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2 RR units pulled out of valley
Geelani seeks total military pull-out
Gear up to tackle challenges from central varsities: Omar
Detention of cricketers in Bangalore |
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Farooq takes up issue with Karnataka, BCCI
16-month-old boy receives PhD for dead mother
Amandeep Murder
HC dismisses appeals of Forest Corpn
PC’s Kashmir remarks provocative: BJP
7 killed, 15 hurt in road mishaps
Fake Currency
Let teachers retire at 60: Students
Maestros enthral music lovers
Snowfall continues in Leh
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2 RR units pulled out of valley
Srinagar, October 19 The reduction of troops in Kashmir has been a major demand of the separatists and mainstream parties like the NC and the PDP, too, have been pushing for it in the view of improved security situation. The 33 Rashtriya Rifles is being moved out of Handwara in north Kashmir, while 49 RR from Qazigund in south Kashmir. Lt Col JS Brar, Srinagar-based Army spokesperson, told The Tribune that “the redeployment of troops is a dynamic process in a counter insurgency operation and is carried out at various levels based on periodic security reviews”. Official sources said the exercise was part of the Union government’s decision to rationalise troops presence and at least three CRPF units were also pulled out from different parts of Kashmir in recent months. Though the pull out of two RR battalions would not make a big difference on the ground, its symbolism could be significant at a time when all round attempts were being to break the impasse on the Kashmir issue. Coming days may see more developments. There are 36 battalions of the RR, the counter-insurgency force of the Army, deployed in the valley alone while 27 others were in the Jammu division, which is much bigger in area but has militants’ movements confined to a smaller region. The sources said the two units withdrawn from Kashmir would be deployed in Reasi district, which had of late seen a spate of encounters. Chidambaram in his recent visits to the valley had been at pains to emphasise an increasing role for the state police as violence had come down while agitations had increased. Security officials said the number of militants active in the state, especially in Kashmir, remained at their usual level and the number and intensity of infiltration bids had only gone up recently. “It’s not that the threat has deceased. But we believe we are in better control and such decisions also have a political message,” a senior official said. |
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Geelani seeks total military pull-out
Srinagar, October 19 The 77-year-old leader told reporters that there would be no provocative slogans during the protests. He addressed mediapersons after a brief meeting with his supporters at Lal Chowk and claimed that he reached there from his Hyderpora residence by giving the police a slip. The government, however maintained that he had been allowed “free movement” under the orders of the Single Bench of Chief Justice Barin Ghosh of October 9. After the press conference, Geelani went to Kothi bagh police station to negotiate the release of five of his supporters, who were detained after he met them earlier in
the day. — PTI |
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Gear up to tackle challenges from central varsities: Omar
Srinagar, October 19 He was addressing academicians, intelligentsia, politicians, educationists, research scholars and passing out master degree holders and award winners at the 17th Annual Convocation award distributing function at the Convocation Complex of Kashmir University here today. The Governor and the Chief Minister, who is also the Pro-Chancellor of the universities, later gave away awards to the students. The convocation was earlier held here on June 20, when Vice-President Hamid Ansari was the chief guest, and today’s function was held to give away awards and medals to students and scholars. Vice-Chancellor Riyaz Punjabi and Minister for Higher Education Abdul Ghani Malik were also present. “You have to conduct brainstorming sessions to discuss ways and means among you and between you and us and face the competition posed by the central universities in the fields of academics, management and functioning,” Omar conveyed to the academicians. He asked the academicians to brilliantly compete and retain the position of the two universities as the highest seats of education and knowledge. “My wish is to see the universities of Kashmir and Jammu nurturing and prospering in all fields and retaining their prime positions,” he maintained. Another area that needed focus was the quality of education at the school level, the Chief Minister maintained and asked experts and academicians to concentrate on the issue and work out a solution so that merit and ability becomes the benchmark. Earlier, Vice-Chancellor Riyaz Punjabi gave details of various achievements made and the path-breaking initiatives being taken for making this institution a knowledge hub. He also dwelt on the measures taken for timely conducting the examinations and declaring the results. “In a bid to strengthen higher education, we have launched some new courses like masters in pharmaceutical sciences, B Tech in electronics and communication/computer engineering, and integrated BBA/MBA course,” he said, While hailing the initiatives of the Governor and the Chief Minister in augmenting infrastructure in the varsity and also allotting more land to it. |
