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Ballot rules over bullet
PDP supporter killed, 27 injured
Violence in Sopore, Baramulla
Despite candidates’ tall promises, people feel neglected
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A different marriage affair
61 pc Kashmiri Pandits cast vote
Complaint lodged against PDP workers
Fifth Phase: 179 in fray
Names of ‘genuine’ voters missing from list
Azad plays tourism card to woo voters
Journalists carry Associated Press photographer Mukhtar Khan to a hospital in Srinagar on Sunday after he was beaten up by the police while covering an anti-election protest in Sopore. — AFP
Research scholars rue poor facilities
Mumbai Heat
Plea to declare Jammu, Srinagar B-1 cities
Students resent power cuts
Mixed response to VC’s appointment
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Skirmishes mar fourth phase of polling
Udhampur, December 7 BJP candidate for Udhampur assembly segment Pawan Gupta was allegedly beaten by the activists of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) at Udhampur. JKNPP and BJP workers also clashed at polling booth at the Forest Office near Udhampur. The polling at the TCP polling both was disrupted after Panthers Party workers attacked Pawan Gupta. BJP workers rushed to the spot but the situation was pacified by the securitypersons deployed at the polling booth. Gupta told the Tribune that he along with his supporters had gone to the TCP polling station after getting information that some youths had been creating hurdles in the polling. “As soon as I reached there activists of the Panthers Party attacked me”, he alleged and said the matter has brought to the notice of the police authorities. The Panthers Party activists, however, denied the allegation and blamed BJP candidate for slapping a party worker. Panthers Party workers alleged that situation took an ugly turn when the BJP candidate slapped their activist. The BJP and the Panthers Party workers also clashed at Forest Office polling station in which 6 workers of both the parties were injured. The police immediately swung into action and dispersed the warring groups. The Panthers Party and the BJP have been locked into a keen contest so workers of both the parties, throughout the day, tried to dominate their rivals.
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Violence in Khansahib segment
Budgam, December 7 Long queues of voters, both men and women were seen waiting for their turn in different polling stations in Chadoora, Budgam, Beerwah, Khansahib and Chrar-e-Sharief since early morning braving severe cold and cloudy conditions. Enthusiasm prevailed among the voters in different areas, who came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise once again, after the “encouraging turnout” in the first three phases clearly demarcating between the elections for good governance and the resolution of the Kashmir issue. There were reports of boycott in the urban townships of Magam and Soibugh in Beerwah constituency, though the officials said there was a good response in the constituency. “The polling has been overall peaceful”, an official said giving details of the polling in Budgam. The polling was held amid tight security arrangements with the deployment of a large number of paramilitary forces in these areas to avoid any untoward incident. This had been done to thwart any designs of militants to create trouble during today’s polling, even as the last three phases of elections were held peacefully. The reports of clashes between the supporters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and those from the Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) were reported from the Khansahib constituency. It was neutralised peacefully and there was no disturbance in the polling, the officials later confirmed. Those who came out to vote include 105-year-old woman, Mehtaba Begum, at the Sharungam polling station in the Beerwah constituency. Out of 1,065 votes at one polling station in Budgam, 277 had been polled by 10.30 am. At another polling station in the town, 298 votes had been polled out of 752 within the first three hours. A voter, Shabir Ahmad, holding an EPIC, had tough time in locating his name in the list of voters at a polling station in Budgam town, as he refused to return without voting as “his right”. His name figured in an updated list and was allowed to vote, the polling staff confirmed. |
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Ballot rules over bullet
Dharmari
(Reasi), December 7 Braving freezing temperature, long queues of the people, including a large number of women, were the testimony of the triumph of ballot over fear of bullet as voters turned out in large number to cast their votes in favour of peace, development and normalcy despite intimidation and threats of some militant organisations. “We are here to cast our votes and give a message that ballot is more powerful that bullet”, Shafiq
ur-Rehan, a science graduate told the Tribune and asserted that long queues of people outside the polling stations were giving a clear to militants outfits that they could no longer terrorise the people to stay away from the democratic process. Rehman was optimistic that 2008 polls marked a turning point in this violence plagued area and outcome of this elections would usher in a new era of development and prosperity. “Gone are the days when the vmilitants used to intimidate the common masses”, Zulfikar said, he was the polling agent of a political party and pointed out that despite freezing temperature many had come out of their homes to vote. At 2 pm, the violence stricken Gulabgarh assembly segment had registered 48 per cent of voting. “Unlike the past, there is no allegation of rigging or coercion by the police or security forces”, Salamdin said and pointed out that one and only complaint of the people was deletion of their names from the voters
list. Mahore SDPO Kulwant Singh Jasrotia said the militants had almost lost ground in this belt, which was earlier infamous for violence as there was growing support of the people for peace and revival of democratic process.
