Jammu, September 15
At least four persons were killed and 45 others, including 25 policemen, were injured, some of them grievously, when the police opened fire on a mob allegedly trying to set ablaze a police station and a missionary school in Mendhar town of Poonch district this morning.

Trouble erupted around 11 am when a mob of 5,000 persons took out a march in Mendhar town, 270 km from here, in protest against the alleged desecration of a holy book in the US. The protesters were shouting slogans against the USA and its President Barack Obama, but then some mischievous elements among them set ablaze a vehicle en route and they went berserk. They then marched towards a missionary school and tried to set it on fire but the police prevented them. However, to quell the violence and disperse the unruly crowd the police opened fire, resulting in the death of four persons. “Four persons were killed and 45 others, including 25 policemen, were injured,” SSP, Poonch district, Manmohan Singh told The Tribune. He added that deaths probably occurred in police firing. The deceased have been identified as Arshad Khan, Shamim Ahmed, Alam Shah and Baghdad Hussain, all residents of Mendhar tehsil.

A report reaching here said after repeated warnings failed to quell the violence the police opened fire. But by then the protesters had set ablaze four vehicles, including two Gypsies, some shops and government buildings.

Following the killings, hundreds of people took to the streets and staged massive anti-police demonstrations. They also tried to set ablaze the office and residence of Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) in Mendhar.

Sensing the gravity of the situation the Army was requisitioned immediately, which staged a flag march in the town, IG, Jammu zone, Ashok Kumar Gupta told The Tribune. However, as of now curfew had not been imposed in the town, he added.

A report quoting Sub-District Magistrate, Mendhar, Mukhtar Ahmed said some of the protesters also tried to attack the police station with stones, forcing the police to open fire. After the incident seven of the critically injured were airlifted from Rajouri to the GMCH here.

“I was returning to my rented accommodation with my classmates from the college when suddenly I heard gunshots. Before I could realise anything, a bullet pierced through my shoulder and I fell unconscious,” 18-year-old Mohammed Zahid, a class XII student at Muqdas College, told this correspondent at the GMCH here.

Police and CRPF personnel were deployed in strength and the procession was moving towards the Bathoon Dhar road when we suddenly heard the gunshots, said Zahid.

Zahid’s father Haji Abdul Rashid of Gursai, a smalltime labourer, however, tried to make a point. “If there was a problem the police could have resorted to a cane-charge or a preventive fire or could have fired tear-gas shells to disperse the crowd. It fired directly at the protesters and that too indiscriminately,” alleged Rashid.

Echoing similar views, 22-year-old Kabir Hussain Shah of Gursai, who worked for an insurance company, said during the procession, which also included members of other communities, schoolchildren were returning home. He even said the SDPO, Mendhar, was the first to open fire.

Meanwhile, a case under Section 302 of RPC has been registered against SDPO, Mendhar, Vivek Gupta and his three bodyguards, confirmed Poonch district SSP Manmohan Singh.

The curfew continued in Poonch town for the third consecutive day without any relaxation. The curfew was clamped in the town on September 13 following clashes between the protesters and the police that had left 15 persons injured.

Jammu, September 15
Condemning the killing of four civilians in police firing in Mendhar, senior PDP leader and MLA from Mendhar Rafiq Hussain Khan today demanded a judicial probe to fix responsibility on the officers who gave orders for firing.

In a statement issued here, Rafiq said people of Mendhar were holding a peaceful demonstration in the town and the police resorted to an unprovoked firing on them. He said the firing was totally unprovoked as the procession was proceeding peacefully.

Condemning the police action, the Mendhar MLA demanded a judicial probe to single out the officers who gave orders for opening fire on peaceful protesters. He also demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 5 lakh for those injured in the incident.

He said the incident had exposed the National Conference-led government that had become totally indifferent to the atrocities being inflicted on the people. Rafiq lamented that the killing of four persons had substantiated the charges that the government had still not learnt any lessons from the mistakes it had been committing in the Kashmir valley. It had started the policy of highhandedness and the use of brutal force in the Jammu region also, he added. Rafiq said this was evident from the incidents of police firing on demonstrators in Mendhar, Poonch, Rajouri, Doda and Kishtwar.

Leh, September 15
In protest against the alleged act of sacrilege in the USA, Leh town observed a half-day bandh today that started in the morning and ended in the afternoon. The bandh was called by the Imamia Youth Association, Leh.

About 1,000 persons took out a rally that started from Lal Chowk, passed through main markets of Leh town and the old bus stand and culminated on the Polo Ground. Members of other communities also participated in the rally.

The Ladakh Buddhist Association was represented by its general secretary PT Kunzang and the Ladakh Christian Association by ES Gergan, while the Hindu Mahasabha was represented by its president Vijay Verma Ruchi.

