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Militants ambush Army convoy in Rajouri A woman injured in a militant attack in Rajouri district being brought to Government Medical College, Jammu, on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph
Irked over staff crunch, students lock 2 schools
Valley Turmoil |
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Cops deployed in front of University of Jammu
on Wednesday. Photo: Inderjeet Singh
Job racket unearthed,
man arrested
Govt’s remarks on autonomy anger BJP
Army comes to the rescue of expectant Bakarwal woman
State switches over to
e-stamping
Three cops killed in Sopore attack
University students burn the Pakistan flag
during a demonstration in Jammu on Wednesday. Photo: Inderjeet Singh
Students’ body protests against varsity clash
Bar decries anti-India slogans
Sawhney is MC commissioner
Soldier dies in Pak firing
Flash floods hit parts of
Srinagar A
youth wades through a water-logged street after flash floods at
Khanmoh on the outskirts of Srinagar on Wednesday. — PTI
DGP reviews security
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Militants ambush Army convoy in Rajouri Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service
Jammu, August 11 “A woman was killed and 16 others were injured when the militants suspected to be three to four in number ambushed an Army convoy in the Thannamandi area,” DIG, Rajouri-Poonch, SDS Jamwal told The Tribune. A joint operation had been launched to track down the fleeing ultras, said the DIG. Though it appeared that the ultras wanted to target Army vehicles (three Gypsies), a passenger bus (JK02/7275), following the Army convoy, was trapped in the crossfire, he added. The bus was on its way to Jammu from Poonch. Brigadier General Staff of 16 Corps, Brig Satish Dua said three Army vehicles and a passenger bus were moving on the road when the armed ultras opened fire. Panicked, the driver of the bus tried to overtake the Army vehicles and hence came in the line of the ultras’ fire, he added. A search operation had been launched in the area to gun down the militants, believed to be three to four in number, said Dua, adding that they were hiding in maize fields. The killed woman has been identified as Kiran Bala, 35, a resident of Poonch, who was at present putting up in Muthi here. She was returning home after mourning the death of a relative in Poonch, said reports. As soon as the Army vehicle ferrying the Commanding Officer of the 48 RR, Col P Sinkpal, reached the Bega nullah near Azmatabad the ultras opened fire on the convoy, said the reports. The first round of fire hit the CO’s driver, Naik Dalip Laxman Dhayan Guedm and jawan Kirpal Singh. And sensing the situation 12 soldiers in two escort vehicles of the officer immediately took positions but exercised the utmost restraint because of the trapped bus, added the reports. The bus driver tried to overtake the Army vehicles and was caught in the crossfire, they said. The ultras continued firing before escaping in the thickly-grown maize fields. Later, additional reinforcements were rushed to the spot and a joint combing operation by Surankote-based Romeo Force, CRPF and the Special Operations Group was launched in the area. The reports said four critically injured passengers identified as 60-year-old Gul Begam of Manyal Gali, Irfan Ahmed of Poonch, Swarn Kanta of Udhampur and Mohammed Noor Hussain of Badayun in Uttar Pradesh were airlifted to the Government Medical College and Hospital here while two injured soldiers were airlifted to the Command Hospital in Udhampur. The remaining injured passengers were hospitalised in Rajouri and Thannamandi.
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Irked over staff crunch, students lock 2 schools
Jammu, August 11 Locals came on streets in support of the students and a complete shutdown was observed in this block for the third successive day. Although the Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) and the Zonal Education Planning Officer (ZEPO) visited the area to placate people, their efforts failed to yield any result as agitating students were demanding an immediate appointment of teachers. Ajay Singh, a local resident, told the Tribune over phone that the students of Government Higher Secondary School, Gordhi, and Government High School, Nalaghonda, had been facing problems due to shortage of teachers in these schools. He said the matter was repeatedly brought to the notice of the authorities concerned but to no avail. The students of these schools have been demanding this for the last four months. “They were assured by the authorities that the staff would be deputed after summer vacation,” Singh said, adding that the vacation ended about 15 days back but promises of the authorities remained only on papers. On Monday, students of both schools along with locals took out a procession at block headquarters in this regard. Over 500 students are studying in both government schools.Students had been protesting for the last two days but the authorities had been looking for an escape. Joined by shopkeepers and activists, the students took out a protest demonstration through areas of Gordhi block. More so, Government High School, Nalaghonda, had been running without a headmaster since it was upgraded last year.Despite repeated attempts, Chief Education Officer (CEO), Udhampur, SK Gandotra could not be contacted.
