Udhampur, September 12
The security forces this morning eliminated three terrorists of the Harkut-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI) outfit, including one self-styled commander who was involved in the killing of the five officers of the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) in a remote area of Kishtwar district. Lt-Col Ajay Kumar Verma and four other GREF officers were gunned down by terrorists in the Singthantop area on June 12 while they were inspecting progress of the work on the Kishtwar-Anantnag road.

“Mohammad Akbar, alias Akbar Chachey, one of the slain militants, was involved in the killing of GREF officers”, DIG of Doda-Ramban range Hemant Kumar Lohia said.

The DIG said the recovery of 5.56 Insas rifle from the possession of Akbar Chachey substantiated that the slain terrorist was involved in that killing as this rifle was snatched from the GREF officials who were escorting Lt-Col Ajay Kumar Verma.

On a tipoff about the presence of HuJI militants in the Chatroo area, troops of 11 Rashtriya Rifles and the Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a joint operation in the Chigam area and killed three militants in the subsequent encounter and seized arms and ammunition from the spot.

The slain militants have been identified as Mohammad Akbar, Saifullah and Shabir Ahmed. Akbar and Shabir were residents of the Chatroo area whereas Saifullah was a native of the Padder belt of Kishtwar district.

The killing of Mohammad Akbar has been considered as a severe blow to HuJI as he used to develop the support base for this pan-Islamic outfit in the mountainous region of Doda and Kishtwar. He was involved in more than 50 cases of extortion and kidnapping apart from collecting huge “commission” from forest contractors.

After eliminating Mohammad Akbar, the police is now out to track down Jamail Bakerwal, who was also involved in the June 12 killing. Others militants involved in the killing had already been nabbed.

Srinagar: Two militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Kupwara district on Thursday night.

Acting on specific information about the presence of militants, police and CRPF personnel launched a search operation in Choti Marg, Devar in the Lolab area of Kupwara district on Thursday night, the police said here. In the ensuing encounter two Lashker-e-Toiba militants were killed. Two AK-56 rifles, five magazines and 90 rounds of ammunition were seized from the encounter site.

A Pak-trained militant of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit was apprehended from the Handwara area of Kupwara district on Thursday. One AK rifle, one magazine, 30 AK rifle rounds and one hand grenade were seized from him.

Jammu, September 12
The recent unrest in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the Amarnath land row, for the time being, seems to have shattered Centre’s Rs 1,600-crore ‘dream plan’ of pursuing Kashmiri migrants to return to the valley.

The plan was to provide these migrants financial assistance and other economic benefits under the rehabilitation scheme.

So far, there is no taker to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s offer of handing over a lump sum grant of Rs 7.5 lakh to any such migrant family, who opt to return to the valley.

The Prime Minister made this offer to the migrants on his recent visit to Jammu and Kashmir on April 25.

Official sources here said prior to the Amarnath land row, which divided people on regional lines, there was ‘some’ response from the community to return to the roots.

“About 6,000 forms are said to have been distributed by the office of the Jammu relief commissioner amongst such migrants willing to go back,” the sources said.

But after the unrest and violence — first in Kashmir and then in Jammu — the migrants expressed total reservations to return under the prevailing conditions, the sources said, adding that the priority for the government was now holding elections in the troubled state.

“I had applied under the return formula, as it was extremely difficult for the past 18 years to live at a migrant camp, which lacked basic facilities,” said Hari Krishan, who was still nostalgic of pre-1990 era when Muslims and Pandits were inseparable components of the valley’s peaceful coexistence.

Hari Krishan believed that for Pandits Kashmir was the right place to live. “I have understood all this during the 18 years of my exile,” he said.

Mohan Lal Dhar, who had also applied to return to his native land, said composite Hindu-Muslim culture formed the basis of what was called ‘Kashmiriyat’.

“But taking advantage of the Amarnath land row, vested interests created a wedge amongst the people of two regions. Now, the issue of returning to the valley has been pushed to the back burner,” he said.

Dhar was, however, optimistic that with the passage of time, people will revive their personal contacts to settle down the things. “It is a collective responsibility and in everybody’s interest to facilitate the return as envisaged by the Prime Minister,” he said. An activist of the Panun Kashmir asserted that some elements in the valley were not in favour of Pandits’ return.

“This was amply shown while denying even 800 kanals of land to the Amarnath shrine board. Under the prevailing situation, homeland formula was not the way out,” he claimed.

