Jammu, September 8
At the behest of the premier secret agency, the Bishnah police allegedly picked up a former secret agent from his house in Kuccha Talab at Bishnah today. His son, who rushed to the police station to know about his father, was also detained and kept in illegal confinement.

After languishing for 12 long years in the Kot Lakhpat prison in Lahore, Ram Prakash, convicted under the 59 Pakistani Army Act (PAA) for espionage, was freed on July 7 last year.

Back home, his family lived in utter penury all these years because the premier secret agency had allegedly turned its back on them.

In this context, Ram Prakash was to brief the media here at the Jammu Press Club at 4 pm, but before he could do so the police allegedly picked him up from his residence at Bishnah.

“Around 2 pm today, a man, probably a policeman in civvies, came to our house and pretending to be a bank official asked my father to accompany him,” Jyoti Bala, the eldest of the three siblings, told 
The Tribune.

However, we spotted a police vehicle parked at a distance from our house, she said, adding that after they took my father in the vehicle I immediately informed my brother Deepak. Deepak rushed to Bishnah police station to enquire why our father had been picked up. But both of them had not returned home and we are frightened, she said.

My father decided to approach the media after his repeated representations to Deepak Rana, an official from the agency, fell on deaf ears, she added.

Jyoti expressed regrets that after giving his prime to the country, his father and their family had been given a ‘raw’ deal. I am trying to talk to my brother on his cellphone, but he was not talking properly, which showed that he was in trouble, she added.

However, despite repeated attempts the SHO, Bishnah police station did not respond to the calls by this correspondent.

On July 8 last year, Ram Prakash had told The Tribune how he had met 36 countrymen, including three women, in the Lahore prison.

The former spy was arrested from Aurangpur village in Sialkote district of Pakistan near Abdullian village on this side of the border in the RS Pura sector on June 13, 1997.

Before landing into Pakistan’s custody, Ram Prakash ran a small flour mill at Chak Jarala. It may be stated here that The Tribune had informed Ram’s family about his release.

He was brought to the Attari border on July 5 last year, but was taken back by the Pakistan authorities as none from his family had any information about his release.

Subsequently, The Tribune had informed his family and he became a free man on July 7, 2008.

Jammu, September 8
An unclaimed bag abandoned near the offices of a television news channel and a local daily in Gandhi Nagar today sent the police into a tizzy. Traffic also remained disrupted on the busy road for over one hour this afternoon.

However, after a hectic effort the bomb disposal squad found that the bag had no explosives but just four more bags stuffed into it.

Around 1 pm two passersby spotted two scooter-borne youths dropping a bag near an electricity pole, barely 20 metres from the offices of a television news channel and a local English daily, said official sources.

As news spread like wildfire, traffic remained disrupted on the busy road, leading to a traffic jam.

A bomb disposal squad reached the scene and cordoned off the entire area.

However, it found no explosives in the bag.

Srinagar, September 8
Expressing concern over the “slackening” of peace process between India and Pakistan, PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said it had revived cold-war rhetoric across diplomatic channels.

Addressing a party workers’ convention at Baramulla today, the Mufti said this situation not only belied hopes of millions in the two countries rooting for peace and friendship but also had started casting dark shadows on the state. He said the recent LoC violations and the warnings of retaliation had the potential of reviving the familiar scenario of active hostility that had bedevilled the two neighbours for decades.

Urging Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take “bold” steps to arrest the drift in the Indo-Pak relations, the Mufti said it was a matter of concern that action on all identified areas to resolve the Kashmir problem had almost been frozen.

Even the Prime Minister’s oft-repeated commitment to make the borders irrelevant had been relegated to the back burner he said, pointing out how the symbolic but all important reopening of traditional routes across the LoC had now been reduced to a “farce”.

He said it was because of the lack of official interest and continued hassles in documentation that the latest caravan-e Aman bus had no passengers on it.

