Udhampur/Jammu, June 14
For the smooth conduct of the Amarnath Yatra, the police has been deployed to keep a check on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Besides coordinating with other security forces on the routes of yatra, the police has also assigned the job to keep a strict vigil on the activities of anti-social elements during the movement of the convoy of the pilgrims. The police has also installed CCTVs on some spots - considered as militancy plagued - to keep round-the-clock surveillance in these areas located on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.

“We have identified 17 vulnerable and sensitive points in our area of operation,” DIG, Doda-Ramban range, Hemant Kumar Lohia said, adding that, cops of the CID and the Special Branch wings of the local police have given the task to remain present on these spots to foil any designs of the anti-national elements. He said these cops would be deployed in civil dress and would remain in the constant touch with the other security agencies.

Some spots on the national highway, especially near Ramsoo and Banihal, are considered as vulnerable where militants earlier used to plan IEDs during the peak of militancy targeting vehicles of the security forces. “The security forces have been deployed in the sensitive areas to provide adequate security cover to the pilgrims,” the DIG said.

Meanwhile, the traffic police is also geared up for the smooth flow of the cavalcade of yatris. SSP (Traffic National Highway) Alok Kumar said the traffic cops would be deployed in adequate number at the “bottlenecks” on the highway to avoid any congestion or jam.

As many as 16 companies of the CRPF, the state police and the BSF have been assigned the task of providing security cover to the pilgrims. A total of eight companies of the state police and seven companies of the CRPF have been deployed for the safety and security of pilgrims, Jammu SSP Manohar Singh said. He said 14 women constables have also been deployed at the Yatri Niwas for frisking women pilgrims before allowing them inside the base camp.

Two women CRPF companies have also been inducted for the security of women pilgrims, he added.

Srinagar, June 14
The one-man commission probing the rape-cum-murder case of Asiya (17) and her sister-in-law Nelofar (22) in Shopian has recorded the statement of a top cop, besides questioning the forensic experts who conducted the vaginal swab test of the victims.

The Justice Muzzafar Jan Commission, which is being assisted by 14 investigators, questioned DIG (South Kashmir) Rajesh Kumar for nearly four hours, official sources said here today.

Kumar was questioned primarily about his knowledge of the case and the action taken by him as the death of two women was snowballing into a major controversy.

The commission questioned officials of Forensic Science Laboratory today who had concluded in their report that human sperms were there in the women's vaginal swab.

The sources said the FSL team had conveyed to the commission that it could not be conclusively ascertained whether the two women had been raped as this was not possible by only analysing a slide containing semen.

"We can only tell you whether it is human sperm. Rest is a matter of investigation," an FSL official had said.

The commission has questioned SP Shopian Javed Matoo, who has since been transferred to Ramban, the Deputy Commissioner and the police party which visited the spot after hearing the news of the women's death.

The reports of post-mortem conducted on the victims have also been submitted to the commission. The autopsy report of June 6 claims that while Asiya had died because of injuries on her head, which caused haemorrhage, followed by cardio-vascular arrest, Neelofar's probable cause of death may be a "neurogenic shock".

The second autopsy report of June 8 claimed that Asiya had suffered "sexual assault" before dying of "haemorrhagic shock" due to bleeding from her multiple injuries while no cause of death for Neelofar had been mentioned. The commission had also called some officials of the CRPF and Special Operations Group of the state police who were on duty at the camps located near the orchard where the two women were last spotted. — PTI

Strike enters 15th day

Srinagar, June 14
The general strike in Shopian against the alleged rape and murder of two women entered the 15th day today with all shops and business establishments closed and transport off the road.

The strike was extended for a week on Friday by the recently constituted 'Shopian Coordination Committee', which is spearheading the agitation.

There was no fresh protest in the town where the situation continues to be tense but under control, official sources said. Meanwhile, the hardline Hurriyat faction today announced week-long protests from tomorrow. It said a protest would be held against the arrest of separatist leaders, including its chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, on June 18. It also called for a strike on Saturday against the proposed visit of the Vice-President. — PTI

Jammu, June 14
After a fortnight of investigations into the marksheet tampering scam at Jammu University, the police has registered an FIR against five university employees.

The SP (City North), Randeep Kumar, said investigations into the case were still going on and more arrests were anticipated in the future.

He said the Gandhi Nagar police on June 6 came to know that a university employee, Gopal Kumar of Digiana Ashram, was allegedly giving undue advantage to candidates by tampering with marks in records of the university by providing fake documents and certificates to them after taking money with the help of his associates.

Accordingly, an FIR under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 34 of the RPC was registered at the Gandhi Nagar police station and investigation was entrusted to the SDPO (City West), he added.

He said during the course of investigations, answersheets, award rolls and marks files were seized and alteration in records in the form of overwriting were also found. He added that even some of the marks files had been changed.

The SP said they arrested five employees of the university , Gopal Kumar of Digiana Ashram, Sanjay Kumar of Machhlian Nagbani, Tilak Raj Goswami of Mansar village, all three working as packers, Tarsem Paul, the then coding assistant of part-II bi-annual examination, presently working as head assistant in the university examination department and Sunil Kumar Sharma, a library attendant.

Jammu, June 14
Panthers Party chairman Prof Bhim Singh has blamed the Congress for backtracking from the promise of the formation of delimitation commission when it was in coalition with the PDP in the state.

When the PDP, the Congress and the Panthers Party framed and signed the common minimum programme (CMP) in 2002, all parties under the leadership of Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi agreed to form a delimitation commission in the state, he said.

He said it was shocking when former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in Jammu made a statement blaming the PDP for the failure to constitute the commission. He said his party during the meeting on October 26, 2002, had agreed to join the then coalition government on the precondition that the government would form a delimitation commission. It was the Congress leadership of the state, which tried to avoid the subject inside and outside the Legislature when Mufti Sayeed was heading the government.