Salam, a resident of Mahore said the bullet had been replaced by a popular mandate of ballot and development. Differentiating between 2002 assembly elections and this year’s polls, Salam said the situation had been changed now. “Earlier, only political activists used to cast their votes but today common masses turned up to express their faith in the democracy”, he said and hoped that the outcome of this elections would carve out a new path of development, peace and tranquility in this violence-stricken belt. |
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PDP supporter killed, 27 injured
Srinagar, December 7 The police said Mohammad Yaqoob Wagay was hit on his head by NC workers and he soon succumbed to his injuries. This is the first incident of its type during the elections in which somebody lost his life in clashes between rival parties. The police has registered a case and rounded up some persons even as tension ran high in the area. Six constituencies of Anannagh are going to polls on December 13 and PDP and NC are locked in bitter battle here, a previous NC stronghold brought down by the PDP in last elections. Restrictions were imposed on the movement of the traffic and people towards all roads linking the capital city to Budgam and Baramulla districts. The police and the CRPF personnel were deployed in large numbers on all these roads. However, in view of the impending Eid festival, the authorities decided to relax the restrictions in the city areas. Protests were reported from downtown localities, including Zainakadal, Bohri Kadal and other adjoining areas around the Srinagar's Jamia Masjid. An official spokesman said shops in almost all the major towns of Kashmir valley remained open. The spokesman added that in Srinagar city shops were open partially. However, in the after noon some youths belonging to "Shaheed-e-Milat Youth Front" pelted stones and forced shop keepers to down their shutters in Zaina Kadal and Bohri Kadal areas, injuring security personnel and damaging vehicles. The situation remained largely peaceful in the major towns of Anantnag, Pulwama and Shopian in south Kashmir. The Hurriyat Conference expressed concern over the curfew-like restrictions in the city and other major towns of the valley ahead of the Eid festivities, saying people were "forced indoors preventing them for making necessary purchases". It has also condemned the continued house arrest of its senior leaders.
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Violence in Sopore, Baramulla
Baramulla, December 7 Sopore, the native place of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, witnessed violence and subsequent security deployment on a scale not seen in the previous three phases of elections and 15-odd persons, including four journalists, were injured. As protests began with the start of voting in Sopore, whose prosperous business and apple-trading classes have always been loyal to Geelani, the authorities blocked the road leading to the town and even journalists issued passes by the Election Commission were barred any entry. Some booths in Sopore had not witnessed even 10 voters by 2 pm and protesters alleged that even that minuscule number of votes was cast courtesy “mobile” voters brought by political parties in their vehicles. Sentiments were less volatile in Baramulla town but the anti-election mood was dominant. At a booth in Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School in the main town, only three votes out of 769 were cast by 2 pm. If there was visible support for the Hurriyat, disenchantment with politicians was also a factor. |
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Blast during polling
Srinagar: Suspected militants reportedly set off an explosion in the Sopore constituency as soon as the polling started but there was no report of loss of life or damage to property.
