district. One AK 47 rifle, four magazines, 120 rounds and three hand grenades were recovered from them. They have been identified as Aijaz Ahmad Reshi, alias Abu Baker, Mohammad Amin Mir, alias Jaffar, alias Abu Hafiz, Sajad Ahmad Dar, alias Shoga, Saidullah Mir, alias Sher Khan, and Bashir Ahmad Mir.

One suspected militant was apprehended with one AK rifle, two magazines and 60 rounds from Dardpora in the Trehgam area of Kupwara district.

Udhampur, June 26
The Nagrota police today picked up four more persons for attack on the police and civil officers on Monday morning in which a DSP, an SHO along with nine cops were injured. However a former member of the Legislative Council (MLC) of the National Conference against whom the police has registered a case for leading the mob, is absconding and evading arrest.

The former MLC, who was leading the mob, which attacked senior police and civil officers, has been declared an absconder by the police.

A police party led by SHO Nagrota Deepak Raina raided many places to arrest the ex- MLC but to no avail. It is believed the former member of the upper house has been taking shelter in the house of a senior leader of the party.

Meanwhile the JMC has taken possession of the piece of land measuring 87 kanals at Pargalata village under the jurisdiction of Nagrota police station amidst presence of the police. — TNS

Jammu, June 26
The Internationalist Democratic Party (IDP) has condemned the attack by Shiv Sena men on the Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat Conference leader Zafar Akbar Bhat, preventing him from holding a press conference, terming it anti-human, embarrassment for Jammuites, discredit to Dogra culture, degradation of politics, disgrace to the Press Club and an injury to the constitutions of the country and that of Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement here, IDP general secretary Hoshiar Singh today said the act was planned to create polarisation on communal lines to break the unity of the state and specially of the Jammu province.

Bhat chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Salvation Movement, was thrashed by the Shiv Sena men in the presence of newsmen at the club here on Sunday.

The act was a disgrace to the club, a symbol of fourth pillar of democracy where personalities, apart from the media fraternity, come only to speak to the media and nothing else, Hoshiar Singh stated.

Meanwhile, All- Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani yesterday said the attack on Jammu-Kashmir Salvation Movement (JKSM) chief Zafar Akbar Bhat in Jammu would not hamper the ongoing efforts of the Hurriyat leaders to safeguard communal harmony in the state.

"The attack on Bhat shows desperation and panic amongst certain elements who do not want the Hurriyat leaders and activists to work for the betterment of people in the Jammu province," Geelani told The Tribune here on phone from Srinagar.

The APHC chairman said this incident in Jammu would not lead to any negative impact or fallout in the valley "where the people are living in communal harmony, cutting across their religious affiliations".

However, no other major political party of J and K, including the Congress, BJP, People's Democratic Party, National Conference or Panthers Party has so far reacted to the incident.

Only Internationalist Democratic Party (IDP) president I. D. Khajuria has termed it as the "murder of democracy".

Srinagar, June 26
In some other city of urban India, it would have raised howls of protests from human rights activists and the media alike. But as the Srinagar police snoops around parks, cubicles in restaurants and cyber cafes arresting lovey-dovey couples, nobody is complaining.

The cops in the past few days have rounded up dozens of couples under Section 294 (Obscenity in Public) of Ranbir Penal Code (a J & K equivalent of Indian Penal Code), and let many of them off after calling their parents. "We were getting complaints from the public who were distressed over the open display of affection by couples, causing them discomfort," an SHO, who did not wish to be named, said.

In a reversal of general trend, the media and citizen groups have backed the police action and there is hardly any murmur of protest. In fact, the local media has gone to town highlighting the moral pangs of senior citizens who on their evening walk in parks often find themselves face to face with canoodling couples.

A conservative city, Srinagar has seen theatres and bars shut down since separatist movement erupted in 1990, and the local groups, including those of women, have stormed cafes, liquor shops and restaurants in the past to stop what they say immoral activities.

While the youth complained of lack of amenities in the city, the elderly said it should not be an excuse for them to indulge into obscenities.

The police has asked cafes and restaurants to remove the cubicles. Official sources said the drive also helped them in changing the public mood from that of apathy, and at times of hostility, to sympathy and support.

Officials said a sense of fatigue had set in following a long spell of strife, and it had somewhat loosened up societal restrictions. The police emboldened by the public support said they would continue with their drive.

Udhampur, June 26
A pair of lovers committed suicide in a far-flung village of Udhampur district. Though the boy and the girl belonged to “upper castes", yet their parents refused to accept their relationship. People were angry after the tragic incident and blamed parents of the boy and the girl for the tragic end of their love story.

Reports reaching here said the bodies of Vijay Kumar(22), son of Jaidev, and Nishu(18), daughter of Om Parkash, were found hanging from a deodar tree near the Shiv Gali area of Bastangarh. A suicide note was recovered from the possession of the youth in which both lovers had given a signed declaration they were taking the extreme step on their own. Vijay and Nishu, both of Balote, had been in love for the past three years. Both had repeatedly appealed to their parents to accept their relationship, but to no avail. Consequently, they decided to end their lives. SHO, Basantgarh, Bhupinder Singh said, “As both the girl and boy had declared in their suicide note that they were ending their lives on their own wish, so there is no question of arresting any person", he said. 

Srinagar, June 26
All villages and hamlets of Leh and Kargil districts in the Ladakh region without power will be electrified under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikarn Yojana (RGGVY) and APDRP schemes by 2009 for which the projects stand sanctioned.

Minister for power Nawang Rigzin Jora stated this in an interaction with deputations from the Kargil and Dras areas here yesterday. To strengthen the transmission and distribution system in Leh and Kargil liberal funds had been provided by the central government, he added. — TNS

Udhampur, June 26
As water supply in some Kandi areas of Reasi district could not be streamlined a large number of people today protested against the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department.

Reports reaching here said residents of seven villages- more than 10,000 souls, have been facing acute shortage of drinking water for the past two months. Some days back a deputation of the villagers met the PHE authorities and wanted streamlining of water supply. Furthermore, at a darbar of the deputy commissioner, residents highlighted the issue. At the darbar the deputy commissioner had directed the department concerned to solve problem of water.

Today residents of Thanal, Sai Lanjan, Charath, Labal and adjoining localities today demonstrated in different areas. The residents warned if water supply was not restored they would launch a mass movement in the area.

Shortage of drinking water has been a routine affair in many parts of Reasi district. The deputy commissioner Reasi, in his darbar meetings, has been facing anger of people on the issue of shortage of drinking water.