Jammu, July 25
Even as the curfew was lifted here today, violent protesters fought pitched battles with the police, pelting stones and setting ablaze police vehicle in the winter capital following the death of Kuldeep Dogra over the Amarnath land row.

Angry protesters attacked a PCR and set afire a police vehicle, besides damaging a bus. The police also fired teargas shells and resorted to lathicharge in which about 12 persons were injured. Two police constables were also injured in the clash. The police arrested 20 agitators from the spot. The CRPF personnel deployed there also thrashed the agitators. Reports of violent protests were also received from Purani Mandi, Link Road, Bakshi Nagar and Jeewal areas of the city.

A mob gathered at Purani Mandi and burnt tyres. They also pelted stones at the police, which retaliated with teargas. The protesters also damaged a fast food joint at Bahu Plaza. Bishnah, the hometown of Kuldeep, was also tense. The police there arrested five persons on charges of setting afire a police vehicle yesterday.

Later, the protesters gheraoed the police station and reportedly had a clash with the police. Protests were on in Parade area of the city when the reports last came in. There was heavy police presence in Purani Mandi and Parade area since morning so as to avoid any untoward incident.

Earlier, the administration had relaxed the curfew indefinitely. However, the police and CRPF personnel have been deployed, particularly in the sensitive areas, and all entry and exit points are being monitored.

Meanwhile, normal life has come to a standstill in the city. All educational institutions and commercial establishments observed total bandh while public transport remained off roads for the second consecutive day. 

Udhampur, July 25
While Udhampur and adjoining localities observed total shutdown on the second consecutive day in response to the bandh call given by the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samittee (SASS), demonstration continued against National Conference president Omar Abdullah for his, what people dubbed, "insulting" remarks in the Lok Sabha on land controversy.

To express their anger against NC president, people took out "funeral procession" of Omar Abdullah and burnt his effigies at many places in Udhampur district. Anti-NC slogans were raised when activists of SASS torched effigies of Omar Abdullah and demanding registration of a case against him for hurting sentiments of people.

Speakers while addressing the gathering shifted all blame on Omar for the death of Kuldeep Kumar Dogra and alleged that it was all due to the "provocative" remarks of NC president in the Lok Sabha that he (Dogra) committed suicide.

A big procession was taken out in the town which passed through different bazaars and later turned into a rally in which speakers vowed to take the on-going struggle to its logical conclusion. "Our struggle is to restore dignity and honour of Jammu region", remarked Pawan Gupta and added that it was high time for all people to come under a banner to get the people free from the yoke of Kashmiri rulers.

Speakers also expressed their anguish over the treatment meted out to the body of Dogra. They demanded action against the erring police officers who made attempt to cremate the body before sun rise.

Reports from Reasi said that a procession was taken out in the town in which people shouted slogans against the Congress, the PDP and the NC for hurting sentiments of Jammu people. Similar processions were taken out in other parts of the district. A large number of people also participated in these processions and shouted slogans against the authorities. 

Jammu, July 25
Reacting to Governor N.N. Vohra’s renewed appeal to the people of Jammu to come forward for a dialogue on the Amarnath land row, the BJP today urged him to resolve the issue and normalise the situation in Jammu region.

State BJP vice-president Prof Hari Om said “It’s been nearly a month since the land row stir began in Jammu, but the government hasn’t come up with any solution.”Jammu and Kashmir is a sensitive state where there is dire need to resolve issues.

“The government is clamping curfew and imposing Section 144 instead of healing wounds,” he said, alleging that the police had picked up 50 persons since morning to curb the agitation.” He alleged the police also picked up senior BJP leader Nirmal Singh yesterday and his whereabouts were not known.

Addressing the media, Nirmal Singh’s wife Mamata termed Thursday’s alleged police action, as a “pre-planned operation”. Demanding the suspension of SDPO (West), ML Kaith, she said she would move the court over the matter.

Udhampur, July 25
With development as a main poll plank, former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today kicked off election campaign in Jammu province by addressing two public meetings at Banihal and Ramban.

The former chief minister, who had resigned on July 7 after the Amarnath land row, adopted aggressive posture and minced no words in attacking fundamentalist forces for raking up land controversy to further their political interests.

While attacking the PDP for exploiting sentiments of people on the land row, Azad said some forces found it difficult to digest his popularity in both regions of the state. “Unlike other political parties, my party concentrated more on development and good governance,” he said.