He accused Azad of defeating his own commitment by using Farooq Abdullah to oppose delimitation in the Press. He said the Bill introduced in the Assembly was an eyewash to confuse the people and blackmail the Congress leadership in Delhi who wanted to implement the promise made in the CMP.

Jammu, June 14
The final allotment of the controversial 187 two-room tenements (TRTs) to displaced Kashmiri Pandits was made in Nagrota recently.

Warring factions of the community, who were earlier asked to give a list of deserved families but later locked horns and hurled accusation at each other for favouring their people, were also happy with the final outcome.

Giving information on the issue, Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner Vinod Kaul said: “Of the total 496 applications, 100 were rejected as these families already possessed houses. Nearly 320 applications were short-listed and of these, 187 were selected from the lucky draw system. But rest of the families will also be given TRTs at Jagati, which will be ready by October.”

Kaul informed that due to the past controversies, seven judges, who presided over the lucky draw, were chosen among dwellers of the camp people.

Of the total 187, seven TRTs have been kept reserved for cases of chronic patients.

Heads of the opposing groups, Chand Ji Khair and Shadi Lal, also expressed their satisfaction over the outcome, but with muted angst.

Chand said, “We wish that the whole family could be settled at one place. But now, as some of the members will be settled at Jagati, this will break away the joint family system.”

Shadi Lal, head of other group, said he was happy that the matter had been finally solved but added that he did not let undeserving people to claim the accommodation.

Udhampur, June 14
Ramesh Kumar of Dudu block of Ramnagar possesses a job card under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), but he is yet to get a job. It is mandatory under the Act to provide at least 100 days’ employment to the card holder.

Ramesh is not an isolated case, there are a number of villagers possessing job cards, but are without employment. If residents of this block are to be believed, the implementation of the NREGA in this belt has been a flop show. Those card holders who got jobs under the scheme have been struggling to get wages.

According to official data, in the Dudu block a total of 2,917 persons have been given job cards by the department concerned to provide 100 days’ employment under the scheme. As many as 831 members of the Scheduled Caste and 539 members of the Scheduled Tribe communities have been registered under the scheme.

The agitation being launched by the workers of the Jafhed Panchayat of this block is a clear indication that the scheme failed to improve the lot of the people. Under the NREGA scheme, landless farmers and other unemployed workers of this village constructed a tractor road five months ago. The project was completed but the workers were yet to be paid wages. Enraged over the non-serious behaviour of the authorities, the workers have given a week’s ultimatum to them to release their wages.

It is widely alleged that there is no coordination between different departments in this backward area. So, despite funds the schemes are yet to be properly implemented in Dudu block.

Raghunandan, who is fighting for the cause of the labourers engaged under the NREGA, said the Rural Development Department (RDD) had failed to implement it. He was of the opinion that instead of engaging gram sewaks, the authorities should appoint officials exclusive for the scheme.

Political activist RS Pathania said, “We have to create separate infrastructure for implementing the NREGA.” 

Banihal (JK), June 14
A local court here has directed the police to register a case against a child development project officer (CDPO) for alleged abduction and molestation of a young woman and investigate the matter.

Madan Lal, Judicial Magistrate (first class), Banihal, issued the directives yesterday on a written complaint of the woman, who alleged that CDPO Mohammad Saleem Beg with the help of jail superviser in Jammu Nissar Hussain, tried to abduct, assault and molest her on June 11.

According to the statement recorded before the judge, the woman was on her way to the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) office, Banihal, to meet Beg who had promised to provide her a job as a helper in an anganwari.

However, on reaching near the Banihal market, she was allegedly intercepted by Beg and Hussain and taken in a car towards Jawahar tunnel. They tried to molest her in the vehicle and also threatened her of dire consequences, she claimed.

When the car reached near the police post at Jawahar tunnel, she shouted for help and was rescued by police personnel.

Hussain was arrested from the spot but Beg managed to flee.

While Beg is at large, Hussain, who was taken to the police station at Banihal, was later released.

The woman alleged that she approached the court as the police tried to hush up the case. — PTI 

Srinagar, June 14
With just a day left for the beginning of the Amarnath Yatra from Jammu via Baltal route and some amount of snow still in the way, the Army has been roped in to clear the track on critical patch from Sangam to the holy cave.

Chief executive officer (CEO), Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, BB Vyas visited the cave and the Panjtarini areas along with senior Army and board officers and review the work of snow clearance. He directed for doubling the work force to make the track fully functional by tomorrow.

Officials said the shrine board officers also discussed the relocation of the helipads from the cave and inspected the proposed site at Panjtarini. The work on making the sites functional has already begun.

Langers have been set up at the holy cave. The shrine board has erected 15 huts and 85 toilets while the clearance on the entry and exit points near the cave is in the final stages. The various service providing departments like public health, power development, revenue, medical have positioned their staff in the cave, which will be receiving the first batch of pilgrims on June 16 from the Baltal side.

Governor NN Vohra, who is the chairman of the board, is likely to lead the devotees in the Pratham Puja at the sanctum sanctorum.

Jammu, June 14
A book on Kashmir’s 14th century mystic poetess, Lal Ded, was released at a function organised by the National Book Trust (NBT) of India in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages here today.

The book, written in Dogri and translated in Hindi, has been penned down by a noted writer and bollywood director, Ved Rahi, who belongs to Jammu. This is for the first time that any Dogri poet has written a book on the life and legend of a Kashmiri poet or poetess. The 104-page book is based on Lal Ded’s spiritual "Vaakhs".

Rahi said it took him seven years to complete the project, for which he had to lean on Kashmiri also.