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CRPF plan to acquire non-lethal weapons
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service
Jammu, August 11 The force has been provided 130 pump- action 12 bore guns, a weapon, which causes injury, but is not lethal in nature. It may be stated here that in the past two months, at least 52 people have lost their lives in Kashmir. “Though the CRPF has already been using rubber bullets and water canons to control unruly mobs in Kashmir, the acquisition of non-lethal weapons is under active consideration of the Union Home Ministry,” IG, CRPF, Jammu, AS Sidhu told mediapersons here today after attending the passing-out parade of 278 recruits of the 79th batch. The Rapid Action Force had been especially trained to control unruly mobs without inflicting lethal injuries, he said. The top cop, however, added that in the past, he had never witnessed stone throwing incidents on such a large scale in Kashmir. In the past two years, nearly 2,000 CRPF troopers were injured in stone throwing in Kashmir. He, however, refused to comment on a question whether the force had been mobilising its troops from Jammu to the turbulent valley. On the training aspect vis-à-vis human rights, the IG said the force always had a clean record. “Besides imparting arms and combat training to our troopers, we also train them in according top priority to human rights,” he said. Inquiries into the allegations of such violations against the CRPF in the past also gave us a clean chit, he added. Independence Day In the backdrop of a sudden spurt in the intrusion bids on the border and a militant attack on a passenger bus in Rajouri this morning, a special deployment of CRPF troops is being made in the sensitive areas of the winter capital to ensure peaceful Independence Day celebrations. “A special deployment of our troops in consultation with IG, Jammu, Ashok Kumar Gupta would be made in the sensitive areas of Jammu,” IG, CRPF, Jammu region, AS Sidhu told reporters here today. Refusing to share intelligence inputs, Sidhu said apart from the special deployment of the CRPF troops, random check posts would be set up in the city.
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Italian journalist
alleges inaction, police refutes
Jammu, August 11 Paolo was accompanying two students who were yesterday detained by the police for “vitiating the atmosphere of Jammu University” following a complaint filed by students’ leaders. However, the police denied the allegations and said Paolo did not ask to file any complaint. “I have travelled extensively but have never witnessed such a blatant disregard for basic human rights and legal procedures,” Paolo rued. “Yesterday noon, I was with some journalists, human rights activists and peace campaigners. While we were leaving from the cafeteria, a group of 10 persons started taking pictures of our women colleagues,” he said. He added: “On being objected, they started thrashing us. Sub Inspector Mohammad
Azhar, identified by his name tag, reached the spot but did not intervene to stop them from manhandling us and kept watching passively before forcibly taking us to the police station. However, I was allowed to go after sometime.” “But, the same mob shoved me around and insulted me outside the police station. They intimidated and threatened me too,” he said. Meanwhile, SHO Rafiq Manhas reached the spot but instead of arresting the thugs, the police forcibly put me in the jeep without explaining any reason, Paolo added. “My friend translated my questions in Hindi to the policemen but they did not respond,” he said. They did not allow me to contact the Italian Embassy as well, he alleged. “The police was in cahoots with the thugs. I also asked them to file a formal complaint but they just laughed it off,” he said. “When I insisted, the police asked me to file a complaint against unidentified persons despite the fact that my friends knew the identity of the thugs,” Paolo said. However, the SHO said: “We booked Vanessa Chisti and Surohai Nandan as they were outsiders and were vitiating the atmosphere of the university by preaching ideology of
Naxals.” Meanwhile, after yesterday’s incident of raising anti-national slogans and clash between students and outsiders on the University of Jammu campus, the Jammu police remained on its toes throughout the day today to prevent any further violence. Many policemen have been deployed outside the university and colleges, including the SPMR College of Commerce, GGM Science College and MAM College to prevent any untoward incident. Till noon, the police equipped with sticks, shields and guns were seen at the entrances of the colleges and the university. Sources said some political parties were enticing the students to create further violence. They further said the incident had become a major issue, as most students were not ready to ignore it. An insider of the university said: “We cannot tolerate any anti-national activities on the campus or outside, therefore, we have decided to give them a reply so that such incidents don’t occur in future.” He said: “Some are trying to hush up the matter by terming it an incident of eve-teasing but it’s not true.” He further said had the police acted in a swift manner, the clash could have been averted. A senior police officer said the policemen had been deployed at all colleges and university to bring the situation under control. The issue might blow up in future but presently things were under control. Meanwhile, the university authorities have also restricted the entry of outsiders on the campus. |
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Job racket unearthed,
man arrested
