Jammu, August 26
The BJP today asked Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to step down for having failed to address the basic problems of drinking water and power shortage in the Jammu region. It accused Azad of “intentionally ignoring” the problems being faced by the people of the region and announced that the party would strive to put an end to this discrimination.

Senior leaders of the party while addressing a meeting of the working committee of the BJP (Jammu district) accused the present Congress-PDP coalition and the previous National Conference governments of meting out step-motherly treatment to the Jammu region.

Ashok Khajuria, president of the J&K unit of the BJP, said Azad had exposed his non-seriousness towards the perennial problems faced by the people of Jammu when he recently remarked that he was unaware of the drinking water crisis in the town.

Khajuria said a Chief Minister who had failed to realise the basic problem of people even two years after assuming reins of the government had no right to continue in the office and should quit immediately.

He alleged that the “Kashmir-centric” PDP and National Conference governments did not bother to solve the problems faced being by people in Jammu.

Chaman Lal Gupta, a senior BJP leader and former union minister, said the BJP in the state had to pay through its nose during the Assembly elections in 2002 for the party’s alliance with the National Conference at the Centre.

Gupta accused the National Conference of misleading people by raising the demand for autonomy. “Why did not they raise the demand when they were in power in the state”? he asked.

Kavinder Gupta, former mayor of Jammu, accused the successive governments of having betrayed the people of Jammu by not implementing the poll promises.

Udhampur, August 26
To protest against the Railway authorities’ failure to change train timings, BJP activists, along with the Beopar Mandal, demonstrated on the Domel road. They also burnt an effigy of the Railway authorities. There was resentment among residents against the Railway authorities changing departure time of DMU from 6.45 am to 7.30 am. Residents said employees and students had been facing hardship due to changed train time. Residents made representations to the Railway authorities in this regard, but to no avail.

This afternoon BJP activists marched in procession in the town which passed through different areas and culminated on the Domel road.

Addressing workers, secretary of the state unit of the BJP Pawan Gupta regretted the Railway authorities were not taking seriously the problems of residents of the town relating to train schedule.Besides changing train time, residents of town have been demanding extending some more trains at Udhampur.

Udhampur, August 26
After announcing to boycott the ongoing Assembly session, the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) has decided to start mass contact programme to educate masses on misdeeds of the ruling 
coalition.

Addressing migrant families at Talwara, Reasi, JKNPP chief Bhim Singh asserted that he would take up issues of Dogra migrants at the highest level. “Ruling coalition has stifled voice of Panthers Party MLAs in the Assembly by suspending one of our MLAs from the House'', he said, but adding that his party had accepted this challenge. He said after being denied opportunity to highlight people's woes on the floor of the House, the Panthers Party had decided to go to the masses to expose misdeeds of the regime.

Bhim Singh exhorted the migrants to be ready for a decisive battle to get their problems solved. He informed the gathering that the party had been contemplating statewide bandh in support of the demands of the migrants.

Bhim Singh announced that his party had decided to corner the ruling coalition on the issue of discrimination against Jammu. He said denial of relief to the Jammu migrants exemplified unjust treatment being meted out to people of this region.

Earlier, relief was distributed among 600 migrant families of the Talwara camp. This relief was sent by some social organsations of Punjab for these migrants. Migrants were given cereals and some other items.

Meanwhile, dharna by the migrants entered 35th day today. A large number of migrants participated in today's dharna. 

Jammu, August 26
The police authorities plan to urge the state government to get a legislation adopted in the Assembly for making it mandatory for all landlords to submit complete antecedents of their tenants in police stations of their respective areas.

The police department mooted this idea following the killing of Jaish-e-Mohammad divisional commander Saifullah Qari on August 11 in the Janipur area of the city, where he and his associate were living in rented accommodations for the past one month.

Senior police officers said here today that Qari masterminded the terrorist attack on the Ayodhya temple on July 5,2005. Had the landlords given details of the persons living in their houses, Qari would have been eliminated earlier. They said the police was aware that terrorists or their supporters had carved out hideouts in areas on the outskirts of the city but “we cannot act without any specific information.”

One of the police officers said if the law made it mandatory for the landlords to submit antecedents of their tenants in the police stations, the security and intelligence agencies could screen them and whenever needed they could be kept under surveillance.

The police said the law should be enforced in the entire state because militants had taken houses or rooms on rent in thickly populated localities and their activities went unchecked because they were being treated as the original inhabitants of such localities.

Senior police officers said during the past decade a large number of militants had been killed while they were living in rented accommodations, but that was possible only because of specific intelligence inputs. 

Srinagar, August 26
A constable of the Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police was arrested on charges of abducting a girl in Ganderbal district, the police said today.

Satish Kumar was arrested along with the girl — Abida Khan — from Rayal-Gund in the Kangan area last night, Gund’s divisional officer Aijaz Ahmad told PTI.

He said they were moving under suspicious conditions

and noticed by a patrolling party. On questioning, Kumar claimed he had converted to Islam and had married Abida.

The police found Abida’s father had filed a complaint in the Handwara police station stating his daughter went missing on August 16.

A police party came from Handwara this morning and both Kumar and Abida were handed over to them. —PTI