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Detention of cricketers in Bangalore
Srinagar, October 19 Talking to some
mediapersons, Omar said a thorough probe was needed into the incident. The Bangalore police detained Rasool and Mehraj-ud-Din two days ago as a security system installed there gave a warning of explosives’ presence and it led the police to suspect Rasool and
Mehraj-ud-Din. Omar said the machine was said to have acted erroneously, bringing them under a cloud and giving them, their teammates and families, severe mental agony. The Chief Minister also held some “disgruntled” persons in the valley responsible for agony of Rasool and Mehraj-ud-Din and said it was possible a call from here to the police brought cops to their door. He said he had asked the police to conduct a thorough enquiry into the matter. The “harassment” of Kashmiri youths in outside cities was an emotive issue in the valley as many believed that they were suspected simply because of their origin. A PDP spokesperson said such incidents would only increase the gulf of mistrust between Kashmir and outside and the guilty must be identified and punished. “What happened to Rasool and Mehraj-ud-Din should not be viewed in isolation. It has been happening to our people for years and nothing seems to have changed with time,” he said. |
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Farooq takes up issue with Karnataka, BCCI
Jammu, October 19 A couple of days ago, the Bangalore police had picked up two young cricketers -- Parvez Rasool of Anantnag and Mehraj-ud-Din of Sopore, both part of the state’s under-22 cricket team, on the suspicion that they carried explosives. Talking to The Tribune, JKCA general secretary Salim Khan said, “JKCA president Farooq Abdullah has taken up the matter with the Karnataka Government, its DGP and the BCCI.” Both boys were questioned for over three hours. However, they practised with the team in the nets today, he added. Before picking up the boys on the basis of some incorrect information, the Bangalore police should have contacted four JKCA officials accompanying the team, he said. He added without informing the JKCA officials the Bangalore police picked up the boys causing tremendous mental agony. In fact, the entire team was distraught by this unpleasant and unprofessional behaviour of the Bangalore police, he said. The police had now started a face saving exercise, but had it acted maturely the incident would not have happened, he said. However, he made it clear that the team would not pull out of the CK Naidu tournament and would play its first match on October 21. The unpleasant incident had not only given the team a bitter experience but had also demoralised it, said Khan, adding that such developments also affected the performance of the team. It has been learnt that Pervez was detained for objecting to the use of sniffer dogs to check his bag, which contained a holy book. |
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Help in socio-economic growth of state, Vohra asks youth
Srinagar, October 19 Speaking at the special award ceremony of the 17th annual convocation of Kashmir University here today, the Governor also asked the youth to protect, preserve and promote the centuries’ old glorious secular ethos of the state. “We must also protect, preserve and promote the centuries’ old secular thought of the state,” the Governor said, adding that thought needed to be given to “where we belonged to six centuries ago and what
had been done during the past 62 years”. The Governor asked the young graduates to be in touch with the university and “do whatever possible for social and economic help” to the state. He added that there could be good suggestions and new ideas for the resolution of various problems. “It is not easy to advise the youth, but suggestions can be made,” the Governor commented. Referring to disturbed atmosphere all around, the Governor said Jammu and Kashmir had certain historical problems, which were expectedly being resolved. Asserting that the region is disturbed, he pointed out that the youth had an onerous responsibility not only to find a place for themselves, but also to contribute towards society to which they belong. Security, the Governor said, was one of the problems. There was trouble going on in the neighbouring countries like Pakistan, where loss of human lives was unabated. “This is painful?. I hope some of you will think of such problems,” the Governor said. The other concerning issue, he said, was the problem of
