Jammu, July 18
The BSF, one of the largest border guarding forces in the world with a strength of more than two lakh personnel, for the first time is inducting women soldiers to guard the international border with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The DG of BSF, ML Kumawat, said, “Soon, we would be having a women BSF battalion guarding the borders. On July 25, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram would be commissioning the first ever battalion of the women BSF personnel.”

He added, “For the first time women will be given the responsibility to guard the borders. This is not only a major step towards their empowerment, but was also needed as anti-national women used to wrap certain items around their bodies that the BSF jawans could not frisk.”

He said the force was going through a major process of modernisation, as the strength of the force would also be increased by more than 35,000.

“It is for the first time in the history that the borders of the nation are so much secure. The Central government in the past three years have spent Rs 2,300 crore on the modernisation of the force,” Kumawat said.

He said post Mumbai attacks there was a massive built up of the Pakistan Rangers on the other side of the border and they had also fortified their positions. “Despite all this, we maintained a calm to deescalate tension so that Pakistan did not get an excuse to relocate its force from its western borders,” Kumawat said.

Regarding the terrorist infrastructure across the border, Kumawat said, “The entire terrorist infrastructure, including terrorist training camps and launching pads, are intact and terrorists are still undergoing training there. There is also a large number of trained terrorists trying to sneak into our side.

But due to various reasons the infiltration has decreased.”

He said, “We know their plans and we are well prepared to thwart their designs. There are various agencies that give them (terrorists) tasks.” Asked to comment on the anti-national elements using alternative routes, including the sea and Nepal, to infiltrate into India, he said, “Their aim is to destabilise the nation by sending in fake currency notes, guns and drugs through all possible routes. The Union government constituted the SSB and has taken various steps to counter such threats.”

Jammu, July 18
Threatening to replicate the last year’s Jammu agitation if the NC-Congress coalition shifted the proposed Central university from Jammu to Kashmir, Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti today asked Jammu MLAs, MLCs and MPs to join hands for the cause and shun the policy of appeasing Kashmiri leaders.

The Union government has allotted a Central varsity to Jammu, for which around 400 kanals of government land has been identified in the Badhori area of Samba, but now the present dispensation was trying to shift it to Kashmir, said officiating convener of Sangharsh Samiti Brig Suchet Singh (retd) here today.

Following a Cabinet decision, the then Divisional Commissioner of Jammu, Sudhanshu Pandey, had also visited the area, he added.

Brig Suchet Singh said, “Kashmir has been sanctioned an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and hence there should be no objection if a Central university in Jammu.”

“We warn the government that a mass agitation akin to the last year’s Amarnath land agitation will be launched if it tried to shift the Central varsity to Kashmir,” he said.

Brig Suchet Singh also appealed to the Jammu MLAs, MLCs and MPs to stop appeasing Kashmiri leaders at the expense of their own people. He said Jammu always got a raw deal because the government harboured a communal agenda and at the same time had been under pressure from the separatists.

It had always been a policy in this state to appease separatist forces and this issue, too, had been raked up intentionally by the present government to keep the pot boiling, said Brig Suchet Singh.

Meanwhile, on July 23 the sangharsh samiti would remember all 13 martyrs, including Kuldeep Verma, who were killed during the two-month long Amarnath land agitation last year. 

Jammu, July 18
As many as 16,800 students today appeared in the Common Entrance Test (CET) conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examination (BPEE).

While 8,800 candidates appeared in Srinagar, 8,000 took the exam in Jammu.

Though a majority of the candidates found the test easy, a few of them complained that the physics paper was conducted 10 minutes late at some centres.

Physics and chemistry papers for the aspirants of MBBS, BDS, BVSC, agricultural science and engineering were held today, while biology and mathematics papers would be held tomorrow.

There was a rise in the number of candidates taking the test, as last year around 14,000 candidates had taken the exam.

The number of seats available in the state is 2,800, for which 16,800 students are competing.

The board has earmarked 22 main centres and 180 sub-centres in the state for the smooth conduct of the examination. Ten main centres and 88 sub-centres have been set up in Srinagar, while 12 main centres and 92 sub-centres have been set up in the Jammu region.

A majority of the candidates looked cheerful while stepping out of the exam centres, as they found the paper easy.

Expressing happiness, Arvind Mahajan, an MBBS aspirant and who took test at Maulana Azad Memorial College, said, “Papers were easy and up to my expectation. Both physics and chemistry papers were completely based on syllabus.”

Showing little resentment, Vandana Sharma, a BDS candidate, who took the test at Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar, said, “Though the papers were easy, the physics paper started a few minutes late and due to which I missed the last questions.”

To ensure the smooth conduct of the examination, the board had constituted monitoring squads. The DSP, crime branch and a team from the university paid surprise visits at all centres during the examination. College teachers were assigned duty to supervise the examination.

Prof Mushtaq Ahmad Peer, chairman of the BPEE, said both papers were conducted peacefully and the board had made all arrangements to conduct the exam smoothly. He said the results could be declared 10 days after the examination.