Jammu, August 11 The police said the accused had either hacked some website or made a fake website to befool the people. On the pretext of a list appearing on the website, he was collecting a large sum of money from aspirants, telling them to see their names on the website for finding out whether they had got a job or not. The police said so far, the accused had cheated nearly 160 persons as a list of a similar number of persons had appeared on the website. A senior police officer said two more persons, belonging to Delhi and Srinagar, were also involved in the racket, but they were absconding. Explaining the modus operandi of the accused, SS Sambyal, DSP (City), said Salman first made the aspirants his friends and then befooled them to get them jobs in the Railway Protection Force and the Railways. He added:”The accused used to first demand an initial amount of Rs 20,000- 25,000 from the aspirants and then the final amount of nearly Rs 5 lakh after their names appeared on the website”. A case under Section 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the RPC had been registered at Peer Mitha police station and the fake identity card of the international news agency and Rs 10,000 had been seized. The police had also seized a voice record of the accused demanding money from a job aspirant. |
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Govt’s remarks on autonomy anger BJP
Jammu, August 11 “Except Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, no one raised the issue of greater autonomy during the meeting,” said Chaman Lal Gupta, a BJP leader. Gupta added: “Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has also not spoken about the issue thus, he was shocked to see reports on greater autonomy that were published today.” “Stand of the BJP is pretty clear on the greater autonomy and we will oppose this move tooth and nail,” he asserted. Lal Gupta added that the Prime Minister had assured during the meeting that security forces deployed in the Valley would not be demoralised at any cost. Meanwhile, the Panun Kashmir, at its Political Affairs Committee meeting chaired by Dr
Agnishekhar, convener, today condemned the statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on autonomy to Kashmir and the dilution of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act
(AFSPA). According to a statement issued here, Agnishekhar said such a statement from the Prime Minister would lead to the Balkanisation of the country, as it ignored the nationalist forces of the state, people of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmiri Pandits in particular. “The present policies of the Central government will lead to the disintegration of the nation and apparently it seems that it has buckled under the pressure of the separatists and the anti-national forces,” said
Agnishekhar. He added that under a sinister design, the separatists and the anti-national forces were allowed to carry out their anti-India campaign in Delhi,
Pune, Bangalore and now in Jammu, that too under the garb of freedom of speech. |
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Army comes to the rescue of expectant Bakarwal woman
Jammu, August 11 The Army has been regularly conducting medical and veterinary camps with an aim to providing free medical facilities to
the Bakarwals and their livestock. A medical camp was organised at Mughalpura on August 9, where the resolve of the Army medical team was put to test. Around 11.30 am, the Army received information that a pregnant Bakarwal woman at Minamarg was having labour pains. Sensing the gravity of the situation, the Army medical team immediately rushed the only available lady doctor to attend to the woman. Despite bad weather, a disrupted road communication due to incessant rains and an inhospitable terrain, the team reached the dera of the Bakarwal family. As it approached the location, it was led to the dera by the womenfolk. The team straightaway got involved in the delivery providing quintessential postnatal care to the mother and the newborn
baby girl. The timely medical care with sterilised equipment and clean clothes prevented any post delivery complications that could have arisen due to the conditions in which the delivery was performed. The timely action by the Forever in Operations Division of the Army brought happiness not only to the family of Mohammad Bashir but also to the Army team. |
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State switches over to
e-stamping
Srinagar, August 11 The implementation of the e-Stamping System in the state will enable the government to provide a prompt and efficient delivery of an essential public service, resulting in the proper valuation of properties and earn better revenue for the state. The e-Stamping System is a secured and reliable stamp duty collection mechanism, free of paper and process related frauds. The state government had earlier accorded sanction to the switching over to the e-Stamping System (dematting of stamps) and had, towards this objective, already issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) to the Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL). The stamp duty is a tax paid for a transaction performed by way of the execution of a document or instrument. In Jammu and Kashmir the said duty is collected under the provisions of the Stamp Act, Samvat 1977 (1920 AD). Since, with the passage of time, the state has graduated from the manual mode of operations to the electronic mode, touching almost every sphere of the tax administration, it was imperative to extend it to the collection of stamp duty as well.
— TNS |
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Three cops killed in Sopore attack
Srinagar, August 11 Earlier, the militants attacked a CRPF post at the Sopore branch of State Bank of India. Meanwhile, the proposed march of separatists to Pampore to observe the second death anniversary of Hurriyat leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz who was killed in 2008 was foiled by the authorities today as the entire town and Srinagar city were brought under the curfew and restrictions were imposed in other parts of the Kashmir valley. The chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who had given a call for the march had already been put under house arrest last night. “The curfew is in place in Srinagar, Pampore, Pulwama, Kakpora and Tral towns to maintain the law and order," a senior police officer said.