Srinagar, September 8
NC leaders and workers observed the 27th death anniversary of their founder leader Sheikh Abdullah, the state’s first Prime Minister. A galaxy of NC leaders led by a scion of Abdullah dynasty, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, his father and party president Farooq Abdullah and several Cabinet ministers offered rich tributes to Sheikh Abdullah, considered the tallest leader the state has produced in its history, at his mausoleum in Hazratbal.

The spell that Sheikh Abdullah, affectionately called Sher-e-Kashmir, used to cast upon lakhs of his admirers was apparent even so long after his death as many veteran workers clapped every time he appeared in a film shown to them

Several NC leaders who addressed the gathering on the occasion decried the advent of violence, which affected the NC base the most in a region where its writ ran large prior to militancy, and said the death and destruction following it only strengthened the Sheikh’s commitment against use of violence to achieve political goals.

Paying rich tributes to Sheikh Abdullah, state CPM secretary MY Tarigami recalled his contribution in the freedom struggle of Jammu and Kashmir. He stated that Sher-i-Kashmir played pioneering role in ridding the state from the autocratic rule and inhuman practices like begaar (forced labour) through ideal commitment, sustained devotion and sincerity of cause.

Tarigami said the popular leader shaped the destiny of the state and took some landmark decisions to orient the state on social justice. Land Reforms under which the land was transferred to the tillers, was one such historic and bold initiative. 

Srinagar, September 8
The Army today shot dead one infiltrating militant in the Keran sector in Kupwara today. An Army spokesman said a patrolling party of the Army spotted him and he was shot dead in an ensuing encounter. He said they were not certain if there were more infiltrators.

Srinagar, September 8
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court today reserved its judgment on the bail application of two police officials arrested for destroying evidence in the rape-and-murder case of two Shopian women.

The defence lawyer, who is representing suspended SP Javid Iqbal Mattoo and DSP Rohit Baskotra, presented his arguments against the opposition to his clients’ bail plea by the state and the Bar Association. He said the special investigating team (SIT) had failed to produce any material evidence to implicate both officials' crime even 55 days after their arrest. When he was asked by the court why the SP did not reach the spot after the bodies of both women were recovered on May 30 morning, he said he was busy with other work and had directed the SHO, also in detention, to probe it.

The Bar continued with its objections and its lawyer said a Division Bench of the High Court headed by Chief Justice Barin Ghosh had ordered their arrest on strong suspicion of their involvement in the crime.

After hearing the arguments, Justice Sunil Hali reserved his judgment.

He had earlier asked the SIT to file an affidavit to tell the court about the number of days it would take to finish the probe. Farooq Ahmad, IG, Kashmir, who is also supervising the SIT probe, had said that they could not say in advance as how many more days they would take.

The SIT has to produce a challan against the four arrested cops within 60 days of their arrest made on July 15, or the court is bound by the Supreme Court guidelines to release them on bail.

Official sources said the SIT had no tangible evidence to link these four cops with the crime they had been accused of, but it was trying its hardest to prepare a challan as bail on this count would further embarrass the state government. The government has told the SIT to go ahead with the filling of a challan with whatever substance it has.

The bail application of two more cops, the then SHO and the investigation officer, is to come up before the High Court tomorrow. 

Jammu, September 8
The annual plan of Rs 69.31 crore— Rs 60.40 crore as capital component and Rs 8.91 crore as the revenue component — has been approved for Kathua district for 2009-10.

This decision was taken at the district development board meeting of Kathua district held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here yesterday.

Omar said Rs 30 lakh would be provided for the renovation and upgradation of mini-secretariat at Kathua while Rs 25 lakh had been earmarked for the development of parks and gardens at the tehsil headquarters. He announced Rs 50 lakh for the construction of the Gujjar-Bakerwal hostel at Bani which has a sizeable population of Gujjars and Bakerwals. — TNS

Jammu September 8
Expressing serious concern over frequent road accidents in the state, particularly in the Doda region, the state BJP today demanded booking of the Home and Transport ministers on murder charges, a day after 25 persons were killed and 21 injured when a bus fell into a gorge on the Jammu-Doda-Batote highway at Assar.

The Home portfolio is held by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah while Qamar Ali Akhoon is the Transport Minister. The party asked the Chief Minister to own moral responsibility for inefficient management of affairs.

