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Missing baby case
Preliminary inquiry report submitted
Measles-like disease grips 3 villages
Every rape and murder is grist to separatists’ mill
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Kidnapping Case
Drugs smugglers take to new route
NC favouring Kashmir region, says Mankotia
Shopian body calls off strike
Death triggers protest
Cong tries to mollify Aslam
Move to absorb PDD daily-wage staff
Kargil - A town of bunkers
Govt asked to clear stand on Central varsity
Couple’s Murder in
Kulgam
CBI arrests XEN on graft charges
Four workers of militants held
JKPCC staff strike work
CM: Ban on polythene final
Baglihar power unit to restart in 7 days
Shahnawaz named NSUI gen secy
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CCTV footage shows woman as suspect
Ashutosh Sharma Tribune News Service
Jammu, July 16 The footage have established that it was a woman who picked up the baby boy from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on Sunday, minutes after the baby’s mother had fed him. What is shocking is that while badly harassed mother Rajni Bala is seen clearly in the footage and other persons coming in and out of the room, the mysterious woman is not clearly seen. “Only the back of a woman, who seemed to have picked up the baby was seen. But there was some disturbance with the recording during that point,” she said. The city police has seized the footage. DSP, City, Swatantar Arora said, “We have called a team of experts to study the video footage, as the picture quality is shaky. In the footage, the suspicious movement of a woman was spotted.” “The hospital administration is not cooperating in investigations. The records of visitors at the NICU were not properly maintained, hindering the probe,” he said. Rajni Bala and her charged up relatives have even accused the hospital authorities of involvement in the crime. They said the child could have been sold. “The hospital authorities are responsible for my son going missing. The CCTV footage shows clear pictures of me feeding the baby around 7:30. But the part of footage that shows a woman taking away my baby was unclear. Again the part of the footage that shows my husband approaching the bed of the baby to know his status is unclear. It clearly indicates that the video has been tampered with,” Rajni said. Medical Superintendent Rakesh Khajuria has blamed staff shortage for the incident. “Long before this incident, we had sent a proposal to the government seeking more medical and paramedical staff, besides security and other equipment at the hospital.” “We need 30 more security personnel. We are going to introduce several measures aimed at improving the functioning of the hospital,” he said.
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Preliminary inquiry report submitted
Jammu: The committee looking into the missing baby case today submitted its preliminary report and sought an extension of three days for the submission of the final report.
Though the hospital administration is maintaining a silence over the entire issue, a member of the inquiry committee divulged that the preliminary report had pointed to slackness on the part of the staff on duty. The committee headed by Dr Romesh Gupta, Medical Superintendent of Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu, also highlighted the shortage of manpower and space constraint in the hospital as impediments in the functioning of the hospital. |
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Measles-like disease grips 3 villages
Rajouri, July 16 “The government spends crores of rupees under the NRHM for the immunisation of children but since the local health authorities didn’t do so, there has been outbreak of measles in our village and hundreds of children are suffering from the same,” Bag
Hussain, sarpanch of Dhara village, told mediapersons. Locals, who are up in arms against the Health Department, alleged that early this year 11-year-old Nazeem Akhter died of the same disease in Arai village. “Female multi-purpose workers, Asha activists and Anganwadi workers who are supposed to get the children immunised for six diseases, didn’t do the same,” Hussain said. Local Health Department sources said there had been outbreak of a disease but they refused to confirm whether the disease was measles or some other disease. “The symptoms of the disease like rashes are also associated with scabies but it is difficult to say whether it is measles or some other disease. So far as allegations of the locals are concerned, it needs to be investigated. However, unhygienic condition in these villages may be responsible for the outbreak of the disease,” a local Health Department source said. Block medical officer,
Mandi, Dr GA Malik said: “It doesn’t seem that there is any outbreak of disease. However, just four-five cases have been reported with measles-like symptoms, rest of the cases are that of scabies.” Director, Health Services, Jammu, Dr Jasbir Singh said they had rushed teams of specialists to these village. |
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Every rape and murder is grist to separatists’ mill
Srinagar, July 16 Whether blaming CRPF personnel for the alleged rape and murder of two Shopian women or accusing law-enforcement agencies for Asrar Mushtaq Dar’s murder, the exploitation of family’s grief for political agenda is a fair game for them. After nailing two friends of Asrar for his murder, Srinagar SSP SA Mujtaba was quick to recall how outsiders, another favourite punching bag for separatists, especially rightwing Syed Ali Shah