Locals said they heard a blast on the road leading to Sangrama and security forces rushed to the spot. There was no loss of life or injury in the blast. The police said they were into the matter. |
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Despite candidates’ tall promises, people feel neglected
Kathua, December 7 Prolonged power cuts, shabby roads, missing sewerage network, woefully-technically equipped health centres and insufficient schools are their grouse. Even in the ongoing winter season, the town is reeling under nearly 10-hour power cut in a day. It has crippled their routine life. The residents rue that the work under the Rs 76-crore Central grant remained restricted to papers. The Central government had granted the aid under the Urban Infrastructure Development Slum Small Medium Town in 2006 to spruce up civic amenities. Concerned about the future of her two school-going children, Sunita Devi of Nagri was of the opinion that a technical college should be established in the town to train students to find jobs in manufacturing units established here. Rajwinder Singh, a schoolteacher, said there was only one ITI for imparting technical education and that was not sufficient. Vijay Singh Jasrotia, a farmer, said thanks to conducive climate and soil conditions, the tillers were growing vegetables profusely. However, their efforts had failed to provide them good returns, as the marketing facilities were non-existent. Successive leaders of the area were approached with the demand and they listed it under their priority programmes, but nothing concrete had come out so far, he said. |
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A different marriage affair
Jammu, December 7 Groom Piara Singh and 60 ‘baratis’ cast their votes at the polling station at Bikhangala today morning as other voters looked on before leaving for Doda for the ceremony. “It is the responsibility of the youth to strengthen the roots of democracy in our country. My marriage cannot prevent me from exercising my right of franchise,” the groom said. Among those who cast their vote today was also 110-year-old Bhagat Ram. Ram cast his vote at Mang polling station in the Ramnagar Assembly constituency while another centurion, 105-year-old Jail Singh cast his vote in the Reasi Assembly constituency.
— PTI |
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61 pc Kashmiri Pandits cast vote
Jammu, December 7 According to Vinod Kaul, relief & rehabilitation commissioner, the number of votes cast by Kashmiri Pandits voters for different constituencies are as follows - 157 votes for Uri, 204 for Rafiabad, 252 for Sopore, 77 for Sangrama, 120 for Reasi, 715 for Gulmarg, 53 for Patan, 49 for Chadoora, 54 for Budgam, 52 for Beirwah, 61 for Khansahib and 144 votes for Charar-e-Sharief. Rajesh Raina (18) from Mishriwala camp said: “It is an important day for me as I have become eligible to exercise my franchise. Many Kashmiri Pandit voters also found their names missing from the register. They said this was a conspiracy to hold back Kashmiri Pandits to exercise their right to vote. |
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Complaint lodged against PDP workers
Jammu, December 7 In a written complaint to the Governor, Bhim Singh alleged that the PDP workers assaulted Reshi Gowhar Ahmed and in the presence of the police they also attacked Ahmad’s mother, ransacked his house and assaulted other members of the family with an intention to kill the Panthers Party
candidate. He has sought the Governor’s intervention and immediate action. |
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Fifth Phase: 179 in fray
Jammu, December 7 In the fifth phase, 73 candidates will contest from Pulwama district, which include 21 from Tral, 15 from Pampore, 19 from Pulwama and 18 from the Rajpora Assembly constituencies. The total electors in Pulwama district are 2,93,127. In Shopian district, 40 contestants are in fray, which include 19 from Wachi and 21 from the Shopian constituency. The total electors in the district are 1,39,495.
