Jammu, November 5
After silently watching activities of the dissidents for quite some time, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saif-ud-Din Soz has now started flexing his muscles. Pradesh Youth Congress (PYC) chief Mohammad Amin Bhat has been removed from the post. Amin Bhat, a member of the Upper House of the state legislature, is known for his allegiance to Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

The decision to sack Amin Bhat was taken by the Central leadership. It is widely believed in the Congress circles that he has been removed because he raised the banner of revolt against the PCC chief.

Although, in an official handout, the Congress leadership has announced to conduct “talent hunt” at Srinagar and Jammu to shortlist potential candidates for the post of the PYC chief, sources in the party said PCC president had decided to appoint his own man to the post. The talent hunt for the new Youth Congress chief would be held at Srinagar on November 9 and Jammu on 10.

Sources said Soz had asked his loyalists to prepare themselves for the talent hunt. Buoyed over the removal of Mohammad Amin Bhat, Soz loyalists, who had been aspiring for the PYC chief’s post, claimed the choice of only the PCC would prevail.

Four aspirants each from Jammu and Kashmir regions would be shortlisted for the post and later a panel of three candidates would be sent to the party high command for the final decision.

Amin Bhat was appointed the PYC chief when Ghulam Nabi Azad was PCC chief and is a staunch supporter of the Union Health Minister. For the past one year, the anti-Azad lobby has been trying to dislodge him as Amin Bhat is one of the prominent Congress leader from Kashmir Valley who has been openly opposing Saif-ud-Din Soz.

Sources further said the pro-Azad faction in the party had taken a serious note of the removal of Bhat and took it as a challenge to show its strengthen. During his visit to the winter capital on Wednesday, Azad loyalists brought the matter to his knowledge.

“We will not allow our rival to appoint their man as the PYC chief,” a senior Congress leader, known for his allegiance to Azad said. A strategy had already been chalked out to foil attempts of the rivals, he added.

Kathua, November 5
A group of 20 students drawn from a government and a private school served water to guests and politicians and washed dishes at a Shaheedi Diwas function here today.

The function was organised by Congress MP Choudhary Lal Singh and chaired by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. MP Lal Singh has been organising such functions for the past 11 years to pay tributes to martyrs who laid down lives fighting enemy in war and counter-insurgency operations.

The students, who should have been attending classes in their respective schools at that time, were not only seen serving water to those attending the function, but were also seen washing utensils on the occasion. A couple of teachers were also present on the occasion.

“Our teacher has brought us here. We came here around 9 am. It is not a different scene here. You might be the first-time visitor to the region,” said a student of class XII, who claimed to be a student of Government Senior Secondary School, Kathua.

Another student washing utensils said he was a student of DAV Senior Secondary School, Kathua, and was enjoying bunking classes. “It is fun here and we even get a chance to see senior leaders and big personalities,” he added.

Directorate (Education) Zahida Khan expressed surprise over the incident. “If it was so, an inquiry will be marked into the episode,” Zahida said.

The authorities of Government Senior Secondary School denied the allegation although The Tribune was in possession of pictures showing students doing such work.

Chief Education Officer, Kathua, Rajinder Gandotra claimed, “I have talked to the Principal of the school and he had denied the allegations. We will check the register whether the students were present or absent from the school.”

Family members of martyrs were invited to Kalibari at 9.30 am, from where they had to accompany the chief guest for the commemoration ceremony to be held at Shaheedi Chowk at 11 am. But the ceremony was delayed by about two hours as the chief guest reached the venue around 11.45 am. The commemoration ceremony could start only around 12.30 pm.

Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, former minister Gulchain Singh Charak, Health Minister Sham Lal and Basholi MLA Kanta Chaudhary were among those present on the occasion.

The Union Health Minister presented blankets to 95 members of martyrs’ families at the commemoration ceremony.

Jammu, November 5
With probe into alleged custodial death of a Hindu youth in a Srinagar police lockup moving at a snail’s pace, family members of the victim, including his widow, would move the Supreme Court in New Delhi tomorrow.

Rajnish Sharma, who had married Anchal Sharma, alias Amina Yousuf, before a Jammu court on August 21, was allegedly tortured to death in a Srinagar police lockup on October 5.

The family through its counsel Pinky Anand, convenor of the BJP’s legal cell and a lawyer, would be moving the apex court tomorrow with a request on certain concrete grounds to issue directions to the respondents, viz, CBI of a probe and the state police to arrest Anchal’s father Mohammed Yousuf Mirazi, her brothers Tariq and Javed besides police officers concerned.

The family members, including Rajnish’s widow Anchal, mother Raj Kumari and brother Pawan Sharma yesterday met Sushma Swaraj and briefed her about the alleged police atrocities that led to the death of the youth inside a police lockup, BJP leader Yudhvir, who accompanied the family to New Delhi, told The Tribune.

The apex court would be moved tomorrow and we expect first date of hearing within a week, he added.

Subsequently, the family would move the NHRC and other NGOs. On certain grounds we are seeking a CBI probe and immediate arrest of Anchal’s father, her two brothers and police officers of Ram Munshi Bagh police station and the Jammu police, who allegedly connived to eliminate Rajnish Sharma, Sethi said.