Defending his stand on the land controversy, Azad said “Some vested interests created unnecessary controversy on this minor issue just to further petty political interests,” he said, in an obvious reference towards the PDP.

He, however, said political parties were playing with the emotions of the people and it had been exposed before the masses.

“With the liberal help of the UPA, regime developmental activities were accelerated through out the state to remove the backwardness,” Azad said.In Jammu and Kashmir, some political parties were more concerned about emotive issues rather than ameliorating the people,he added. Cautioning people against evil designs of fundamentalist forces in the state, he said need of the hour was to frustrate designs of such vested interests. 

Jammu, July 25
The Election Commission (EC) is issuing a separate notification where Kashmiri migrant voters, living in Jammu and elsewhere, could obtain specially made computerised bilingual elector’s photo identity cards (EPICs) to exercise their franchise during the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Presently, EPICs are being provided to all the electors of the state, other than Kashmiri migrants, with July 27 as the deadline for getting such cards from booth level officers.

State’s chief electoral officer (CEO) B. R Sharma said since Kashmiri migrants could not be provided such cards during the ongoing special campaign in the state, the matter has been taken up with the Election Commission of India. The CEO said a special notification was likely to be issued shortly, whereby Kashmiri migrants could be covered and provided EPICs.

Since the community was living in different parts of the country, some in camps and non-camps, it was decided to take up their matter separately, Sharma asserted. The CEO said such migrants, who wanted to include their names in their respective voter lists, could approach the relief commissioner’s office at Jammu for the same.

But Kashmiri migrants are agitated over the non-inclusion of their names in the voter lists. “The authorities are not providing any forms to the migrants to incorporate their names,” alleged A. K Dewani of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Forum. President of the Jammu and Kashmir Vichar Manch Ashok Kangan said migrants apprehend that a deliberate attempt was being made to isolate them from the election process. 

Jammu, July 25
The National Conference (NC) has accused the BJP of exploiting the situation for vote bank politics in the backdrop of Kuldeep Dogra’s suicide.

The party has also urged the people not to fall prey to forces inimical to peace and tranquillity.

Purportedly peeved over NC president Omar Abdullah’s speech in the Lok Sabha during trust vote on July 22, Kuldeep had allegedly consumed poison that resulted in his death.

Omar had said the land allotted to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) belonged to the Kashmiris, who had fought for it and would die for it.

In a meeting of party leaders held here today to review the prevailing situation in Jammu, the NC expressed concern over the way administration handled the situation after Kuldeep’s death. After paying tributes to the deceased, party leaders, including provincial president Ajay Sadhotra, came down heavily on the administration for its ineptness in handling the situation. They called for an inquiry into the matter.

It also demanded ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the immediate kin of the deceased.

NC leaders also expressed gratitude towards the people for maintaining communal harmony.

However, NC leaders expressed serious concern over the behaviour of the BJP, which they claimed has been exploiting the situation for vote bank politics. “People should remain alert from forces which are bent upon exploiting the situation,” they said.

It was also demanded by the party leaders that all the innocent persons detained by police be released forthwith.

The party leaders also appealed to the Governor to invite the agitators for a dialogue in order to restore peace in the region.

Srinagar, July 25
A high-level team of officers yesterday visited Uri-Kaman post stretch of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road to review arrangements for the proposed weekly bus service and commencement of truck services across the LoC from next month.

The fortnightly bus service, ‘Caravan-e-Aman’, has been operational for the divided families on either side of the LoC since April 7, 2005, while steps to increase the frequency of bus service to weekly and beginning of trade along the route have so far been faced with several hiccups.

The team, comprising senior officials of the union home ministry and the state home department, visited Uri, Salamabad and Kaman Post yesterday. Purpose of the visit was to review the infrastructure required for the weekly bus services, scheduled from August 21, and operation of truck services for trade purposes between the two sides from August 25. A tourist reception centre is already in place at Salamabad, about 5 km from Uri, to facilitate the movement on either side of the LoC.

The visit followed the recent meeting of foreign secretaries of two countries held in New Delhi on July 21 wherein the two sides agreed to increase the frequency of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service to weekly from August 21 and that of Poonch-Rawlakote in Jammu region from August 25.