Vinod Koul, commissioner, Relief and Rehabilitation, admitted that due to the ongoing unrest in the state, the return formula got a setback.

Some 750 families had earlier deposited their forms, showing earnest desire to return to the valley, he said. Koul hoped with the situation improving, migrants might rethink and avail the facility.

Jammu, September 12
During the National Eye Donation Awareness Fortnight that ended here on Monday, about 50 city dwellers voluntarily pledged to donate their eyes for use in corneal transplantation after their death.

But their very initiative to provide sight to the needy is being defeated in the absence of any eye bank here, either in the private or public health sector, in the state.

This year, too, people from different sections of the society, after ignoring all myths, have come forward to donate their eyes.

In fact, the record of such aspiring donors, now running in hundreds, is maintained every year during the past one decade.

Last year, 48 donors, including 15 women, had pledged to donate their eyes.

However, their pledge remained confined to the official records only as city hospitals, including the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital, Jammu, did not have any such bank where human organs could be preserved and timely transplanted.

Hospital sources said the urgency to have an organ bank here was time and again taken up with the authorities concerned, who for unknown reasons were turning a blind eye towards the issue.

While most of the states in India have their registered eye banks in the public and private health sector, no serious efforts were being made to have similar banks in the state, sources said.

Sources said in the light of the Human Organs Transplant Act passed by the J&K Legislature in 1997, and the legal implications thereof, no official was ready to take pains in pursuing the case and to set up an organ bank in the state.

“Only half-hearted measures were being taken, following the ritual and customary practise of holding a national eye donation awareness fortnight every year between August 25 to September 8,” sources said.

They said over 20 lakh Indians suffered from corneal blindness and some of them could be treated through the transplantation of donated eyes if collected and preserved in eye banks within six hours.

A good number of people, who required corneal transplantation, were registered with the Department of Ophthalmology, GMC, but since there was no eye bank in the state, they continued to lead a life of darkness.

Asked why an eye bank had not been set up in the GMC despite people coming forward to pledge their eyes every year, Dr Suraj Prakash, head, Ophthalmology Department, said it was an “administrative matter”.

Similar views were also expressed by Dr R.K. Mengi, professor of ophthalmology.

Jammu, September 12
The government has warned the Economic Reconstruction Agency, working on 73 Asian Development Bank-funded projects worth Rs 1,100 crore, to meet the deadline and use quality material in the execution.

C. Phunsog, adviser to the Governor, in a meeting yesterday in Srinagar, reviewed the progress of these 73 mega projects, which are coming up in the Jammu and Kashmir regions.

In the meeting, it was decided that no delay in execution would be tolerated, an official spokesman said.

An official spokesman here said the agency had taken up work on 11 urban water supply schemes in Jammu to provide potable water in the Kandi belt that faces severe crisis every year during the peak summer season.

The scheme will benefit the residents of Roopnagar, Chinore, Rajinder Nagar and Bantalab, where water is usually supplied once in a week. Tube wells and overhead tanks were installed at these places last month, the spokesman said.

Nine roads, three bridges and four drainage projects are also being constructed to improve and expand the road connectivity and drainage treatment facilities in the region, the spokesman said.

Similarly, in Kashmir division, 21 road projects, 17 bridges, four drainage projects and equal number of urban water supply schemes are also being executed by the ERA, the spokesman said.

Jammu, September 12
Demanding stern action against miscreants, who recently damaged their vehicles and assaulted them in Kashmir valley, several taxi drivers today staged protest demonstrations and blocked traffic movement for nearly an hour at Indira Chowk in the heart of city here.

Led by All India Taxi, Sumo and Tempo Travellers’ Union president Jagjeet Singh, agitating drivers parked their vehicles on the road and disrupted traffic movement in the ever-busy square for nearly an hour.

Shouting slogans against the administration they said in the valley miscreants had been attacking their vehicles besides assaulting them.

One of the drivers said, “Of late some of our colleagues received serious injuries after severely beaten up by these miscreants.”

They check our driving licenses and number plates and then beat us up on the grounds that we belong to Jammu, he added.

Later, a deputation of protesting drivers called on IG Jammu K. Rajendra, who assured to look into the entire issue.

He also promised to provide security to the Kashmir bound commercial vehicles.

It may be recalled here that in the backdrop of Amarnath land row, truck and oil tanker drivers had also been targeted forcing them to suspend supplies to the valley.