Jammu, July 18
Even as 16,800 students took the CET in the state today, the Jammu police caught two impersonators from two examination centres. “We reliably learnt today that two boys are appearing in the CET at Government Gandhi Memorial Science College and Government College of Education on the Canal Road in the same name,” said Manohar Singh, SSP, Jammu. “Subsequently, two teams were formed and they rushed to the two colleges and the two candidates were arrested,” he said.

Giving details, the SSP said Ashwani Abrol, owner of Gupta Cloth House of Reasi, had struck a deal for Rs 6 lakh with a Delhi-based boy, Gourav Singh of Muneerka village, near Houz Khas for appearing in the test in the name of his son Ankush Abrol.

Gourav, a third-year student of BSc in Hans Raj College (North Campus), Delhi, got in touch with Ashwani when the former was on a visit to Mata Vaishno Devi last year, said the SSP. 

During their meeting, Ankush’s father struck a deal with Gourav and promised to pay the amount after the latter cleared the exam in his son’s name, he added. To accomplish the task two forms were filled in the name of Ankush with separate photographs of Ankush and Gourav.

Both candidates appeared in the exam today but were arrested in a simultaneous action at both centres, said Manohar Singh All relevant records were seized from the centres and a case under sections 420, 416, 419, 467, 468 of the RPC was registered against the duo at Nowabad police station.

Srinagar, July 18
A group of 25 children from various remote areas of Kupwara district, back from their two-week-long visit to various places of historical and cultural importance in the country, met Governor NN Vohra here today.

The students in the age group of 10 to 14 visited Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Jammu and Srinagar met with various prominent personalities during their tour. The tour was organised by the Army’s Vajr Division, Kupwara. The tour, flagged-off from Kupwara on July 6, concludes tomorrow.

Interacting with the children, Vohra enquired from them the places they had visited and the experiences they had gained during the tour. The children described their tour a lifetime opportunity and they had the rich experience of visiting various historical places in the country. For majority of the students, it was their maiden visit to any place outside the valley.

The Governor asked these students to write a 500-word essay on their impressions about the tour and the places they had visited, announcing that the best three adjudged write-ups would be awarded.

In Delhi, the visiting children called on President Pratibha Patil and interacted with her. They also went round Rashtrapati Bhavan and Mughal Gardens. The students also visited Red Fort, Jamia Masjid and Qutab Minar, besides Rajpath, India Gate, Palika Bazar and had a joyride in Delhi Metro.

Udhampur, July 18
Even as the police had arrested two special police officers (SPOs) after family members of an elderly woman alleged that the cops had raped her, a medical team that conducted the examination of the 85-year-old woman was yet to confirm the rape even after a fortnight.

The alleged rape was committed on July 3 when a group of policemen raided Battan Mohalla village of Godhri Mangota panchayat in the Marmat area of Doda district after getting reports that some militants were hiding in the hamlet. It was alleged that during the checking, two SPOs raped the octogenarian woman.

Two days after the alleged rape, some residents of this belt took to the streets demanding action against the culprits. Keeping in view the sensitivity of the issue, a team of police and civil officers had rushed to the spot and later two SPOs namely Daljeet Singh and Joginder Singh, posted in Marmat, were arrested. A case under sections 376 and 458, RPC, was registered.

A medical team comprising a gynaecologist, which was also taken to Marmat, medically examined the woman as well as the SPOs. However, even after 15 days of the medical examination, the team had failed to submit its report.

“Rape has yet not been confirmed by the team that had conducted the medical examination of the woman as well as the SPOs,” DSP Nazir Ganai, who is investigating the case, told The Tribune. “We are waiting for the medical report,” he said.

Police sources said taking a lesson from the Kashmir valley, senior officers arrested the two SPOs immediately after the family members of the victim alleged rape by them. For the past 15 days, the SPOs were languishing in the jail, but the police had failed to produce the challan in court due to delay in the medical report.

Srinagar, July 18
Charges have been framed against Sabina, infamous for her leading role in the sex scandal, and her husband Abdul Hamid Bulla under sections of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA) in the case of state via CBI versus Sabina.

The Principal District and Sessions Judge, Srinagar, here today directed the counsel for the CBI to produce evidences on the next day of hearing on August 11.

A case was registered on October 14, 2004, under sections 3,4,5,7,8 of the PITA against Sabina, her husband, four girls and three men at Maharaja Gunj police station. 

Srinagar, July 18
Describing it as a “positive development”, the NC has welcomed the Sharm-El-Sheikh agreement between Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan to discuss all outstanding issues saying this could lead to peace and friendship among the people of the region. This was stated at the first meeting of the Working Committee of the ruling NC under the chairmanship of party president and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah here.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, party general secretary Sheikh Nazir Ahmad and several other members of the committee, including some ministers, also attended the meeting.

“It reiterated its view that the Centre should initiate purposeful talks with the separatist leaders in the state to sort out the internal dimension of the issue,” the resolution adopted at the Working Committee meeting stated. It added that the party was committed to “act as a facilitator to make such talks a success”.

The Working Committee also stressed upon the security forces and the police to maintain “utmost restraint and caution while performing their duties”. It asked them to “use minimum force against the local people, who while expressing their grievances, sometimes take to agitation. It urged upon them to adopt people friendly approach and exhaust all reasonable options of persuasion before taking any action”.