The two sides also agreed to start truck services between Srinagar-Muzaffarabad next month for trade of mainly fresh fruit and dry fruit items.

During their visit, the team also interacted with the officers of Beacon Project of the Border Roads’ Organisation on the further improvement of the 20-km-long stretch between Uri and Kaman Post.

PDP patron and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has already welcomed the decision of making Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalakote bus services weekly. The PDP had taken the beginning of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service to its credit as it had begun during Mufti’s tenure when the divided families were required only a route permit to cross over.

Mufti has also hailed the decision of relaxing the existing norms for cross-LoC travel by introducing triple entry permits and the steps to be taken to reduce the processing time for the applications.

“I hope that many more measures would follow to consolidate the cross-LoC confidence building initiatives and enable wider social, economic and academic exchanges between the two parts of Kashmir”. 

Srinagar, July 25
Although separatists have been quick in condemning the killing of five persons in the grenade blast yesterday, there are also those who have long been stoking anger and bitterness among locals towards outsiders.

Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Gilani had given a renewed thrust to campaign against migrants when in July 2007 two outsiders were found involved in the rape and murder of a school girl, Tabinda Gani, in Langate.

The fact that two locals were also accused of the ghastly crime was conveniently overlooked, and the two outsiders were projected as microcosm of the entire non-Kashmiri workforce here.

“They work as agents of the Centre and are responsible for the crimes in our society,” he has said time and again, warning locals to leave.

After a campaign, which resulted in thousands of workers leaving in apprehension, Gilani toned down his rhetoric, which, police officials say, was a result of pressure on him from many quarters.

The issue, however, continues to touch many chords in Kashmir where distrust against anybody coming from the other side of Pir Panjal range is ever present.

An aspiring separatist leader, Hilar War of the People’s Political Party, jumped onto “outsiders-are-dangerous” bandwagon a few weeks ago and blamed them for things ranging from AIDS to degrading values in the Kashmiri society.

“They are a threat to our unique culture,” War said in his press conference last week, while giving August 10 deadline to migrant workers working here.

Sources say militants and their political masters find influx of migrants, who have been attacked several times in the last few years, a threat to their campaign.

And attacks like one which occurred in Batamaloo yesterday keep the fear factor alive for outsiders.

Srinagar, July 25
The PDP has ridiculed National Conference president Omar Abdullah’s statement on PDP’s self-rule proposal, saying that the NC was in dire need of self-introspection so that it refrained “to some extent, from befooling people”.

Addressing a public meeting at Cheki Badri Nath in Pulwama district today, senior PDP leader and former minister Syed Bashir said NC leadership should apologise to people before commenting on PDP’s self rule proposal for they have sold their autonomy resolution for their chair. “Omar compromised the state’s honour and dignity when his party sold autonomy resolution passed by the state Assembly in June 2000, to the Centre for the lust of power,” Bashir added.

He said self-rule, besides other features, include regional federalism to ensure empowerment of the three regions and restoration of the constitutional status to the state.

Bashir held that self-rule plan provided for strengthening the state’s constitutional and political mechanism. He explained that the self-rule favoured an electoral college for electing the Governor and he would be a state subject and loyal to the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Our self rule provides for financial autonomy for devolution of financial powers to each region. It calls for a mechanism to be evolved which could ensure freedom to the state’s political and constitutional bodies,” Bashir said.

The PDP leader said according to Advani, the NC leadership was firmly told by the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee that the autonomy resolution would not be accepted at any cost and if the NC wanted, they were free to leave the NDA. “However, according to Advani, to safeguard his own chair and that of his son Omar Abdullah, who was the minister of state for external affairs in the NDA government, Farooq Abdullah bowed before the Centre and allowed the issue to lapse,” he said.

The former minister said in 1987 Assembly elections, NC patron sensing an electoral debacle, rigged the elections which brought dormant Kashmir issue to forefront and an era of violence commenced, leaving thousands dead.

After his party took over reins in the state, it not only stopped the atrocities committed by the special task force, a brainchild of the NC, but initiated a truth and reconciliation programme within the state which laid the foundation of peace process between India and Pakistan, Syed Bashir said.

He said despite having two-third majority in 1996, the NC failed to develop a sense of security among the strife torn masses. Instead it introduced draconian laws and perpetrated atrocities through its armed agencies.