corruption. The new generation had the duty of resisting the wrong and dishonest practices, he added. The Governor congratulated the students for their meritorious performances, and stressed that whichever profession they may choose and wherever they live, they should keep in touch with their alma mater and the state and contribute towards their overall development. He held that Kashmir University had taken decades to reach the present status and there was an imperative need for further strengthening infrastructure facilities to make it a centre of excellence. He congratulated the Vice-Chancellor of the university for the university’s
achievements. |
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16-month-old boy receives PhD for dead mother
Srinagar, October 19 The infant in the lap of his maternal grandfather watched innocently as he was patted by the Chief Minister in front of an audience of VIPs, Governor NN Vohra, ministers, vice-chancellors, writers, intellectuals, scholars, young and old guests. The Chief Minister briefly enquired from Ghulam about the Nasreen’s death case of March this year. Nasreen’s sister, Syed Mudassir, holding her sister’s son close to her chest during the function, was in tears as she followed her father while receiving the degree and the medal from Omar. Nasreen, who completed her Ph.D in commerce and management from Kashmir University last year, died on March 4 this year due to “torture” from her husband and in-laws. Married to Noor-ul-Mushtaq about three years back, she was tortured while her husband was working in Dubai, her family members said. Even as she was with her husband in Dubai for several months last year, her tale of woes did not end there, her family members alleged. They added that tortured Nasreen came here along with her husband from Dubai on January 27 and was admitted to the SMHS hospital. She later died on March 4, while her husband fled leaving no information about his whereabouts. Their son, Abdullah Nasreen, then only nine months’ old, has been with his maternal family in the Nowshera locality of Srinagar. The proud family wants justice, as the police had earlier refused to file an FIR for death due to “torture”. Nasreen was to join as a college teacher as she had been selected by the State Public Service. The death on March 4 came only three days before she could have joined the Islami College of Science and Commerce as lecturer, moaned her brother
Masdooq-ul-Haq. |
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Amandeep Murder
Jammu, October 19 The court also directed SP Mubassar Latif, in charge of the SIT, to remain present in the court on the next date of hearing along with case diaries. It further directed the Registry to list the case for October 27. The counsel appearing for the applicants contended the SIT was attaching their property without following the procedure laid down under the law. The petitioners had been falsely implicated, it was alleged. The judge observed it would not be appropriate to pass any directions at this stage unless the case diaries were perused. However, it was expected that the SIT would adhere to the procedure under the law while attaching the property of the petitioners. The bail application further stated that Nagar Singh was approached through various quarters by opposite parties with an offer to get the case against his son settled by paying a hefty amount of money to the mother of deceased Amandeep Singh. It further submitted that the so-called material witnesses, namely then SP (South) Mumtaz Ahmed, woman Constables Asmat Ara and Kiran Bala, recorded their statements under Section 164-A before the Excise Magistrate. However, their statements did not contain even a whisper about the involvement of the petitioners in the commission of the alleged offence in any manner. In the meanwhile, Principal Sessions Judge, Jammu, BL Bhat today again adjourned the hearing on bail applications filed by the then SSP, the then SHO, Gandhi Nagar, and SI Satnam Singh as advocate Rajesh Kotwal filed a power of attorney on behalf of the arrested/suspended SSP and sought time for filing supplementary bail application. On this, the court adjourned hearing on the bail applications till October 22. Another bail applications filed by the then SSP, the then SHO, Gandhi Nagar, the SI and the Choudhary brothers in the court of the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, were also adjourned for October 23. |
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Getting set for seasonal migration