Later, the religious heads submitted a joint memorandum to the Central and state governments through the Leh Deputy Commissioner. They also addressed the gathering on the Polo Ground and condemned the alleged act of sacrilege.

Jammu, September 15
Protesting against the killing of four persons in police firing in Mendhar town, people in Rajouri town observed a complete bandh today.

Reports reaching here said immediately after the incident in Mendhar, people, including college students, staged a protest demonstration in the town.

Shouting slogans against the police, people staged a protest march and reached Gujjar Mandi, from where they dispersed peacefully.

Meanwhile, the Muslim Action Committee has given a three-day bandh call from tomorrow in Rajouri in protest against the police action in Mendhar.

The committee has also decided to take out a procession on September 17.

In this context, Rajouri Deputy Commissioner Khwaja Ghulam Ahmed convened a meeting of prominent citizens from two communities this evening so as to devise a strategy to keep the procession peaceful on September 17.

He also urged them to maintain communal harmony in the border town.

Jammu, September 15
Even as consensus eluded the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA), this contentious issue has also created a regional divide in the state as Jammu-based social and political groups have warned of a movement if the Act was diluted or repealed to appease the separatists.

While the Kashmir-centric political groups are unanimous on the repeal of the AFSPA, Jammu-based political and non-political organisations have stepped up a campaign against any move to dilute the Act.

After the BJP, the Panthers Party is the second political party to staunchly opposed the repealing of the AFSPA.

Though Jammu-based Congress leaders are avoiding giving any statement in public, they have also conveyed to their party high command that any decision to repeal the Act would prove disastrous for the party. “We are in constant touch with our high command on the issue and have already conveyed our reservation against any such move at this juncture,” said a senior Congress leader.

The Panthers Party today warned to come on the streets if any attempt was made to repeal the Act. Party’s working chairman Harsh Dev Singh, while addressing a hurriedly called press conference here, asserted, “We will not remain as a mute spectator if the government succumbs to the pressure from the separatist and other anti-national forces.”

He expressed surprise that the regional parties of the Kashmir valley, namely the NC and the PDP, were called for the meeting but the Panthers Party, the third biggest regional party of the state, was not invited.

“The government’s action tells that the Centre is also trying to appease the Kashmir-centric parties,” he said, adding that his party would oppose any move to demoralise the security forces.

He observed that any attempt to dilute the AFSPA would amount to demoralising the Armed forces and frittering away the good work done by them in the state.

He said the AFSPA was enacted by an Act of Parliament in all its wisdom and had been extended to several states to meet the hostile and adverse security environs there.

The Jammu Bar Association, the Jammu State Morcha, the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples’ Forum and the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti have already warned against the repealing of the AFSPA.

Srinagar, September 15
Every morning 63-year-old Ali Mohammad, a resident of the Dal Gate locality, wakes up, gets ready and takes out his shikara (houseboat) in the Dal Lake and waits for hours together to see if he could find any tourist. But he returns dejected every evening.

For the past more than three months, hundreds of shikarawalas like Ali Mohammad have been facing the similar situation. Owing to the current unrest, not even a single tourist is visible in the Kashmir valley.

“Last year, there was a huge rush of tourists. We had no time to relax. However, this year we don’t have a single tourist around. Our families are on the verge of starvation,” said Ali Mohammad, who is the sole breadwinner in the family of seven.

He added for the past three months he hadn’t been able to earn a single penny and whatever saving he had, was already exhausted.

Hoping this year to be good for tourism, many shikarawalas had spend huge amounts on renovation of their houseboats, but the three months of unrest had waned all their hopes and now they were under the debt of bank loans.

“I had taken Rs 2 lakh loan from the bank to renovate my houseboat. But now I am under debt and am unable to repay the loan,” said Ghulam Hassan, a houseboat owner.

All the famous tourist resorts across the Kashmir valley, including the Dal Lake, Boulevard road, the mughal gardens, hill resorts like Gulmarg and Pahelgam wear a deserted look and only police and CRPF personnel could be seen standing guard at these places.

“The current unrest has served a severe blow to the tourist season in the Kashmir valley. Lakhs of people have been rendered unemployed, besides adversely affecting the state economy,” said an officer of the state Tourism Department.

Jammu, September 15
The examination for the Psychology of Teaching and Learning Process in the BEd course of University of Jammu that was scheduled to be held on September 16, has been postponed.

Following the rumours regarding mass copying at some centres in Udhampur district, the decision was taken yesterday by the Jammu University authorities. The examination will be held on October 14.

New Delhi, September 15
The Union Law Ministry is considering a proposal for moving Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Nisar Ahmad Kakru to his home state of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said here yesterday. The move, which marks a reversal of the nearly two-decade-old policy of having Chief Justices only from other states, comes at a time when a debate is going on in The Tribune on the subject.