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Political package need of the hour, says Mehbooba
Srinagar, August 11 PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said here though Dr Manmohan Singh’s statement on Kashmir had come late by two months and after the death of 51 persons,it would be a critical step in restoring peace to the valley. “The Prime Minister's statement has come after two months and following the killing of 51 persons. It is good that he has spoken about the issue and tried to reach out to the people," the PDP leader said. Without naming anyone, she said people with different mindsets and opinions on the matter should also be engaged in the process. “In view of the current situation in the Valley, a political package is the need of the hour.Once normalcy is restored, economic packages can be looked into. At this juncture, the priority of the Prime Minister should be a political package and a political resolution. As far as economic packages are concerned, the issue is being addressed since 1947, but at the moment, the concern should be to rescue the people from the prevailing situation,” she said. Meanwhile, chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani has rejected the peace-and-employment package offered by the Prime Minister. He said to give peace a chance, the state should be declared a disputed territory and laws like AFSPA and DAA should be revoked. Besides, the armed forces should be withdrawn from the state. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said: “You cannot compare what is going on in Kashmir with the issue of jobs. There are the political dimensions which need to be addressed and not economic ones. So far, not a single recommendation that was made during the 2005 meeting has been implemented,” Mirwaiz said, adding the involvement of a third party in the dispute was a must.
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Pak flag burnt at Jammu University
Jammu, August 11 The students boycotted semester examinations in several centres and joined the protest. “Those who raised pro-freedom and anti-nation slogans be prosecuted at the earliest,” said Mohinder Pal, a student activist. “It was a well-planned conspiracy rather than an emotional reaction to what is happening in Kashmir. It was done with a motive to create a communal divide in Jammu region,” he added. Another activist, Sunil Sharma, urged the authorities to take an action against those promoting the ideology of separatism in Jammu. |
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Students’ body protests against varsity clash
Jammu, August 11 According to a statement issued here, the students held a protest and boycotted their classes in the Government College for Women, Parade; Government Gandhi Memorial (GGM) Science College; Sri Pratap Memorial Rajput (SPMR) College of Commerce; GGM Science Evening College, MAM College Government Degree College (GDC), Paloura, and GDC, RS
Pura. Partap Singh Jamwal, state vice-president, JJSF, demanded that the guilty be booked under a provision for anti-Indian activities. |
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Bar decries anti-India slogans
Jammu, August 11 In a meeting here, the Bar resolved to oppose such attempts and condemned the role of the state police under whose nose the miscreants executed their nefarious designs.It demanded that those responsible should have been booked. |
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Sawhney is MC commissioner
Jammu, August 11 Sawhney was earlier posted as the Additional District Development Commissioner, Jammu. All employees and officers of the MC
welcomed Sawhney to the corporation. |
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Soldier dies in Pak firing
Jammu, August 11 Reports said Naik IIeke
Pandurang, of 5 Maratha LI, a native of Kolahpur in Maharashtra, was killed on the spot when a bullet fired from Kanth Complex post in Pak-occupied Kashmir hit him at a forward post, Peer, in the Mankote area of
Mendhar. The body of Naik IIeke Pandurang was today sent to his native place. |
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Flash floods hit parts of
Srinagar
Srinagar, August 11 “On receiving the information, Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Mehraj Ahmed Kakroo reached the spot along with a team of officers to take stock of the damage caused,” a state government officer said The Kashmir Divisional Commissioner, Naseem Lanker, requested the Army for assisting in the search and rescue operations and Commanding Officer RR personally supervised the rescue works at Khonmoh and
Balhama. According to information, 290 families at Khonmoh and 40 families at Balhama were affected. Over 1,740 people at Khonmoh and 280 people at Balhama were affected. Over 3,300 kanals of paddy, orchards and saffron fields were washed away in the floods.
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DGP reviews security
Srinagar, August 11 Addressing the meetings, Khoda stressed upon the officers to ensure coordination at every level and maintain law and order in their respective jurisdictions. He sought reports from the officers regarding the prevailing situation and efforts made by them to tackle problems.
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A woman passenger was killed and 14 others were injured when a bus was caught in a crossfire that ensued when militants attacked an Army convoy near the Bega nullah in Thannamandi tehsil in Rajouri district this morning. The driver of 48 Rashtriya Rifle’s Commanding Officer and another soldier were also injured in the gunfight. The incident occurred around 8.45 am.