Sarthal, October 19 However, unlike the Gujjars and Bakarwals, these villagers have their own land at both places. “Every one of us has two homes, one in Sarthal and the other in Bani, so we keep shuttling between both. This has been going on since ages - we seem to have inherited seasonal migration from our forefathers”, said Chajju Ram, a local resident. The Bani-Bhaderwah road is busy nowadays with the nomads travelling to the lower hills in small caravans. As Sarthal, some 285 km from Jammu, is covered with snow during the winter, the villagers find it difficult to stay on there. “We’ve no option but to migrate along with our livestock and belongings to areas in the lower reaches,” said village head Nazir Ahmed. “There we wait for the winter to get over and come back here,” he added. Sarthal’s was unexplored till two years back when the government brought it on the tourist map and began setting up the necessary infrastructure there. “Militants had unleashed a reign of terror about five years ago. They even disrupted construction of roads by damaging machinery. However, now things are changing for the better,” said Ahmed. Villagers are, nevertheless, sore over the slow pace of development in the area. “Though a primary school has been set up here, there are no permanent teachers. The only one appointed stays in Bani, 25 km from here,” he added. Shamima Begum, 22, mother of a two-month-old baby, who is waiting for a bus or some other means of transport, rues the lack of healthcare services in the area. “The bus service here is very poor. For a health checkup we have to go to all the way to
Bani. |
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HC dismisses appeals of Forest Corpn
Jammu, October 19 The high court ruled that the labour class formed one of the weaker sections of the society. The law-making authorities, with a view to alleviate suffering of the said working class and to assure guarantees of their rights, made law, called the Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1923. The Act was a legislation aimed at benefiting that class of society that belonged to the lowest strata of mechanism. Upholding the awards and dismissing the appeals, the judge observed: “A labourer, who is paid minimum wages and has to continuously totter at the brink of starvation, can ill-afford to pursue expensive and time-consuming litigation. The Act of 1923 was enacted to ensure that labourers are not subjected to any unnecessary and avoidable hardships.” “The appeal under the Act can be thus filed only when a substantial question of law is involved. A perusal of appeals shows that no substantial question of law has been formulated in them. The appeals, in such circumstances, would not be competent in law. This court is authorised to consider and deal with the cases only when a substantial question of law is involved. The appeals are dismissed along with connected CMPs, if any,” it stated. The high court directed that the awarded amount, whatever deposited, should be released in favour of workers/respondents in accordance with the terms and conditions of the award(s), along with the interest that must have accrued thereon. |
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Diwali festivities leave city littered
Jammu, October 19 Though there is a blanket ban on the sale and use of polythene bags in the Jammu region, firecracker sellers who had set up their stalls at various places in Jammu city, including the Dussehra ground, Gandhi Nagar, and the Parade Ground, Jammu, all the places are dotted with heaps of polythene packings. To set up stalls to sell firecrackers, the sellers have to seek permission from the Deputy Commissioner’s office at Jammu, which makes selections through a draw of lots. The sellers have to abide by the rules and regulations set by the authorities, including keeping the area neat and clean, but they have left the entire area littered with polythene bags. Speaking to The Tribune, Deputy Commissioner MK Dwivedi said, “We had categorically asked vendors to ensure that they cleaned the entire area after they dismantled their stalls. We will communicate to them that they clean the area immediately, otherwise they will be blacklisted and won’t be given permission to set up stalls next time,” “Nobody seems to be bothered about the use of polythene bags. How firecracker sellers were allowed to carry so much of polythene with them,” said Alok Mehra, a shopkeeper near Dussehra ground, Gandhi Nagar. These polythene bags could be hazardous as these still carried traces of harmful chemicals used in the manufacturing of firecrackers, said Pawandeep Singh, an environmentalist. Local residents were also worried about the dangerous consequences these leftover polythene bags would have on the surroundings, as they feared these would fly to their houses and pollute the soil. If these chemicals mixed with water in open water bodies, it would certainly harm the entire ecosystem. “You cannot just collect polythene and burn it, it has to be disposed of scientifically, otherwise it will emit toxic gases,” Pawandeep said. People say the authorities have turned a blind eye to the entire episode. They should take necessary measures so that the hazardous waste left by firecracker sellers is disposed of scientifically, they say. |
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PC’s Kashmir remarks provocative: BJP
