Sopore, February 23
An Army Captain, two jawans and a militant were killed in a fierce encounter between the security forces and holed-up militants in Chinkipora village in Sopore town of Baramulla district today.

On specific information about the presence of some militants in a house in Chinkipora village, the Army, police and the CRPF launched a joint operation at 5 am and surrounded the house.

The holed-up militants, after spotting the presence of the security forces, opened fire on them, killing Capt Devinder Singh Jass, Naik Selva Kumar and paratrooper Imtiyaz Ahmad Thokar of 1 Para. Two other soldiers were injured, while a militant was also killed. The militants also dragged the bodies of the Captain and the soldiers in the house.

“As soon as we cordoned off the area, the militants started firing indiscriminately on us. They also lobbed grenades on the approaching party in which Capt Devinder Singh, Naik Selva Kumar and paratrooper Imtiyaz Ahmad were killed,” a senior Army officer engaged in the encounter told The Tribune.

The Army said initially they had information that two to three militants were hiding in a house in the village, but later they came to know that the number of hiding militants was larger.

“So far, we have succeeded in eliminating one terrorist and are hopeful that others would also be killed soon,” the officer said.

In order to avoid collateral damage, the security forces first evacuated the residents of nearby houses and then launched the operation.

The entire area has been sealed off so that the holed-up militants could not escape taking advantage of the thick population in the area.

When this correspondent visited the encounter site, the area had been sealed off with sharp barbed wires and armoured vehicles and various layers of security cordons. A huge deployment of Army, police and CRPF personnel was made in the area so that the militants could not escape.

At the time of filing of this report, the security forces was preparing to launch the ‘final assault’ to kill the holed-up militants. Sources said radio intercepts with the Army suggested that the militants were the ‘top commanders’ of different militant outfits, who had gathered in the house to decide upon their course of action to intensify militancy-related activities.

Speaking to The Tribune, DIG, North Kashmir Zone, Abdul Qayoom Manhas said, “The encounter is still on. We are yet to launch the final assault. Nothing can be said till the encounter is continuing.”

Jammu, February 23
Normal life was affected here today following a shutdown in response to a bandh call given by the J&K Sikh United Forum against the killings of two Sikh youths in Peshawar.

Hundreds of activists of various Sikh and Hindu organisations forced the closure of shops and business establishments. The protesters vandalised three minibuses in Satwari, Gandhi Nagar and Jewel Chowk, while enforcing the bandh.

Members of Sikh organisations gathered at Digiana Ashram on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway and started a protest march by burning tyres and an effigy of the Taliban and Pakistan. They blocked the national highway for half-an- hour , which led to a traffic jam. However, the police soon cleared the jam.

The city wore a deserted look till the evening and only a few vehicles plied. Commercial establishments were closed.Though banks and other public offices were open, the attendance was thin.

Public transport also remained off the road, which caused inconvenience to people, including school and college students.Pilgrims to the Vaishno Devi shrine were the most affected.

The protesters, who were raising slogans against Pakistan and Taliban, requested traders to close establishments in Janipur, Satwari, Gandhi Nagar and other parts of the city.

Sudershan Singh Wazir, convener of the J&K United Sikh Front, said: “ The Taliban, the ISI and Pakistan are responsible for the beheading of Sikhs. This is a well-planned conspiracy to end minorities in the country. We cannot tolerate this injustice to our community. We want a satisfactory action by the Centre . A delegation should visit Pakistan to discuss the matter.”

“The procession was peaceful and no violence took place till the evening,” Mohinder Singh, chief organiser, Bhai Kanhaya Nishkam Sewa Society, said.

A number of parties and Hindu organistaions, including the Chamber of Commerce and Industries, the Bar Association of Jammu, the VHP, the Bajrang Dal and the Sangharsh Samiti also supported the bandh call. A senior police officer said there was no untoward incident.

Meanwhile,the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Forum has strongly condemned the killing of the two Sikh youths.