In a joint article on September 9, former Supreme Court judge Kuldip Singh and four retired High Court Chief Justices MS Gujral, RN Aggarwal, SS Sodhi and MS Liberhan had called for a reappraisal of the practice, as it had turned out to be a malady rather than a remedy. Their views evoked a mixed response from several legal luminaries, some expressing support and other opposing it.

The SC Collegium that incidentally met the same day (September 9), recommended the transfer of Justice Kakru to the J&K High Court in the same capacity. The file has since found its way to the Law Ministry that would take its view on the proposal before forwarding it to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

It could not be ascertained whether the Collegium’s decision was influenced by the present situation in the Valley. Justice Kakru was appointed the Chief Justice of Andhra High Court in February. At present Chief Justice Aftab Hussain Saikia is expected to go back to the Gauhati High Court as its Chief Justice in place of Chief Justice Madan Lokur, who is being moved to Andhra Pradesh.

Srinagar, September 15
Air traffic, which had been shifted to Awantipopra since September 3, would resume from the Srinagar International Airport here from September 17 with the completion of its upgrading work.

An official spokesman said the upgrade of the airport, which was earlier slated to be taken up in May, was rescheduled in the larger public interest in view of the summer tourist season. Accordingly, it was decided to take up the work only from September 3 to September 16, he said.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had himself spoken to the Civil Aviation Minister for making the Awantipora Airport functional from September 3 so that people did not have to face any kind of inconvenience in view of the holy month of Ramzan and Eid. Accordingly, all necessary arrangements were made at Awantipora for keeping the flights operational. — TNS

Udhampur, September 15
The Sky Rippers Unit, under the North Star AD Brigade, has renovated the building of Government Middle School for Girls under the Operation Sadbhavana Project at Johan village, 20 km from here.

Lt-Gen Jasbir Singh, Chief of Staff, HQ Northern Command, inaugurated the renovated building today.

The welfare project cost the Army Rs 53 lakh. The renovation has been done in a manner that it made a marked difference in its infrastructure and facilities.

This, in turn, is expected to bring about a qualitative difference in the lives of the village children in terms of an atmosphere conducive for studies and all-round development.

Earlier, the building lacked proper classrooms and toilets.

But under this project, new classrooms, toilets, assembly ground and a basket ball court have been constructed.

In addition, books for the library and computers for the computer lab have also been provided. These facilities have turned the school into a model school attracting and motivating children from nearby villages to join the school.

Over 600 villagers and children attended the function. They expressed deep gratitude to the Army for its noble gesture of providing modern infrastructure at the school.

While dedicating the project to the village, Lt-Gen Jasbir Singh underlined the importance of the civil-military relations and stressed that the village must maintain the school building to derive maximum benefits out of it.

Jammu, September 15
Almost all organisations of Kashmiri Pandits have welcomed the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Security to send an all-party delegation to the Kashmir valley to study the ground situation before starting any move to amend or repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

While welcoming the decision of the committee, HN Jatoo, president of the All-India Kashmiri Pandit Conference (AIKPC), said the Kashmiri Pandits were disappointed and pained at the spurt in violence and loss of human lives in the Valley.

He said, “For the restoration of peace, a dialogue is important. The government should start a dialogue with all shades of opinion.”

Jatoo said the Kashmiri Pandit community was yearning for peace to return to the Valley as the community’s interests could be pursued only in a peaceful atmosphere. He appealed to the community members to render all possible help in dousing the flames of violence.

Dr Ajay Chrungoo, chairman, Panun Kashmir, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had taken a right decision to first restore peace in the Valley before taking any decision. “We welcome the decision to send an all-party delegation to the state. It should visit Jammu and Kashmir to check the ground reality and meet us to know our views as well.”

Ashwani Chrungoo, president of the other sect of the Panun Kashmir, said besides holing talks on peace, the government must hold a dialogue on the establishment of a homeland in the Valley for the rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits.

“Immediate steps should be taken to involve Kashmiri Pandits in this direction,” he added.

Jammu, September 15
Activists of the National Secular Forum (NSF) today gheraoed the office of the Dean Students Welfare (DSW), University of Jammu, in protest against the attack on their state president, Vikas Sharma, a postgraduate student of Buddhist Studies at the university.

The activists, led by Ravi Choudhary, chairman of the university unit, and Rohit Sharma, working president of the university unit, gheraoed the DSW office. They said how the student leader was attacked by some outsiders, despite the presence of police personnel on the campus.

They held the administration and guards on duty responsible for the incident maintaining that they failed to check the presence of outsiders on the campus.

The demonstration continued for nearly one hour during which the activists shouted slogans against the university authorities and demanded adequate security for students. Thereafter, DSW Prof NK Tripathi pacified the agitators and assured them of an investigation into the incident.

Earlier, the NSF state president lodged a written complaint with the DSW office stating that he was attacked last evening on the university campus and urged him to lodge an FIR in this regard with the police.