Chandigarh, March 4
An application was today moved by the counsel for the Central Bureau of Investigation in the infamous J&K sex scandal to amend charges against the three accused, former additional advocate general Anil Sethi, DIG K.C. Padhi and Ghulam Ahmad Mir, a political leader.

The counsel for the prosecution today argued the addition of Section 5 of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA) in the court of District and Sessions Judge, K.K. Garg.

Another application was moved by the prosecution requesting the defence to place on record the FIR in the case along with seizure memo that includes the CDs recovered by the J&K police.

The court had already framed charges under Section 376 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) against the three accused. The case was adjourned to March 8.

Earlier in March 2007, the charges were framed against the 14 accused in this case. The alleged kingpin in the case, Sabeena, the trial court had framed charges under sections 3 and 5 of PITA and against her husband Abdul Bulla under Sections 3, 4 and 5 of PITA and under section 376 of the RPC in 2006.

The Supreme Court had given directions in September 2006 for the trial to be shifted to the Chandigarh courts.

While another accused, Riaz Ahmad Kawa, has been booked under Section 3 of PITA, Sahbir Ahmad Langoo has been booked under Section 5 of PITA, Section 376 of the RPC.

An additional section of Information Technology (IT) Act, Section 67, has been framed against Shabeer Ahmed, who is accused of clicking obscene pictures of the ‘minor’ girl with a mobile phone and then circulating it.

While maximum sentence under Section 3 of PITA is three years, an imprisonment of 14 years can be awarded to an accused held guilty under Section 5 of the PITA if the victim is found to be a minor.

If the victim is found to be a child then the accused could be sentenced life imprisonment. Moreover, even if the victim is not found to be a minor but charges of prostitution are established, the accused can be sentenced an imprisonment of seven years.

With the framing of the present set of charges, the CBI will have more options on its table. The prosecution will attempt to prove rape charges against the seven accused and if it fails to do so it can try establishing charges of prostitution under Section 5 of PITA.

Srinagar, March 4
Taking a cue from the agitation mounted by graduates of the alternative medicine of electropathy, unemployed paramedics today wrote letters with their blood to the Chief Minister and health minister demanding jobs.

In valley where people put a premium on government jobs, more so due to little employment opportunities available, and there is a considerable number of jobless professionals, they have been resorting to unique methods to get attention.

Iqbal Md, one of the agitators who gathered in Press Enclave, said they were promised jobs by government representatives in the past. “The state government has appointed teachers on contractual basis, then why not us in the medical field, which also needs strengthening,” he said.

He said they could be used by the government to give a boost to healthcare in rural area, where it was not in a good condition.

Mendhar (Poonch), March 4
Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor is right when he says infiltration bids across the Line of Control (LoC) have increased in the recent past, but it is also true that the successful infiltration rate has also registered a rise.

The intelligence sources confirmed that though the infiltration bids have increased in the recent past, the infiltrators have managed to successfully sneak to this side of the LoC in the districts of Rajouri and Poonch.

General Kapoor, in an interview with a private news channel on February 23, had said while the numbers had declined, attempts to infiltrate had gone up. "In 2006, the infiltration rate was approximately 343 as per our count. In 2007, it was 311. There is a marginal decline. But as far as the attempts or bids are concerned, they were slightly higher in 2007."

Intelligence sources revealed that about 12 infiltrators, taking advantage of the heavy rains and snowfalls, managed to sneak into this side of the LoC between January 23 and January 30. They further expected that in this sector, a group of 11 infiltrators managed to cross over to this side between Manna and Ghora post in the first week of February. "Of the 11 infiltrators, who crossed over to this side from Manna and Ghora post, eight were killed in three encounters that took place in Ghana village whereas three managed to escape," sources disclosed.

"We try our best to foil the infiltration attempts. But given the topography of this sector, sometimes infiltrators are successful in crossing over," said an army officer said.

Jammu, March 4
Nirmal Kaur (65), despite failing to find her husband, Subedar Assa Singh, in Pakistan during her visit in June last, has not given up hope. Assa Singh was said to be languishing in Pakistani jail since 1971.

She left for Hoshiarpur today to meet Kashmir Singh, who was released after 35 years of detention. Before leaving, Nirmal Kaur, who stands tormented between hope and helplessness, told mediamen that her purpose of meeting Kashmir Singh was to find from him whether he met Subedar Assa Singh in any jail during the last 35 years or not.