In Jammu Division’s Kathua district, 66 contestants are in fray, out of which 11 are in Bani, nine in Basohli, 20 in Kathua, 15 in Billawar and 11 in the Hiranagar Assembly constituencies. The total electors in Kathua district are 4,06,331. Among these constituencies, Shopian and Tral have the distinction of having the highest number of 21 contestants each in the electoral fray. As many as five women contestants and 58 independents are also in the ring in this phase of elections. Among the five women contestants, three will contest from Shopian district while two are in fray in Kathua district. The women contestants from Shopian district are Aisha Nishat of the J&K Awami National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti of the People’s Democratic Party in the Wachi constituency and Gulshan Parveen of the Samta Party in the Shopian constituency. |
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Names of ‘genuine’ voters missing from list
Arnas (Reasi), December 7 As the electoral rolls were full of discrepancies, the people lodged their protest at different places after finding their names missing from the voter lists. The returning officers concerned also expressed their helplessness to allow these “genuine” voters to exercise their right to franchise as their names were deleted from the voter lists. Bashir Ahmed, son of Aziz, who has an I card No JK57-033413 issued by the ECI was stunned when he was told that his name was deleted from the modified electoral rolls. Bashir, who had gone to cast his vote at the Buthoi polling booth of the Gulabgarh assembly segment, returned without exercising their right. Same is the story of Abdul Rashid, son of Khajara, who said, “What is the use of issuing this card”. He was visibly annoyed. Rashid said for the past 40 years he had been participating in the electoral process but this time his name was deleted. Zainab Begum is also genuine voter possessing the ECI card number JK57-033437 but was not allowed to cast her vote as her name was missing from the voter list. Mahore returning officer F.C. Bhagat admitted that he had received complaints regarding delegation of names of some card holders from the revised voter lists. “I have directed the officers concerned to look in to the matter as to how names of these card holders were deleted from the voter lists”, Bhagat said
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Azad plays tourism card to woo voters
Bani (Kathua), December 7 Addressing various public meetings in the Bani and the Hiranagar Assembly segments, Azad left no stone unturned to woo various sections of society. He promised that if voted to power he would recruit 80,000 Class IV employees and 1 lakh educated unemployed, besides giving a stipend to about 5 lakh educated unemployed youth. He also promised implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years and creation of a corpus fund of Rs 20 crore to facilitate the marriages of girls belonging to the BPL category. Azad also struck a chord with the people of the Bani constituency by touching the issue of tourism. He said if voted to power he would continue to give special emphasis on the development of tourist spots and promotion of tourism in all such areas of the state that had so far remained neglected on this front. Azad promised that a tourist circuit between Bani and Dalhousie would be created to attract tourists from Himachal to other areas of Jammu and Kashmir through the Lakhanpur-Bani-Basohli-Sarthal tourist circuit. He said realising that tourism could not be promoted without development of infrastructure like roads, power and water; he had sanctioned Rs 50 crore for five roads in Bani area.
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Cops thrash scribes
Srinagar, December 7 Masood Hussain of Economic Times, who was among the injured, said they were walking down a road in Arampora where a crowd of protesters began raising slogans as the scribes approached them for coverage. As the photojournalists began taking their photographs, the police baton charged them and threw tear shells. AFP’s photographer Tauseef Mustafa, AP’s Mukhtar Ahmed and Reuter’s Faiyaz Kabli besides Hussain were among those beaten up and Mustafa and Ahmed.
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Research scholars rue poor facilities
Jammu, December 7 As many as 60 scholars are doing their research in history. They said there was no scholars’ room or Internet lab to compile their research works. “The department library has sitting capacity of nearly 20 students, while there are nearly 200 students pursuing their postgraduation. Scholars of MPhil and PhD don’t get any place to sit and carryout their research work,” they said. “There are only four computers in the department while three of them are non-functional. How can a single computer cater to the need of nearly 300 students?” they said. Similarly, scholars of the Physics Department, on the condition of anonymity, said in the absence of a scholar room they have to carry out their research work in the lab itself. “It is highly pitiable that the varsity boasts of academic excellence and spends huge funds on useless things every year but has turned a blind eye towards the problems of the scholars,” they added. Among other departments that don’t have any scholar room include education and psychology. President of the Jammu University Research Scholars Executive Association (JURSEA) Vikas Sharma said: “With our intervention, the varsity had allotted Rs 2 lakh to each department for equipping scholar rooms with requisite facilities, but despite that some departments have not allotted any room to scholars while those who have allotted have failed to provide facilities.” Vikas said: “We have been demanding that all departments should provide separate space to the scholars of PhD and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) so that they could carry out their work efficiently and peacefully.” Dean Academic Affairs B.P.S. Sehgal said though space was a major constraint, they were making efforts to provide separate rooms and Internet facility to the scholars’ rooms.