“Cases should be registered under Section 302 (murder), RPC, against the state Home and Transport ministers for death of the hundreds of people in mishaps,” state BJP general secretary Bali Bhagat told mediapersons here today.

He said the traffic and transport officials concerned should be punished in their jurisdiction, if accidents happen due to their negligence.

Bhagat demanded that an ordinance be issued for providing cash compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in accidents and Rs 1 lakh to the seriously injured persons. 

Rajouri, September 8
Shabbir Ahmed Khan, Minister of State for Forest, Transport, Labour and Employment, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, on his three-day visit to Rajouri district today inspected various offices in Rajouri town.

The Minister found some officers absent from duty. He issued instructions to the district heads to enquire the reasons of their absence and take action against them. He cautioned that those found shirking duties would punished.

The offices inspected by the Minister include executive engineer, M&RE Division, State Forest Corporation Office, Conservator of Forest, Rajouri, Divisional Forest Office, Social Forestry, Assistant Regional Transport Office, Rajouri, Project Office ICDS, Deputy Registrar Cooperative and District Audit Office, District Veterinary Hospital, Rajouri. — TNS

Jammu, September 8
One wrong step and a tragedy struck a family from Amethi at the Jammu railway station here around 5.45 am today.

A woman, travelling along with her husband and daughter from Rishikesh to Jammu for seeking the blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi in Katra, lost her legs in a freak accident after she along with her “panicky” husband jumped off a moving passenger train at the railway station this morning.

Official sources said 50-year-old Bimla Singh, wife of Bhagwan Baksh Singh, a BSNL employee, and their daughter arrived here on Hemkunth Express from Rishikesh this morning.

At the platform No. 1, Bhagwan and his daughter alighted from the train along with their luggage, but Bimla went to the toilet, they said. The train slowly started moving again, the sources said. A panicked Bhagwan rushed inside the moving train and asked her wife to come out of the toilet immediately, they added.

The sources said by the time Bimla came out of the toilet the train had moved past the platform. Bhagwan and Bimla jumped off the train. However, the woman lost her balance and her legs got stuck in the stairs, they added. Eventually, her legs came under the wheels and she lost them within no time.

YPS Jamwal, SHO, railway station police station, said the family was travelling in a general compartment. “Bhagwan Baksh Singh escaped unhurt in the bizarre incident, but his wife lost her legs,” said Jamwal.

We shifted the victim to the Government Medical College (GMC) immediately, where doctors treated her. The family from Sultanpur in Amethi was on a pilgrimage, he said.

Jamwal also informed that the victim’s son-in-law, a CRPF jawan, was posted in Srinagar and the family had plans to visit him.

Dr Romesh Gupta, Medical Superintendent, GMC, told The Tribune that a team of doctors operated upon the victim. He described her condition as stable. 

Jammu, September 8
The University of Jammu has tightened security by deploying guards at three gates of the campus to ensure that nobody enters with any kind of weapon. The main gate has five security personnel who note down all details about the visitors.

The other two gates have an SPO and one university security guard each.

“Due to the ongoing admission process, the university is witnessing huge rush of students and outsiders everyday. We have strengthened security to stop the entry of unwanted elements into the campus”, said Prof. J.S.Tara, Dean, Students Welfare (DSW).

The arrangement would remain continue throughout the academic year, the DSW added.

Jammu September 8
Employees of the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC), who wanted to give a memorandum of demands addressed to Governor NN Vohra to Divisional Commissioner Pawan Kotwal, were prevented from doing so by the police here today.

However, the police later allowed a group of 20 employees led by Ashok Mehra, president of the SRTC Employees Union, Jammu, to travel in their own vehicle to meet Kotwal.

Expressing satisfaction over the positive outcome of the interaction, Mehra said, “We were not allowed to proceed in a procession to the Divisional Commissiner’s office, but still I am happy that Kotwal listened to us patiently.

He assured us that he would apprise the Governor about our genuine demands.” Meanwhile, Mehra said they would continue with their strike.