The release of Kashmir Singh has come as a blessing for Nirmal Kour, who last year had to return back disappointed as she could not locate her husband in Pakistani jails. He was last seen in Chamb sector in Jammu region where he was posted during the war.

Nirmal’s son, Harcharan Singh, is accompanying her to Hoshiarpur. She said, “In case I get some positive response from Kashmir Singh, I will approach the Government of India again for securing permission for me for visiting Pakistan again.” She said with the change of guard in Islamabad “I may get full cooperation from the government in locating my husband.”

She said, “When I along with 13 other persons visited Pakistan in June 2007 we were not allowed to visit the cells but were given registers, bearing the names of prisoners at the main gate.”

She said her husband has been missing since 1971 war when he was posted on the border in Chhamb in Jammu. Though the Army authorities had declared him dead, a radio news bulletin in 1972 had stated that Subedar Assa Singh was alive and as a prisoner of war had been lodged in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.

She said two prisoners of war, including Bogal Ram of Jammu, who had been released a few years ago had confirmed that they had seen and met Subedar Assa Singh in the Kot Lakhpat Jail.

Nirmal Kaur has gone through tribulations in the upbringing of five daughters and two sons. She had to depend on a meager pension of her husband and no other agency had come forward to assist her financially.

“It is my last chance for knowing about the whereabouts of my husband,” she said, adding, “My only wish is to meet my husband before I die.”

Udhampur, March 4
Senior officers of the Works Department are likely to face action as the higher ups have taken serious note of the “unfruitful expenditure” of the amount sanctioned by the Union Government from time to time for developing infrastructure in backward areas.

Highly placed sources said the government has directed senior officers of the department to prepare a report and single out officers, who were responsible for these expenditures.

Officers have been directed to prepare the report and submitted to the higher ups within a month's time to initiate action against those who were responsible for swindling public exchequer.

During his visit to Udhampur town, the matter was brought to notice of roads and buildings minister Jugal Kishore, who took serious exception of this mismanagement and warned the officers against corrupt practices.

Worthwhile to mention here that official inquiries have established corruption and mismanagement in construction of two bridges one over Neeri Nullah and another at Marta Dheeran in Udhampur district.

An amount of Rs 80 lakh has been spent on these two bridges but inhabitants for whom these projects were sanctioned still depriving of the intended benefits.

Official documents revealed that Rs 37.80 lakh has so far been spent on the bridge at Marta Dheeran in Ramnagar sub-division of Udhampur but scrutiny of the official records established that it was unfruitful expenditure as the contractor to whom the work was allotted had abandoned the work midway after taking the payment.

Furthermore, even when notice was served the contractor to resume the remaining construction, he denied having been allotted the work, making the whole payment process questionable.

Ironically the department has made huge payment to the contractor, the officer at the helm of the affairs was not aware of the identity of the contractor.

The state government had proposed construction of this bridge to provide better road connectivity for economic upliftment of people living in seven villages of Ramnagar sub-division of Udhampur. The proposal was approved with an estimated cost of Rs 37.87 lakh to construct the bridge.

According to official record, when this “unfruitful expenditure” was detected the audit teams, the executive engineer concerned informed that the matter was under investigation to ascertain the identity of the contractors who had actually executed the work and received the payments.

“The department, besides, making payment to the contractor also incurred an expenditure of Rs 26.18 lakh on procurement of material, out of which material costing Rs 22.58 lakh was lying unutilised.”

Similar is the story of a motor able bridge over Neeli Nullah, which was constructed at the cost of Rs 30.97 lakh. The bridge was to provide road connectivity to the 5,000 scattered population of four villages.

Interestingly, the bridge was constructed with huge amount but that there is no approach road to connect so it could not put to use by motorists as provision for acquisition of land for approach roads from either side of the bridge was not made in the original plan.

Srinagar/Jammu, March 4
Though some organisations of Kashmiri Pandits have accused the state government of trying to divide the community by allotting newly constructed flats to only a selected few, those who have made it to the selected list heave a sigh of relief.

The state government is yet to come out with its policy on the return of migrant Kashmiri Pandits from outside the valley, even as steps had been initiated about five years ago.

This led to the construction of residential flats at three different location, Sheikhpora in Budgam, Tulamulla in Ganderbal and Mattan in Anantnag districts, most of which are near completion now.