Jammu, October 19 BJP state president Ashok Khajuria said the party strongly asserted that Kashmir was only a communal problem that needed deft handling. “It will be highly suicidal to accord political legitimacy to the separatist cause in the state, we have no doubt that separatism in the state is guided by highly regressive and communal ideology,” Khajuria said. He said, “The BJP also takes a strong exception to the Home Minister’s confirmation that some sort of a “unique solution” is being worked out through a process of quiet dialogue and quiet diplomacy.” “The BJP would want the Government of India to take the nation into confidence about the contours and contents of that solution. The BJP outrightly rejects the contention of the separatists, which the Union Home Minister seems to have lapped up, that problems in Jammu and Kashmir are unique because of the unique history and geography of the state,” he said. The BJP would like to know from the Union Home Minister as to what was so unique about Kashmir to qualify for a separate treatment, he said. Khajuria said any failure on the part of the Centre to take cognisance of the BJP’s “well-considered” views or to continue to support the separatist line would only compel the nationalist forces in the state to create a 2008-like situation. |
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7 killed, 15 hurt in road mishaps
Jammu, October 19 Official reports said two boys were killed and a woman passenger suffered critical injuries in a collision between a truck and a minibus near Paper Morh in Mansar. Those killed were: Vishal Singh (15) of Channi Mansar and Roop Lal (15) of Nud. Nirmala Devi of Manwal sustained serious injuries in the incident. Both the boys were hanging with the rear grills of the minibus when a truck coming from the opposite direction collided with it. The minibus was on its way to Battal from Samba while the truck was on
its way to Samba from Mansar. Injured woman, who was shifted to Samba district hospital, was later referred to Government Medical College here in view of her critical condition, reports said. In another mishap, Subash Chander of Lander Pancheri was hit by an unidentified vehicle at Tamater Morh in Kud resulting in his
instant death. Four persons were killed when a tipper, which was on way to Sangaldan from Ramban, skidded off the road
near Kanga. In yet another mishap, a motorcycle was hit by a Gypsy at Taida Road in Bhaderwah causing fatal injuries to the motorcyclist. The injured was airlifted to the GMC here for further treatment. Another motorcyclist Sadiq Mir, who was on way to Udhampur from Chinar, met with an accident at Birmah Bridge while a truck rolled down at Hiranagar Morh on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway causing injuries to some persons. They have been hospitalised. |
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Fake Currency
Jammu, October 19 The five accused, part of a big racket, were arrested from the BC Road area last evening. “The kingpin of the racket, Abdul Majeed of Doda, whose father was a block president of a prominent political party, was arrested this evening,” Parvez Sajjad, SHO of bus stand police station, told The Tribune. The other five arrested have been identified as Devinder Sharma, a constable posted at the District Jail, Ambphalla, Abdul Hamid, an MC employee, Majid Hussain, Narinder Kumar and Rajinder Singh. They had used around Rs 20,000 in fake currency on Diwali, he added. The SHO said a big fake currency racket was likely operating in the city. The police anticipated the racket was to the tune of Rs 1 crore, adding that a team today raided the kingpin’s house in Doda and questioned other family members. |
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Let teachers retire at 60: Students
Jammu, October 19 Addressing a press conference the University of Jammu here, president of the union Ajay Taloor said the age enhancement would directly affect the research scholars of the university. “In the 12th five-year plan of the UGC, the University of Jammu has only 12 positions for lecturership. As such, the step will create problem,” said Taloor. One the one side the state government was asking the youth to play important role in various fields, on the other hand they were promoting the cause of age enhancement in institutions of higher education in the state, he added. The president said the Council of Jammu and Kashmir University would hold a meeting on October 21 to discuss the issue. |
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Maestros enthral music lovers
Srinagar, October 19 Organised by the State Academy of Art, Culture and Languages in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism, and the Rumi Foundation, the Programme Jahan-e-Khusru (the realm of the heart) was conceived, designed and directed by famous filmmaker Muzaffar Ali. The Sufi festival featured performances by the Baran Music Ensemble, Iran, Malini Awasthi and Group from Awadh and Ghulam Nabi Namtahali and group, Kashmir. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah, ICCR president Karan Singh, Minister for Tourism Nawang Rigzan Jora, Minister for Higher Education Abdul Ghani Malik, first lady Usha Vohra, Vice-Chancellor Rayaz Punjabi were present on the occasion. |
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Snowfall continues in Leh
Leh, October 19 The cold wave in the area has further intensified with day temperature plummeting to -3°C. The maximum temperature was 6°C. |
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