Dooru (Sopore), November 14
Smoke and stink continue to rise from debris of three houses demolished in a 24-hour encounter between militants and security forces that ended on Monday in this north Kashmir village. Heaps of mud and bricks, broken concrete slabs and twisted tin sheets of rooftops meet the eye as one enters the lawns of a cluster of houses.

Wailing women greet the visiting relatives as children rendered helpless with their books and belongings consumed by blaze look on, while men try to pick up pieces from smouldering debris of houses. Inside the lawns of the once spacious house of Altaf-ur-Rehman, pheran-clad old woman Khatji is surrounded by neighbours and relatives. "My dear, do not worry …. We will erect huts to live in", Khatji speaks to men while she is consoled by women around her. Tears trickle down her wrinkled face as she looks to Altaf-ur-Rehman’s razed house, where she got refuge for many years. It was her only refuge which her relative Altaf-ur-Rehman set up after toiling in business ventures over several years. His children, Meenu and Babloo, like other children, are away from the village with relatives and neighbours.

There are at least 10 schoolchildren of the five families rendered homeless and their books and notebooks lie buried in debris, and annual examinations are at hand.

Shops in this hamlet re-opened today after one week, but the three schools could not start work, and children continue to be in a shock. Rosy Jaan, Taseena, Aadil, Umar, Suhail and many other students are left hoping of re-starting life. They may appear in the examinations at hand but they have missed to concentrate on studies with the help of work books. "Everything, including books, clothes, and domestic belongings, have were reduced to ashes", said Ayaz Ahmad Hajam, a youth of the affected families.

Far away, hundreds of children from government and private schools participated in Children’s Day function at the SKICC in Srinagar. Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, education minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed awarded children for performance in debates and other competitions on first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

The encounter led to the killing of four militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and an Army jawan leaving 50 members of five families shocked.

On Sunday afternoon two security forces vehicles appeared in the yard of the cluster of houses, looking for militants, said Ghulam Mohammad Hajam. Soon firing started from orchards at a distance, he said adding the residents were harassed and people ran for their lives.Firing started on Altaf-ur-Rehman’s house which is separated by a path from two other conjoined houses, which later were demolished after night-long firing. Later security men also looked for two adjacent houses, home to four other families. By Monday evening, four burnt bodies of militants killed in the encounter, were recovered from the debris.

Villagers expressed ignorance about militants’presence but the police claims information on the presence of militants was provided by villagers. Additional superintendent of police Imtiyaz Mir, at Sopore, denied villagers’ allegation security personnel resorted to looting after the villagers shifted to safe places. The militants had killed two innocent persons, including an 8-year old girl and another person in Warpora and Janwara villages in one month, Mir said.

Killing of four militants in this village followed the killing of two other holed- up militants in a hotel in Sopore town after a 60-hour- long encounter on Sunday Five families in this village are rendered homeless and sans shelter. 

Udhampur, November 14
Although a Jammu-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) has adopted the little girl, the Reasi police is still clueless about the identity of the woman, believed to be a pilgrim, who was murdered near the Shiv Khouri shrine on November 7. A two-and-half-year-old girl was found near the body of the deceased woman who was first strangled and later stoned to death by unidentified persons.

"The only clue about the deceased woman was a water bottle found near her body. The water bottle carrying the manufacturing label of Patna reflected that she belonged to the capital city of Bihar," SSP, Reasi, J. L. Sharma, said adding that "from her physical appearance it appeared that the deceased woman was a Bihari. So we have deputed our team to Patna to ascertain the whereabouts of the victim".

The SSP added that the police had been working to nab the accused and establish the identity of the woman.

The body of the young woman was found in the Saiadan da Nullah forest areas of Pouni block of Reasi district on November 7. An infant girl, who was suffering from severe cold, was also found the near the body of the deceased. It is believed that the baby is the daughter of the deceased. After autopsy, the woman was cremated by the police, but the police faces the task as to whom to hand over the little girl. Earlier, the villagers had announced that they would adopt the girl as village’s daughter, but later an NGO had adopted the girl. 

Udhampur, November 14
A majority of the inmates of the recently opened rehabilitation centre for child labourers were not aware of Children’s Day. This year's Children Day function was significant as for the first time in their lives 35 children, enrolled as students of special school-cum- rehabilitation centre for child labour, joined students of other educational institutions to celebrate this occasion.

Government agencies and some social organisations identified many students in the town to enrol them in these special schools to impart them vocational training. Till recently these students were working as domestic servants. After the National Child Labour Programme (NCLP) was launched in the district, these child labourers
were "rescued" by the district administration.

The first-ever rehabilitation centre for child labourers was inaugurated at Udhampur in October. Thirtyfive children were enrolled as students of this centre.

Chairperson of the National Advisory Board on Child Labour Jyoti Setiya, on her visit in the state this year, had selected Udhampur for the NCLP programme, keeping in view the backwardness of this district.

The district administration, in collaboration with the Labour Department, has identified 963 children who were working as labourers in one or the other form.

Deputy commissioner, Udhampur, O. P. Kalandaria, addressing the Children’s Day function, specially alluded to these children and assured to eradicate child labour from the town. He said a campaign to identify the children working as domestic servants or doing some other jobs had been launched.

The district administration has also been providing stipend to the students to meet some of their financial needs. Apart from imparting vocational training to them, they are getting a monthly stipend of Rs 100 per month. Furthermore, every student in these rehabilitation centres is getting Rs 5 per day for diet.

The DC distributed books, blankets and other items among these children. 

Srinagar, November 14
Unidentified gunmen shot dead a National Conference (NC) councillor in downtown Srinagar today morning, the police said.

The police said the gunmen fired on Ghulam Nabi Wani from a point- blank range at Khanyar this morning when he was returning from a mosque after offering prayers. He was taken to a hospital where doctors declared him ‘brought dead’.

The gunmen fled from the spot after the attack, the police said. No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack. NC president and MP Omar Abdulah visited the deceased leader's house and sympathised with the bereaved family.