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Traders apprehensive over trade across LoC
Perneet Singh Tribune News Service
Jammu, December 7 Talking to The Tribune, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Mubeen Shah said, “What we are hearing as of now is that if Pakistan didn’t cooperate with India then the latter will take an action against the former, which will amount to stopping everything, including the cross-LoC trade. It will bring all the progress made through the confidence building measures (CBMs) to square one. We hope that the better sense prevails on both the sides.” Referring to the Mumbai terror attack, he said whatever happened was unfortunate and as a trade body they didn’t subscribe to any act of terrorism. “Every matter can be sorted out through peaceful means,” he added. A delegation of traders from the state, which was scheduled to visit PoK for holding discussions with the traders there, is also uncertain whether it can go ahead with their trip in the near future. Former Federation of Industries chairman Annil Suri confirmed that the delegation’s visit to PoK stands deferred as of now. He said the recent developments would definitely affect the cross-LoC trade, as the security scenario was no more the same. He said though the cross-LoC trade may not stop altogether, but the Mumbai terror attack would certainly slow down the progress on this front. He opined that the cross-LoC trade was not viable with the current modalities and in the current scenario any improvement in modalities also seems impossible. However, sounding optimistic, Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Ram Sahai said as of now there doesn’t seem to be any problem over the cross-LoC trade. “The traders from Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK) are in touch with us and they have condemned the Mumbai terror attack,” he said. He said his hope stems from the fact that 114 persons travelled to Pakistan through the trans-LoC bus service from Poonch to Rawlakote after the Mumbai terror attack.
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Plea to declare Jammu, Srinagar B-1 cities
Jammu, December 7 Addressing a NMC workers rally here today, Shastri said giving B-1 status to both capitals would ensure more flow of funds for upgrading infrastructure and modernising civic amenities of both cities. Shastri appealed to the Governor to implement the Sixth Pay Commission in the state to provide financial relief to the salaried class in view of skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and economic recession. He stressed upon the Centre for releasing DA installment at the rate of 7 per cent in favour of both Central and state government employees. Shastri also demanded regularisation of all daily wagers of rural development, sericulture, floriculture and power development departments, release of COLA installments in favour of Public Sector employees, adjustment on vacant posts of seasonal labourers working in Irrigation division, Akhnoor, etc. |
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Students resent power cuts
Rajouri, December 7 “We have to appear in exams in February or March. As the PDD resorts to scheduled and unscheduled power cuts in evening and night hours, which is an ideal time for studies, so they are facing problems” rued Zahid Ali, a student of Government Middle School, Mandi in Poonch district. “The government should take a serious view of the problems being faced by us due to these power cuts and ensure uninterrupted power supply,” he added. Not only the student community, the common people are also worried about the power cuts as they fear militant strikes during night hours. “Since these areas are affected by militancy, the PDD should revise the timing of power curtailment and should not impose cuts in the evening hours due to security reasons,” Joginder Gupta of Rajouri said. A senior officer of the PDD on the anonymity told The Tribune that they got the schedule of power cuts from the higher authorities in Jammu and they had to enforce it as per the schedule.
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Mixed response to VC’s appointment
Jammu, December 7 The Jammu University Research Scholars Executive Association (JURSEA), which had been demanding appointment of a local person on the post since the completion of Prof Amitabh Mattoo’s tenure, today flayed the appointment of the new Vice-Chancellor. Speaking to mediapersons, JURSEA president Vikas Sharma said they would stage a protest demonstration tomorrow when new Vice-Chancellor Varun Sahni would take over the official charge. The Rasa Javedani Memorial Literary Society (RJMLS) has hailed the appointment of Sahni. |
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Boy accidentally
shoots himself
Jammu, December 7 “The boy was found dead on the spot and the weapon was lying by his side,” the sources said adding that he died in an accidental fire. He was servicing his father’s licensed gun at his residence when it went off killing him (Saket) on the spot, they said.
— UNI |
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Grenades, explosives seized
Jammu, December 7 |
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1 killed in road mishap
Srinagar, December 7 A woman (70) was reportedly hit by a vehicle at Hafchinan Magam in the central Kashmir district of Badgam. She was admitted to the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences at Soura, where she died. Shahid was injured after he was hit by a vehicle at Baramulla.
— UNI |
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