In a statement issued here, members of the forum said that such barbaric acts deserved to be dealt with stringent measures.

They added the Centre had failed to come out with a clear-cut strategy to curb terrorism and the result was that acts of terrorism against nationalist sections had become routine.

The forum said the situation in the state called for a crackdown on anti-national forces.

Jammu, February 23
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Mohammad Akbar Lone today directed the state government to make a statement regarding the death of an 11-day-old baby due to stone throwing by an unruly mob on a passenger bus in Baramulla yesterday.

Lone also directed to hold an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the incident and sought a report on the identity of the infant.

Earlier, the Assembly witnessed a war of words between the two main political parties, the PDP and the NC, on the issue. After the PDP staged a walkout from the House over the issue, NC member Nazir Gurezi flayed the Opposition for trying to take political mileage out of the issue. On the first day of the Budget session yesterday, the PDP was supporting youths who threw stones on security forces and today it took a different stand.

Gurezi was supported by Mir Saifullah, another NC MLA, and they criticised the PDP for politicising the issue.

The two MLAs criticised those who openly supported the stone-throwing youths and were now crying hoarse over tackling such situations. Gurezi referred to the noisy scenes in the House over the alleged human rights violations during such situations and said the PDP did not speak a word on the unfortunate killing of the infant.

Minister of State for Health and Medical Education Javaid Ahmad Dar also expressed concern over the incident. Dar flayed parties for raking up the issue for political gains.

The Speaker, while intervening, directed the government to make a statement regarding the killing of the infant.Responding to the directions of the Speaker, Minister for Rural Development Ali Mohammad Sagar assured the House that a detailed report in this regard would be tabled tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Assembly also condemned the killing of innocent Sikhs in Pakistan by Taliban militants recently. The Speaker urged the state government to take up the issue with the Centre for appropriate action.

After the completion of Question Hour, the issue was raised by Minister for Revenue and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla, who was supported by the members of all parties.

Jammu, February 23
Question Hour during the current session of the state Assembly was disrupted totally today with only three of the 20 listed questions taken up.

Regular disruptions by the PDP legislators seeking action against those responsible for the killing of an 11-day-old baby boy allegedly due to stone throwing on a bus and heated arguments between NC leaders and them consumed most of the time. Besides the 20 starred questions listed for discussion, there were 19 unstarred questions meant for the supply of written replies.

The PDP members led by Mehbooba Mufti tore the question-answer copies and littered them around on green mattresses. They continued sloganeering and eventually boycotted the proceedings. The questions listed by the PDP legislators also could not be taken up as they boycotted the proceedings. The House could only take up questions related to electric meters and power supply, compensation to 2005 earthquake victims in Karnah tehsil and the NREGA scheme’s implementation in Shopian.

Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone also repeatedly exhorted the PDP members to let Question Hour go as scheduled and other issues could be taken up later, but the slogan-shouting MLAs left the House. Question Hour began with Leader of BJP Legislature Party Chaman Lal Gupta demanding a resolution condemning the beheading of two Sikhs in Pakistan. He along with 10 other members of the BJP walked out, but returned soon to resume the proceedings.

However, no sooner did MLA Ashok Khajuria stood up to ask a question, the PDP legislators stood up and tore the question and answer documents. Pandemonium continued with floor marshals remaining busy to prevent the PDP legislators from reaching the well of the House.

Panthers Party leader Harsh Dev Singh decried the pandemonium saying arguments between the PDP and NC legislators was destroying Question Hour and other sessions. “Their fights are wasting the time of the legislators like us, who have come here to raise public issues,” he said.

Jammu, February 23
Mediapersons boycotted the proceedings of the Assembly during Question Hour this morning after Speaker Mohammed Akbar Lone took exception to journalists, who had left the press gallery to meet Leader of the Opposition and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti.

Mehbooba, along with her 20 party legislators, had staged a walkout from the House after Lone had turned down their demand for a debate over the killing of an 11-day-old baby in stone throwing in Srinagar vis-à-vis prevailing unrest in Kashmir.