Referring to the restoration of normalcy in Shopian, the NC hailed CM Omar Abdullah’s “prompt action” and appointing of a Judicial Commission to probe the incident. Without naming the opposition PDP, the committee condemned its attempts to “create discord and unrest in society for their ulterior political ends”.

Srinagar/Jammu, July 18
The PDP has said unification of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir on economic, cultural, social and environmental front, as envisaged in the self-rule formula, was the need of the hour for bringing lasting peace and tranquillity to this region.

Speaking at a party convention in Budgam today, party leaders said the resolution of Kashmir dispute lied in the unification of both parts of the state divided by the LoC, which would be possible only when there would be no borders between people of two parts of Kashmir, a PDP spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the PDP reiterated that only the “self-rule” formula promulgated by the party was the only realistic and practical solution to address the external and internal dimensions of the Kashmir dispute.

Former Deputy Chief Minister and senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beig, while addressing a meeting of prominent citizens of the Jammu region, said besides addressing the political issues, the ‘self-rule’ was aimed at economic integration of both parts of the divided state by converting the LoC into line of trade and peace.

“The self-rule is aimed at creating the state as a bridge between India and Pakistan and both the countries should offer tariff reductions and develop this belt as regional free-trade area. Development of this area as free-trade zone would attract maximum foreign direct investment,” he said.

While again raising the controversial issue of usage of dual currency in the state, he said: “Instead of looking for a monetary union, a new system of ‘dual currency’ should be created where Indian and Pakistani rupees are both made legitimate legal tenders in the geographical areas of the state.”

The PDP leader said the state had suffered huge financial losses due to the Indus Water Treaty and the ‘self-rule’ proposes to set up a tribunal to compensate the state due to this treaty. He said regional councils could be formed by upgrading the Legislative Council, which could accommodate the members from both sides of the divided region.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the PDP workers of Jammu was held in which party activists were educated about “self-rule” document.

Senior party leaders Rangil Singh, Thakur Balbir Singh, Sayeed Asgar Ali, MLC, and Falail Singh addressed the meeting and educated the workers about “self-rule” proposal of the party.

Speaking on the occasion, PDP leaders said the party had decided to organise meetings at block-levels to properly educate the masses about the proposal.

Jammu, July 18
While delivering a special lecture on “Girls Education and Women Empowerment” in a Teachers Training Programme held at Satwari, Superintendent of the Central Jail, Jammu, Rajni Sehgal stressed on a need to strengthen the girl education in the country.

The function was organised by the Zonal Resource Group, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, zone Satwari, under the guidance of the District Institute of Elementary Training (DIET), Jammu, here today.

Sehgal said though the Constitution of India had granted equality to woman with that of man, especially in the filed of education, there was a wide disparity among boys and girls in this field on the part of parents and society.

NA Qurashi, course co-coordinator of the Teachers Training Programme, appreciated the efforts made by the Education Department to improve the girl education under the guidance of GA Peer, secretary, School Education.

Jammu, July 18
The mega project of the Jagti migrant township in Nagrota, which will have as many as 1,600 flats, will be completed in November this year and Kashmiri Pandits migrants of Mishriwala, Purkhoo and Nagrota will be allotted these flats.

Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla said this during a tour to the site in Jagti here today.

Spread on an area of 716 kanals, the migrant colony will have the flats in 176 blocks. It will also have other facilities such as a hospital, three community halls, two schools and 40 parks with internal road network extending to nearly 18 km.

Recalling that it was dream project of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Bhalla asked the executing agency to complete the work within the time frame. He added that the upcoming colony would not only have all basic facilities, but would also consider all requirements of the migrants.

Stressing on ensuring the connectivity of the colony with the highway, the minister called for accelerating the work of constructing the road from Jagti to Nagrota for which Rs 1 crore had been released by Governor NN Vohra last year.

He said the time-bound execution of the project was important. The budget of Rs 5.06 crore for the construction of road and bridge had been prepared by the R&B Department, Jammu.

A deputation led by Moti Lal Koul and Chuni Lal Bhat also met the minister and congratulated him on being inducted into the Cabinet. Vinod Koul, Relief Commissioner (Migrants), Sheikh Ejaz Iqbal, Secretary (Revenue), the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, and senior officers accompanied the minister.

Udhampur, July 18
Agitating for the past one month, a deputation of Talwara migrants today called on Deputy Commissioner, Reasi, and submitted a memorandum of their long-pending demands.

Besides repeating their demands, the delegation threatened to take extreme steps in case the authorities failed to fulfil the promises made up to the displaced people in November 2007 by the then government. Displaced people further demanded that directions of the Supreme Court should be implemented and they should be given relief on par with the displaced Kashmiri people.

Talwara migrants under the leadership of their leader Balwan Singh today took out a procession from Zero Chowk and passed through different areas of Talwara. For quite some time they blocked movement of traffic on the Chenab bridge.

Shouting slogans against the authorities, the migrants marched towards Reasi and reached in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office.