Geelani, were blamed for the rape and murder of Sabrina, a girl hailing from Ikhrajpora who was found raped and killed in an abandoned house on August 25 in 2007. As sentiments ran high with separatists fuelling the passion, Srinagar remained shut amidst violent protests for several days and sanity returned only after the police arrested her cousin, Zahoor Sheikh, a week later for raping and killing her. If not many outsiders were attacked during the angry protests over Sabrina’s murder, it was largely because lots of them had already moved out after the rape and murder of a school-going girl Tabinda Gani in
Kupwara. Geelani had then asked migrants to leave the valley, accusing them of the crime and working as “government’s agents to spoil Kashmiri culture and struggle against India”. Though he did not approve of the attacks on them, his angry tirade fuelling public sentiments was enough to send thousands of migrants rushing out of Kashmir amidst sporadic cases of attacks. Police later arrested four persons, two locals and two outsiders, for the crime. Many people, officials as well as civilians, say every time crimes blamed on law- enforcement agencies or outsiders are solved and these allegations are found false, it does kick off rethink among a section of the people. Mujtaba said the murder of businessman Nazir Ahmad Mahajan in October last year was blamed on the liquor mafia, another polarising issue in the valley, but his son turned out to be the killer. “Civil society and media should think about it as it helps neither the police nor the public,” he said. |
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Booked Army jawan detained
Tribune News Service
Rajouri, July 16 After a complaint from Daleep Kumar that his son Yogesh Choudhary had been abducted by Army jawan Ram Lal in the Ser Makri forward area in Nowshera belt here, the police had booked Ram Lal of 25 Rajputana Regiment, hailing from Ambala in Haryana, for abduction, a senior police official had told a news agency. A case of kidnapping has been registered against the Army jawan, who was on transfer to Assam, police sources added. During preliminary investigation, Ram Lal had expressed ignorance about the boy, the police said, adding the accused had been detained at his Battalion Headquarters near Nowshera here and had not been allowed to go on leave. The villagers also held a protest over the disappearance and demanded restoring the boy to the family immediately. A police source, who is in the investigators told The Tribune that investigations reveal that the army man might have lured the minor through monetary benefits for working in his land or for some other reasons ‘including for sexually exploitation of the minor’. They added that initial investigations suggest that he might have been abducted by the Army man. “We are also investigating the case. But the boy went missing a day later after the jawan went on leave,” Lt-Col Biplab Nath, Jammu-based defence spokesperson had told mediapersons. However, ASP, Nowshera, RK Bhat said, “The accused has been detained at his battalion headquarters near Nowshera town. He never went on leave as we are questioning him to ascertain facts in the case.”
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Drugs smugglers take to new route
Udhampur, July 16 New modus operendi was revealed by a kingpin of a smugglers’ gang, who was nabbed by the Kishtwar Police this morning and 7 kg of charas was seized from his procession. The smuggler, identified as Bashir Ahmed Sheikh of Dandipura
Anantag, was trying to smuggle the charas from the alternative route. Sources said narcotics smugglers from south Kashmir had discovered this route as “safest” track to transport their consignments to the rest of the country. “As large portion of this alternative route is plagued with militancy, the smugglers and other anti-national elements exploiting this situation to accomplish their task,” a police officer, while quoting the arrested smuggler, said. After the killing of Lt Colonel Ajay Verma of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), work on this road has been virtually stopped. On June 13, 2008, Lt Colonel Verma and five other officials of the BRO were killed by the militants when they had gone to the Singthantop to review the road project which connects Kishtwar with
Anantnag. Recently, the police has arrested as many as smugglers on this route, who were taking consignment to rest of the country through the Kishtwar-Batote national highway. Drug peddler held
JAMMU
(TNS): The police arrested a drug peddler, Paramveer Singh, and seized about 1.8 kg of charas from his possession at Kotli Mian Fateh village in the Miran Sahib area, near here, on Thursday. A police team led by SHO SK Dutta laid a naka to nab the drug peddler. However, the team arrested the smuggler after a hot chase. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered. |
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NC favouring Kashmir region, says Mankotia
Jammu, July 16 Addressing a press conference in Jammu, party president Balwant Singh Mankotia said: “The NC has come in its true colours of being only a party of the Kashmiri Muslims and the Kashmir region by ignoring the claim of minorities, including Hindus and Muslims of the Jammu region.” He said the party, which was trying to hide its communal character under the garb of secularism, had fully exposed itself by ignoring the aspirations of the Jammu region. Mankotia said the government stood exposed as it was contemplating to shift the Central University granted for the Jammu region to Kashmir valley. “It is known to all that the Central University has been sanctioned for the Jammu region while IIM was sanctioned for the Kashmir region by the Centre. But the Kashmir-centric leadership of the Congress and the NC have manipulated the appointment of a Kashmiri on the post of Vice-Chancellor, Central University, and opened an office of the same in Kashmir,” Mankotia said. He said the attempt was a sheer injustice with the aspiration and feelings of the people of the Jammu region.