Thirty one such families residing at the district headquarters were handed over possession of residential flats in Sheikpora yesterday.

“We have started providing accommodation to the migrants,” said Budgam deputy commissioner Farooq Ahmad Renzu.

A number of fresh applications were coming for the safe accommodation here, the deputy commissioner said and added that these people were feeling “safe 
environment”.

Those who had been provided accommodation here had shifted from different places in the area after some violent incidents years ago. An incident of the killing of seven members of the community had taken place at Sangrampora in Budgam district in 1997, which led to the migration of other members from their village.

A beginning was made in 2002-03, senior officials of the Rehabilitation Department of Jammu and Kashmir government said, adding that some change is being observed with the changing scenario in the state.

There has been an “encouraging response” following the assurances and interaction by some separatist leaders with a growing tendency for people to people contact.

A senior leader of the moderate faction of APHC, Nayeem Ahmad Khan on Sunday visited Purkhoo camp of migrant Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and appealed them to return to valley. However, they should prefer to live like rest of the Kashmiris than living in security zones, he said.

More than three lakh members of the community migrated from the valley with the eruption of militancy in 1989-90, many of whom are residing in camps in Jammu and Udhampur while many others had shifted to other places across the country.

“We would be happier if all the members of the community return back to their homes,” said Urmila, a family member after they shifted here. Another elderly woman, Aasha Pandita believes that “Kashmir, the garden of different flowers,” was incomplete in the absence of any one flower or one community.

But amidst all there are various organisations of Kashmiri Pandits are discontent with the allotment to few. “We believe that the government has hatched a conspiracy along with some self-styled leaders of the Pandit community by giving the temporary rehabilitation permanent shape and thus eroded the faith of the whole community,” said Vir Saraf, convener of a faction of Roots in Kashmir in a joint press conference.

Jammu, March 4
Had it been an ordinary person who would have fired “accidentally” inside the high security airport premises in Jammu, he would have been behind the bars by now and subjected to all sort of interrogations.

Since it was Javaid Mustafa Mir, minister of state for rural development, who was involved in the incident, not even a case or formal inquiry was ordered. The minister has already flown off to Mumbai and that too along with the weapon, which the police say as licensed and was not needed to be seized.

Compare to this, the shabby treatment meted out to common people at the high security airport here. The common people are not allowed inside for receiving their guests. They have to wait half a kilometre outside the airport on the road.

Nobody is allowed to wait outside the airport gates and people have to roam on the road to look for their guests to come out. However, the minister could conveniently walk in with a loaded revolver and fire accidentally injuring two.

The station house officer of the Satwari police station, in whose jurisdiction the airport falls, refused to give any details about the incident for the obvious reasons.

When asked to tell whatever the police had done into the “accidental firing” incident at the airport, he refused to speak, saying that he was not in a position to comment.

Surprisingly, the government did not even order a formal inquiry into the incident after which it could be decided whether an FIR was to be registered or not. Instead, the police rushed to the defence of the minister, maintaining that it was a licensed weapon.

Besides, they claimed, it was not the minister but his PRO, who while checking whether the weapon was loaded or not, fired accidentally.

The police also said, the minister’s PRO did the right thing by pointing the pistol towards the ground to check whether it was loaded or not. That was the standard way of checking it, the police argued.

When asked about the two injured employees of the private airliner in the incident, the police had no answer.

Meanwhile, BJP state general secretaries Shamsher Singh Manhas and Bali Bhagat have demanded immediate registration of the FIR against minister of state for science and technology Javed Mustafa Mir.

In a joint statement issued here today, they said Mir had the habit of carrying loaded weapon with him in high security areas and this incident was not first such case. His attitude poses threat to the lives of common people, they observed.

Jammu, March 4
Lawns of the official residence of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad at Wazarat road here had been thrown open for a week from today for physically challenged children, an official release said.

The lawns were opened on the instructions of the Chief Minister who received 21 physically challenged children from the Jammu Red Cross Home for Handicapped, Udheywala at his residence here today morning.

Azad had invited them over a breakfast and for a visit to the CM residence lawns, where tulips, hybrid pansy, primula, ice-plant, stock, vervena, antirrhinum, phlox, ageratum and other flowers were in full bloom these days. The primula has been introduced in Jammu for the first time by Azad.

The lawns would remain open for two hours daily from 8.30 am to 9.30 am and 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm. The Chief Minister interacted with the visiting children and took them round the lawns.