It may be stated here that Anchal had been openly accusing her father and brothers of hatching a conspiracy with the police. She holds her family and police responsible for what she claims “cold-blooded” murder of her husband.

Meanwhile, the Crime Branch team, which had gone to Srinagar to take possession of requisite records from the Srinagar police, returned to Jammu, but without case diary.

However, a senior police officer of the Crime Branch maintained that the team returned with relevant records required for investigating the case.

Jammu Chief Judicial Magistrate YP Bourney had issued orders to the Crime Branch to investigate the case.

Jammu, November 5
Governor NN Vohra has written to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah urging him to recommend the name of Rukhsana of Upper Kalsi, Shahdara Sharief, Rajouri district, for the National Bravery Award for killing a terrorist, with the help of her sibling, in September this year.

The recommendation has been made following a report by DGP Kuldeep Khoda. This is the first official confirmation by the police department of Rukhsana’s bravery. Immediately after the incident, the police had claimed that its team had killed the militant.

According to sources, after receiving the report from the DGP in the last week of October, establishing bravery of Rukhsana, the Governor immediately wrote to the Chief Minister asking him to recommend her name to the Union Home Ministry for the National Bravery Award.

Srinagar, November 5
Hundreds of employees of the State Road Transport Corporation began their long march from Srinagar to Jammu today, to press their demands for the revival of the ailing corporation and release of their salaries.

Employees’ Union president Shakeel Ahmad Kuchay said the state government had been “most insensitive” and they would go to any extent to make it budge.

The government employees in Kashmir also struck work today to express solidarity with the SRTC employees, paralysing work in offices across the valley.

Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather said they had offered “golden handshake” to the SRTC employees but the employees refused the offer. The government has held talks with the union, which has been on strike for over two months, but in vain.

Desperate employees left with the prospect of a closing corporation and subsequent unemployment started their journey to Jammu and said they would resort to all kinds of measures to ensure that they are given “justice”.

Official sources have blamed the SRTC for its present state of affairs, saying it could not earn for itself despite having over 700-strong fleet of buses, though private transporters made money. “Many drivers drew salaries from the government and ran private buses. They did not care when it was needed and now blaming us,” a senior transport official said.

Kishtwar, November 5
Kishtwar District Development Commissioner GR Bhagat has impressed upon district officers and functionaries of the other line departments to ensure 60 per cent physical and financial achievements in the district under the Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) scheme for 2008-2009. He also sought submission of monthly progress reports in other sectors positively for onward transmission to the government without fail.

He asked for involving the banking sector in the BRGF scheme for ensuring financial discipline and achieving desired goals under centrally sponsored schemes.

He was addressing a review meeting on the BRGF schemes for which Rs 7.75 crore had been released against the sanctioned plan of Rs 8.61 crore for 2008-2009 for the district.

Various issues pertaining to the effective and result-oriented BRGF scheme were discussed in the meeting and suggestions made for incorporating the leftover welfare schemes for the next BRGF plan for 2010-11.

The ACD, who is the district coordinator, gave a presentation to participants on the pattern of BRGS funds distribution under each sector in the district at the panchayat, block and district-level and urged them to furnish the next BRFG plan for 2010-2011 at the earliest possible time so that same was sent to the concerned for approval.

Meanwhile, the Kishtwar District Development Commissioner along with a team of district officers and engineers visited the district hospital premises and took stock of the pace of ongoing construction works of the newly 100-bedded building.

During the inspection, the deputy general manager, JKPCC, Kishtwar informed the DDC that the building was being constructed at an estimated cost of over Rs 11.15 crore, out of which Rs 6.50 crore has been spent by October-end. He said construction of the building should be completed by May-end (2010).

The DDC also visited indoor wards and interacted with patients to ascertain the medicare facilities for the patients, besides the hygienic conditions in and around the district hospital complex.

Jammu, November 5
Hundreds of Jammu migrants residing in Talwara camp today staged a dharna in front of Raj Bhawan here today, demanding immediate intervention of the state Governor to ensure them equity, justice and relief on a par with the Kashmiri migrants as per a judgement of the Supreme Court in 2006.

According to a statement issued here, the dharna was led by Daljit Singh, vice- president and Anita Thakur, general secretary, Panthers Party.

The migrants would march to Delhi on November 20 in case the Supreme Court order is not implemented. They also expressed shock that the Home Minister refused to meet them and take memorandum from them.

The migrants also regretted that the Prime Minister’s relief package had ignored them.

Kathua, November 5
A symposium on “Save beautiful plants on the earth” was organised by Government Higher Secondary School, Ramkote, in Kathua district today.

A total of nine schools of the Ramkote education zone participated and as many as 18 students, two each from 9 schools, took part and expressed their views.

Komal Verma, a student of class XI of Government Higher Secondary School, secured the first position while Prianaka Salgotra, student of class XII and Itika Sharma of class IX of the same school bagged the second and third positions, respectively.

SDM, Billawar, Rafiq Ahmed Inqalabi was the chief guest on the occasion.