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Shopian body calls off strike
Srinagar, July 16 Mohammad Shafi Khan, spokesperson for the body, said they have faith in the judicial system and respect the High Court for its orders which have rekindled their hope of justice for the family of Neelofar Jan and Asiya Jan. The members of the majlis met early today and asked the people to resume their normal lives. Chief Justice Barin Ghosh heading a Division Bench, which ordered the arrest of four suspended cops and their DNA and narco-analysis tests, had lauded the people for their peaceful protests and said they were responsible for the progress the case had made so far. He had said the whole nation was with the grief of two women’s family while asking them to call off their strike and cooperate with the investigators. Shops opened and protesters removed the blockades from roads soon after the majlis’ decision. Shafi Khan said they would continue with peaceful dharnas till July 23 when the Division Bench hears the case again. Their next course of action would be decided after that, he said. |
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Death triggers protest
Jammu, July 16 Vikram Sawhney of Rehari Colony was found hanging upside down with a wall of a house near JDA Club in Sector 2 of Upper Roop Nagar last night. He had been working at a scrap dealer’s shop. Though SHO Janipur had shifted the body to Government Medical College late night, nearly 100 persons, including family members of Vikram, today descended upon Rehari Chungi and placed his body in the middle of BC Road. They alleged that the youth had been murdered at Upper Roop Nagar and demanded probe into the incident. However, senior police officers led by SP City (North) Randeep Kumar rushed to the spot and pacified the protesters. Kumar said we had rounded up four suspects, including two women, in this regard. A team of doctors conducted the autopsy and the report was awaited.
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Cong tries to mollify Aslam
Jammu, July 16 Soz was concerned about dissensions in the party after the Cabinet expansion. He said the Congress had a mechanism of dealing with dissensions and disciplinary actions were taken against the erring party men. Soz hinted at the party efforts to mollify disgruntled senior Congress leader Chaudhary Mohammad Aslam, whereas for other senior rebel he asked him to introspect for being sidelined. He said, “Dissension happens every where after a Cabinet expansion. The party high command has to decide and we have to implement the instructions. But the party has recognised the sincerity of Aslam and offered him the post, having a Cabinet rank, of the chairman of the Gujjar and Bakarwal Board, which hitherto was being held by the Chief Minister. I hope he would accept the offer.” Regarding Niaz, he simply said he should look for the reasons. Soz also expressed concern over the volatile situation in Kashmir, where every little incident snowballs into a major occurrence saying “Kashmir has gone through a long spell of violence. People there have become oversensitive. No human rights violation should take place any more now”. Later, he went to inspect the facilities at the Yatri Niwas at Bhagwati Nagar. |
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Move to absorb PDD daily-wage staff
Jammu, July 16 Tarun Gupta, president of the PDD Daily Wagers Association, said: “Recently, Finance
Minister Abdul Rahim Rather at a meeting asked us to give him the details of the daily-wage employees . We handed him a list of 3,355
such employees who have been working in the department since 1994.” He said the minister informed them that a five-member subcommittee had been constituted to look into the issue of absorbing the daily-wage employees. “Though there has been no development so far, we have been assured that something would come up on July 19,” Gupta said. There are more than 6,000 daily-wage workers in the PDD and more than 3000 of them have already completed seven years of service. Though the state government has decided to increase the daily wages of such employees from Rs 70 to Rs 120 per day, more than 102 daily-wage workers had died in the past 15 years while more than 185
were seriously injured while performing their duties. Repeated attempts to contact the Finance Minister failed. |
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Kargil - A town of bunkers
Kargil, July 16 The bunkers constructed all around Kargil town are reminiscent of Pakistan’s artillery shelling which made life difficult for the locals between 1997 and 2003. Even 10 years after the Kargil conflict, these bunkers have not been dismantled as the people here fear the enemy will violate the ceasefire and start pounding the city again. “These bunkers were not dismantled because people do not trust Pakistan. They think the neighbouring country could violate the ceasefire anytime,” a senior police officer said. While some of the bunkers have very thick protective roofing, others look like a cosmetic exercise by the administration. One such bunker built at Government Higher Secondary School here has just two small rooms that cannot accommodate more than 350 students. “How can you expect more than 350 students to be accommodated in such a small bunker? You can also see the roof which will not be able to tolerate more than 50 kg of bombs which used to rain from the other side,” Ghulam Ahmad Meer, NCC teacher, said.