Mora Katha-Kotdhara (Rajouri), July 25
Three civilians were taken into custody by Army men in 1997 but it took the police ten years to register a case. By rule, the police is expected to file a missing persons report within 24 hours of being informed about a case.

Abdul Aziz, son of Sher Muhammad, Abdul Aziz, son of Muhammad Hussain, and Muhammad Yousuf, son of Raj Muhammad were picked up by men of the 18 Dogra Regiment from their residences. They never came back.

Their families say they tried tried to lodge a missing persons report a few days after they failed to trace the three men.

The families of the three men waged a grim battle for justice for a decade, which saw court interventions too, but the police continued to slumber over what has been termed by the State Human Rights Commission as a gross violation of human rights.

The police, they alleged, was reluctant to take on the Army and attempted to dissuade them from not filing a report.

Baggo Begum, wife of one of the victims, Muhammad Yousuf, remembers how they visited the police station in Rajouri only to be abused by the police personnel and told to go back.

“However,’’ she said, “we didn’t give up and continued to go to the police station. We were often terrorised by Army personnel in plain clothes on the way”, she said. Nothing moved.

Slowly, the stress beagn to take a toll on her two young sons. “Unable to comprehend the disappearance of their father, my sons suffered so much that they have become abnormal in their behaviour,’’ Baggo said.

Muhammad Farooq, brother of Abdul Aziz, who was allegedly killed in a fake encounter, said he read a news item regarding the Ganderbal fake encounter last year.

That triggered hope. “The very next day, we filed a application in the deputy commissioner’s office for exhumation of the bodies of our family members since a source told us that, after killing our relatives, the Army had buried them in pits near Kancha post in Peer Badeswar area.”

The DC referred the case to SSP Farooq Khan who, after much dilly-dallying, asked the SHO to register a missing persons report.

“That was March 29, 2007, a decade after the three men were done away with,’’he said.

Rajouri SSP Rajesh Kumar told The Tribune that he doesn’t know about the matter. “The report was not filed during my time, so I don’t know anything about it” was all that he had to say.

Srinagar, July 25
Expressing concern over the burning problems faced by peasants in the state, CPM state secretary M.Y. Tarigami today said agriculture and horticulture sectors suffered from inadequate infrastructure and technology and had rendered it unprofitable.

Addressing a public rally at Laroo in the Kulgam constituency, Tarigami said sustainable agriculture and food security was one of the most significant problems. “Whether due to conflict, drought, flooding or disease, sustainable agriculture and food security are unstable realties for the poor,” Tarigami added. Referring to the recently announced Pan-India agricultural debt waiver and debt relief scheme, Tarigami said its impact had been negligible on the state. Instead of providing relief, the scheme had led to confusion among the farming community, he said. Tarigami said waiver scheme was not the solution to various long-term problems faced by peasants in the state. “A developed rural infrastructure is the need of the hour, which can have far reaching implications for poverty reduction by improving income-generating opportunities,” he added.

He reiterated the demand to increase allocations in the budget for agriculture up to 20 per cent, provision of universal crop insurance, easy credit, marketing facilities, standard seeds, quality pesticides and fertilisers.

Jammu, July 25
The two factions of the Hurriyat Conference have left it to a six-member committee, three from each side, to finalise the modalities for bringing Kashmiri separatists under one umbrella. While the committee - constituted by the APHC and headed by Shabir Ahmed Shah - has Fazl Haq Qureshi and Shabir Ahmed Dar as two other members, the Syed Ali Shah-led Tehrik Hurriyat Conference has in its committee Ashraf Sehrai, Ghulam Nabi Sumji and Masrat Alam.

According to Shabir Ahmed Shah, so far two meetings have been held and as a result of the deliberations in the meetings, the two factions jointly participated in the Martyrs’ Day function held on July 13. He said: “I am in touch with other separatist leaders, including chief of the JKLF Mohd Yasin Malik and chairman the People’s Conference Sajjad Lone.”

Senior APHC leader Prof Abdul Gani Bhat said: “Realisation has dawned on both sides that unity among all the factions of the separatists was the need of the hour.”

According to reports, the hardliners were suggesting restoration of the original spirit of the Hurriyat constitution which over the years had been diluted. Also, the Geelani camp is not in favour of Shabir Ahmed Shah’s suggestion that after all the groups agree to come under one umbrella no group should maintain its separate identity.