After talking to the PDP president in the central hall of the Assembly secretariat, the journalists from print and electronic media, who returned to the press gallery to cover the House proceedings, were denied entry by the Assembly secretariat staff.

They were informed by the staff that instructions had come from the Speaker.

The Speaker’s move angered the journalists, who boycotted the proceedings of the Lower House. To sort out the issue, Director Information Farooq Renzu, political adviser to the Chief Minister Devinder Singh Rana and Assembly Secretary Mohammed Ramzan tried to pacify the journalists. Consequently, the Speaker invited the mediapersons to his chamber and apprised them about his decision saying he had taken exception because the moment PDP legislators, including Mehbooba, staged a walkout most of the journalists, including cameramen, in the press gallery rushed outside.

“It was wrong, as several other important issues were being taken up in the House. Mediapersons should not have left like this. There are certain ethics of journalism and the House as well,” he told the mediapersons.

However, the mediapersons reminded the Speaker that it had been an old practice to cover the Opposition, even when the NC was not in the government.

“Every organisation deputes three or four persons in the Assembly secretariat to cover everything that matters and not everyone had rushed out of the press gallery,” they informed the Speaker.

Subsequently, the Speaker and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammed Sagar sorted out the issue and the journalists relented.

The mediapersons also pointed out to the missing makeshift podium on the lawns of the Assembly secretariat, where opposition members and even members from the treasury benches, including ministers, used to brief the media on various issues in the past.

Earlier, in the House when Lone had issued instructions that mediapersons, who had rushed out of the press gallery, should not be allowed to enter again, Leader of the BJP Legislature Party Chaman Lal Gupta tried to remind him about the freedom of the Press in a democratic country.

Though Gupta was heard saying “they can go anywhere to perform their duties,” the Speaker didn’t give him a heed.

Jammu, February 23
Jammu district got less number of electricity units as compared to Srinagar district last year, but the revenue realised from Jammu was far more than what the Power Development Department (PDD) had realised in Srinagar.

The government in a written reply to a question of BJP MLA Ashok Khajuria stated that from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2009, Srinagar district was supplied 18,509.99 lakh units of power while Jammu district was supplied 17, 492.41 lakh units for the same period.

However, the revenue realised for the same period brought to the fore that Jammu district had generated more revenue compared to Srinagar district and that too when the former had been supplied less number of electricity units last year.

Jammu, February 23
The government has no proposal for granting the subdistrict status to Sunderbani tehsil.

And, similarly the government has no plans to accord the tehsil status to niabat Panchari or the establishment of niabats at the block headquarters of Ghordi and Latti.The government stated this during Questions Hour today.

The copies of the proceedings supplied to the media revealed that MLA Radhey Sham Sharma had asked the question about the status of Sunderbani, whereas MLA Krishan Chander Bhagat had raised the issue of the tehsil status to Panchari.

The written replies to the questions revealed, “A committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Dr SS Bloeria in 2007 to look into the demands for the creation of new administrative units and the rationalisation of existing administrative units in the state. The report submitted by the said committee was inconclusive, so no action could be taken.”

It further stated, “The committee was again revived on January 8 this year and asked to submit its report to the government within a year. Further action would be taken as per the report.”

Jammu, February 23
The Jammu Private Schools and Elementary Teachers Training Institutes Association yesterday stressed upon the government to bifurcate the state Board of School Education in view of geographical compulsions and technical difficulties being faced by above three lakh students of Jammu and Kashmir provinces.

According to a statement issued here yesterday, the demand was raised by the association under the chairmanship of Deep Singh.

It further demanded that before passing the proposed amendments to the Board Act-1975, suggestions should be sought from experts and even public.

Alleging constant and suspicious interference of the ministry into the board’s routine work, the association appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the Leader of the Opposition and all MLAs for a serious and visionary approach while adopting any education-related legislation as a tribute to the dreams of veteran leader late Ghulam Mohammad Sadiq and Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah in the interest of the coming generations and the state.