— PTI |
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Govt asked to clear stand on Central varsity
Jammu, July 16 Addressing a press conference here today, Ajay Taloor and Mohinder Pal Singh Pandu, members of the committee, along with other representatives said they feared the university would be set up in Srinagar as an office of the university had been opened in Srinagar to make appointments. The activists said the government had earlier announced the setting up of an Indian Institute of Management in Kashmir and the Central university in Jammu. They warned the government that if the Central university was not set up in Jammu, the committee would launch an agitation. |
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Son’s statement leads to arrest of killers
Srinagar, July 16 On the basis of the statement provided by Yawar, son of the slain couple, three persons involved in the crime were arrested and the weapon of offence, a blood-stained axe, was also seized at their instance, Kulgam SSP Keshav Ram told PTI here . A scuffle during gambling led to the killing of the couple, the SSP said, adding that the statement of the boy proved significant in identifying the culprits. Working on the statement of the child, the police managed to arrest three persons -- Mohammad Ishaq Shah, Bilal Ahmad Shah and Mohammad Ismail Shah, he said. Sheraz Ahmad Shah and his wife Jameela were brutally murdered at their Bihibagh village, 85 km from here, during the night intervening June 29-30. While the body of Jameela was recovered on July 2, the body of her husband was recovered nine days later from an abandoned house. — PTI
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CBI arrests XEN on graft charges
Jammu, July 16 Mahesh Arora, DIG of the CBI, said:“ Mittal called Jasrotia at his Trikuta Nagar residence in the evening for the release of a security of Rs 7.5 lakh deposited by the latter in connection with his contract of laying and linking between Vijaypur and Jammu- a Rs 1.5 crore project in 2006-07.” “The bribe accepted by Mittal at his residence was recovered and he was subsequently arrested and a case was registered under section 161,
RPC,” he added. The DIG said that people could report about corruption in any central government department,
PSU, bank, defence, BRO and MES etc, to the SP, CBI, ACB, Jammu on telephone numbers: 2477788, 2477755 and 2477766. |
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Four workers of militants held
Udhampur, July 16 While three OGWs were arrested from Doda district, one was nabbed from Kishtwar district yesterday. According to sources, the troops of Rashtriya Rifle and a team of the Special Task Force (STF) arrested three OGWs in the Majhernu area of Doda last night. They OGWs have been identified as Mohammad Hussain, Kalu Mohammad and Abdul Mohammad. They are residents of Patnazi village in Kishtwar. They were later handed over to the STF in Jawalapur, the sources added. Meanwhile, in another operation, the security forces arrested Abdul Gani Wani, an OGW of the LeT, from the Aldhar area of Udiyanpur. Srinagar (PTI) :
A Pakistan-trained militant was arrested in Kupwara district, a police spokesman said today. Mohammad Shafi Bhat, a resident of Batpora village, was arrested during patrolling at Doban-Kachhama in Kralpora, 80 km from here, last night, the spokesman said. He said an AK-47 rifle, four magazines, 120 rounds and four grenades were seized from him.
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JKPCC staff strike work
Jammu, July 16 Thussoo had allegedly furnished wrong information to the Chief Minister about the completion of Srinagar Dental College’s auditorium, inviting the latter’s wrath. The Chief Minister attached him with the GAD, pending disciplinary action. Seeking the reinstatement of Thussoo, the employees urged the Chief Minister to consider services rendered by him to the JKPCC, which they claimed had emerged as a premier PSU of the state under Thussoo’s supervision. In a resolution, the employees requested Omar to overlook small miscommunication in the particular issue. Meanwhile, the Employees’ Joint Action Committee claimed that the strike was also observed in Srinagar, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi, Rajouri, Doda and Kishtwar offices of the JKPCC.
— TNS
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CM: Ban on polythene final
Srinagar, July 16 The deputation presented him a memorandum for redressal of grievances. They, however, demanded concessions, including ban on the import of a certain kind of polythene, which would give local manufacturers breathing time to switch over to other
businesses. They also sought a special package for the manufacturers of polythene to help them take to other businesses as soon as possible.
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Baglihar power unit to restart in 7 days
Jammu, July 16 Electricity supply in the already power-starved state had been affected following the shutdown of the unit of the project, wich was generating full 450 MW of power. “Water had seeped into the soil of one of the turbines through the oil seal following which the turbine had to be stopped and repair work was initiated,” Jamwal said. He said the oil had been changed and the trial runs of the turbine were on. However, power generation from the unit had not been started.
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Shahnawaz named NSUI gen secy
Jammu, July 16 This is for the first time that a person from Jammu and Kashmir has been inducted at such a high position in the NSUI. Shahnawaz has been selected for this position through the special talent hunt programme launched by Rahul Gandhi. |
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