Srinagar, September 12
Hailing the government decision to initiate action against police personnel involved in the killing of two agitating persons at Samba recently, NC president Omar Abdullah has demanded similar action against those having used excessive force that killed more than 40 and injured over 600 others in Kashmir.

Two persons were killed at Samba in the Jammu region during the recent agitation for restoring land to the Amarnath Shrine Board while 40 others were killed and more than 600 others injured in the Kashmir valley during the agitation since June-end which was intensified after the “Muzaffarabad chalo” call on August 11 when senior APHC leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz was killed.

In a statement here today, Omar said that protesters at samba were aimed at during curfew hours as they were bent upon enforcing hurdles on the national highway as part of the economic blockade of the valley. On the other hand, there was no curfew imposed during the “Muzaffarabad chalo” call and the government too had not imposed restrictions on the movement  of people.

The NC president said the use of force and killings could not be justified in any part of the state, but held that it was astonishing that the authorities had not ordered any inquiry into the cases of killing in the Kashmir valley.

Omar asserted that “the parameters of justice demand that people in Kashmir should not be denied justice, at least during the time demands in the other part of the state are taken care of”.

Udhampur, September 12
A youth killed his aged father over a piece of land in the Ramnagar area of Udhampur district. The police has arrested accused Papu Kumar, a resident of Surjan ward number 9 of Ramnagar, and registered a case against him under section 302, RPC.

According to the police, Papu Kumar, who was under the influence of liquor, attacked his father, Krishan Kumar, alias Kisha, with rods and sticks. Godawari Devi, wife of the deceased, tried in vain to save her husband. After beating his father severely, Papu Kumar ran away.

With the help of some neighbours, Godawari Devi took the victim to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The police said the accused and the victim were working as coolies at Ramnagar but due to old age Krishan Kumar had left the job and took to selling milk to make both ends meet. Papu Kumar was pressuring him to transfer a piece of land in his name, which resulted in a confrontation and murder of Krishan Kumar last night.

The accused hit the victim on his head with a stick, resulting in his death.

However, Koushalya Devi, wife of the accused, said that her husband was mentally sick. 

Jammu, September 12
In yet another case of mysterious death, body of a minor girl was found by the police on Thursday in Sunder Bani township in Rajouri district.

According to reports, the body of Savita Kumari was received hanging from the ventilator while her feet were touching the floor. She was working as domestic help.

The incident reportedly came to the fore after her mother, sister and maternal grandfather came to visit her. At the time of incident her employer, Sanjeev Verma had gone to his computer institute while his wife and children were at home.

Sources told the Tribune that the police is concealing the age of the minor to hide the fact that being a minor she was engaged in child labour. The sources said the girl belonged to an extremely poor family. She had six sisters and a brother.

The family had migrated from upper reaches of hilly district in the wake of terrorism while minorities were being targeted by fanatically charged militants, they added.

“She was not more than the age of 13 years,” they added.

A similar incident took place the month of January this year in which a body of student, Deepak was received from his rented accommodation. He was putting up with landlords. Although a substantial time has lapsed yet the culprits are at large. As per the sources, the police has not presented even chargesheet of the case in the court.

SHO said, “We have started investigating into the case under Section 174 of Criminal Panel Code (CrPC). However, he maintained, “It’s an apparent case of suicide but the facts would be established only after medical reports come from the Forensic Lab, Srinagar.”

Srinagar, September 12
Asserting that elections were no alternative to the right of self-determination, Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has said the people had already rejected the electoral process in the state.

After about two-week-long house arrest, Mirwaiz, addressing a Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid here today, said while the police and security forces were killing a number of people, certain parties were talking about elections. “The people of Kashmir have rejected the electoral politics as it is useless in resolving the Kashmir issue,” Mirwaiz.

He said Kashmir was not a border dispute or a regional issue adding that it could be solved only through tripartite talks. Mirwaiz asked the people to adhere to its future programmes of the separatist coordination committee.

Referring to the recent incidents in Kashmir following Muzaffarabad chalo march, Mirwaiz expressed concern over the use of force against unarmed people who were holding peaceful demonstrations. He also expressed concern over the arrests and harassment of youths and their detentions under the PSA, which had been intensified during the past two weeks.

Invited to OIC conference

Mirwaiz Omar Farooq has been invited to participate in the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New York from September 24.

The three-day conference is being held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session being attended, among others, by the newly elected President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari.