Jammu, October 21
Demanding a high-level probe into the “misappropriation of funds” sanctioned by the Centre for the economic growth of the state, the BJP today alleged that since 2001, a whopping amount of Rs 80,000 crore had been allotted to Jammu and Kashmir and a huge chunk of this amount was pocketed by a handful of people here.

“Very much like the financial irregularities in Commonwealth Games, funds sanctioned to the state since 2001 have been swindled and a large chunk misused by a section of influential people,” alleged Vijay Goel, National General Secretary of the BJP and a former Union Minister.

Goel, while addressing a press conference here today, said the swindling of funds was the main reason of the backwardness of this state.

“Just as we are demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the bungling of funds in CWG, there is a need for a similar inquiry in this matter to single out those who have swindled Central funds in the state,” Goel said.

The former Union Minister took the Congress to task for endorsing a controversial speech of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the Assembly in which he had challenged the accession of the state to India. “Omar Abdullah’s statement is highly irresponsible and provocative but what is more objectionable is that the Congress and the UPA government have not condemned the anti-India utterances by the Chief Minister,” he said.

Stressing on the need of formulating a permanent Kashmir policy to tackle this problem, Goel said all political parties must iron out their differences on this issue. He admitted that Kashmir was a political problem and it required a political solution.

Terming Omar Adbullah as a failed Chief Minister, the BJP leader said it was in the interest of the state as well as the country that he resigned due to his failure to tackle the situation.

“Now it is an open secret that Omar Abdullah has proved to be a failed Chief Minister, so he has been raking up such issues to divert people’s attention”, he said, adding, “Such a failed Chief Minister has no right to remain in power. It would be better if Omar Abdullah himself submits his resignation otherwise the people of the country will force him to do so”.

Taking a dig at the Chief Minister for giving confusing statements, he said, “Omar, who speaks one language in Delhi and an entirely different language in Kashmir, must understand that the merger of Jammu and Kashmir with India is a closed chapter”.

Akhnoor, October 21
The accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India was similar to that of other states at the time of Partition so there should be no controversy over the merger of the state with India. An MP and scion of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Karan Singh, said this while addressing a rally after unveiling a mural of his great grandfather at Jia Pota. Maharaja Ranjeet Singh had administered the “raj-tilak” on Maharaja Gulab Singh at the same place.

“Many people have been raising questions over the merger of the state with India. But as a matter of fact, there is no legal argument that can challenge the accession of the state to India,” he said. He added, “Any solution to the problem of the state should be acceptable to all three regions of the state.”

Though Karan Singh sympathised with the Kashmir residents, he stressed that the problems of the youth in Jammu and Ladakh provinces should not be undermined in anyway. “The anger is also simmering among the youth of Jammu. They also feel discriminated against and their feelings should not be undermined.”

He also stressed upon the conservation and preservation of the Dogra cultural heritage. Karan Singh also sought the status of national hero for his great grandfather Maharaja Gulab Singh as had been accorded to Maharana Pratap and Shivaji.

He said it was during the regime of Maharaja Ghulab Singh that the frontiers of the state were extended to China.

Jammu, October 21
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has prepared a detailed report on suspicious boxes found abandoned near the MLAs’ Hostel at Mahatma Budha Marg here on October 8.

However, a senior FSL officer said the identity of the substance found in the boxes would be disclosed only to senior police officers as it was a sensitive matter.

HS Bhagat, Deputy Director, FSL (Jammu), said: “Our experts have examined the samples of the suspicious substance and are ready to submit the report to the police in a day or two. An expert, who conducted the tests, has gone out of the city and as soon as he returns, we will submit this report to the police.”

He added, “The samples handed over to the laboratory were in the form of some sticks.” But, he refused to divulge the details.

The official said the police had handed over the samples to the FSL a few days ago.

With this development, it is hoped that the mystery of the connivance of some security personnel with miscreants regarding the recovery of the 10 boxes containing some greyish powder will be solved soon.

It is to be mentioned here that The Tribune had published a news report on October 13 that the FSL belied the police’s claims saying they had not yet received the samples as yet. Acting on this report, the police handed over the material to the FSL experts, although earlier it claimed that it had handed over the material to the FSL on the same day of recovery.

Soon after the recovery of the boxes, a senior police officer had said the role of some security officials was also under the scanner in this incident.

The official had added after getting the FSL report, the police would be able to name the security officers involved in this act.

However, no senior police officer is ready to divulge any detail about the investigations so far. Even the DIG, Jammu-Kathua range, Farooq Khan, who had claimed to be able to solve the matter within 36 hours after the recovery of this substance, has virtually failed to do so. 

Srinagar, October 21
Asserting that certain elements were making announcements to disturb peace, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the police and paramilitary forces engaged in the maintenance of law and order in the state had to face difficult times during the last four months.

Addressing a Police Martyrs Day function at Zewan, near here, today, the Chief Minister appreciated the patience exhibited by the police during the last about one month. He added that the difficult period was not yet over. “Your patience will be put to test time and again, but under all circumstances you have to exercise restraint and the highest degree of tolerance,” he added.

The Chief Minister said his government would render every support to the police in building a well-trained and well-equipped force capable of dealing both with militancy and the law and order situation with different but befitting approaches.

He lauded the role of the police in combating militancy and maintaining law and order, saying the past 20 years had been the years of challenge for the men in uniform.

“Focus on curbing militancy during these years has put the normal policing on the back burner,” he said. He emphasised the need for rejuvenating the basic unit of Station House Officer (SHO) to its prime importance.

Omar said the rapport the SHOs used to have with the public acted as a catalyst in maintaining law and order and restricting the activities of unscrupulous elements and mischief mongers.

The government was working on a plan to make the SHOs a key factor once again in the maintenance of peace, he added. He also highlighted the sacrifices made by the police in the state and elsewhere during the times of law and order situation and militancy.

DGP Kuldeep Khoda, speaking on the occasion, said during the period of militancy 5,251 police personnel were killed. “We are vigilant and determined to foil any act of terrorism with full capacity and capability,” he said. Measures had been put in place to train the policemen and equip them with modern weaponry, he added.

Khoda said over Rs 7.12 crore worth of relief had been given for the welfare of the affected families last year, besides paying Rs 1.50 crore as ex gratia, while 548 jobs were also provided to next of kin of the martyrs.

Jammu, October 21
The only son of his old parents and only brother of his three sisters, this braveheart died while fighting militants in Srinagar on October 4, 2006.

One of the 958 martyrs of the Jammu and Kashmir Police in the past two decades of militancy, the 27-year-old selection grade constable Randhir Singh, aka Jimmy, of Belicharana is survived by his old parents, three married sisters and wife Jaswinder Kour and four-year-old son Gurharman Singh.

Though the state government provided a job of Lab Assistant in a government school to his wife on compassionate grounds, tears welled up in Jaswinder’s eyes while she recalled the day when the news of her husband’s sacrifice came to her.

On the occasion of Police Martyrs’ Day, Jaswinder, however, reiterated her promise to her late husband -- to raise their son as a productive citizen of the country.

“My husband had told me about the risks involved in his job and in fact before we got married he had asked me to spurn the marriage proposal. Perhaps, he knew fully well the professional challenges,” Jaswinder told this correspondent on the sidelines of a function held here to commemorate the day.

On May 1, 2005, we got married and on October 4, 2006, Randhir bade adieu to this world while discharging his duties, she said in a choked voice.

“When my husband attained martyrdom, our son was just five months’ old and the news of his death shattered me completely. But I controlled myself because he had prepared me for the worst, said Jaswinder.

Though my husband always wanted to make our son a doctor, if Gurharman could not fulfil his wish then he, too, will opt for security forces like the Air Force or the police to serve the country, she added.

Randhir’s frail and old father, Joga Singh, who was sitting in a chair, could not speak much. The septuagenarian could only utter, “My name is Joga Singh and Jimmy was my only son.” Like Joga Singh, 75-year-old Gurdass Ram of Pahariala in Pallanwala also lost his 28-year-old son Shiv Nath to militancy.

My son sacrificed his life on December 27, 1999, when militants attacked the SOG quarters at Shergarhi in Srinagar. Shiv Nath was one of the eight children of Gurdass Ram.

After the death of Shiv Nath, the government provided a job in the Police Department to my another son Ranjit Kumar. But I want the Police Department to help me evict encroachers from a piece of land owned by me at my native village, he said. “I am a poor man and have a big family,” he reasoned.

Earlier, IG, Jammu zone, Ashok Kumar Gupta paid tributes to the officers and men who laid down their lives while combating 
militants.

“We are always ready to put our lives in the line of duty and we are prepared for the challenges ahead,” Gupta said. Referring to the martyrs, he said they gave their today for our better tomorrow.

The IG also paid respects to 14 CRPF personnel and 13 BSF troopers, who died while fighting ultras in joint operations with the state police.

Several senior police officers, former police officers and politicians also laid wreaths at the memorial as a mark of respect to the martyrs.

Jammu, October 21
With security forces upping the ante against militants, their number has come down to nearly 150 across the Jammu region.

“At least 147 ultras are still active in the Jammu region while security forces certainly have the upper hand,” Jammu zone IGP Ashok Gupta told reporters on the sidelines of Police Martyrs Day function here today.

Gupta said recent arrests and surrender by militants in erstwhile Doda district stood testimony to the fact that the security forces had mounted pressure on the militants across the Jammu region.

The IGP also added that in the past few years, the number of casualties among the militants had increased while the trend had come down when it came to security forces, including the police. He attributed the change to tactical and surgical operations.

Srinagar, October 21
Normal life was paralysed in the Kashmir valley today in response to a bandh call given by separatists, while the curfew was imposed on parts of Srinagar city and Baramulla district to prevent a protest march.

The curfew was imposed on different areas of Srinagar to prevent the march to Lal Chowk called by the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, spearheading the ongoing agitation against the series of killings.

Several areas falling under the police stations of Kothibagh, Maisuma, Kralakhud, Sadder, Shergarhi, Shaheed Gunj, Batamaloo, Safakadal, MR Gunj, Khanyar, Nowhatta and Rainawari here reeled under the curfew while a complete shutdown was observed in other areas.

In Baramulla district of north Kashmir,the curfew was imposed on the Sopore, Sangrama, Wattergam, Dangiwachcha and Ladoora areas. However, no restrictions were imposed on any other area of the Valley, the police here said.

The police and the CRPF were deployed in large numbers at different places to prevent any attempts to hold a march.

Barricades and wires blocked the main roads in different areas to prevent any such attempts.

No restrictions were, however, imposed on the movement of students and school buses in the wake of examinations being conducted by the State Board of School Education.

Educational institutions have been functioning normally for the past four weeks now after disruptions for nearly three months. The institutions are trying to overcome the losses and cover the incomplete syllabi and courses ahead of the annual examinations.

All shops and business establishments were closed and traffic was off the road. Private vehicles plied in several areas while there was a thin attendance in government offices and banks. 

Jammu, October 21
Former Education Minister and working chairman of the Panthers Party Harsh Dev Singh has called upon the government to make the Central University of Jammu functional at the earliest.

He said the official red tape and culpable apathy on the part of government was responsible for inordinate and unreasonable delay in the launch of the said university.

He regretted that out of the 15 Central universities sanctioned by the Union Government, it was only the Central University of Jammu which was being persistently ignored.

Addressing a press conference, Singh said inexplicable delay in the launch of the university had deprived thousands of students and scholars of the opportunity of pursuing research courses during the current year in a premier educational institution.

He warned that his party MLAs would hold dharna in New Delhi outside Parliament House in case any further delay was caused in the establishment of the university.

Singh said the most unfortunate aspect of the matter was the fact that the proposed site for the varsity campus included 3,000 kanals of forest land that had not even been acquired by the government.

He said the Forest Department had made a claim of Rs 16.27 crore as compensation for the forest land use, which had not been paid by the state government.

Jammu, October 21
Sarang Vaid, a student of the Department of Computer Science and IT, University of Jammu,yesterday clinched the first prize in an installation competition entitled ‘Save Earth’.

According to a statement issued here, an inter-collegiate/departmental installation competition was conducted by the Department of Students, Welfare, University of Jammu, under the ongoing “Display Your Talent” 2010-11.

The team from Government Women’s College, Parade, consisting of Preeti Sharma and Mehak Bakshi, who installed “Effects of Climate Change”, secured the second prize. The installation, “Need of Education” by Narinder Kumar and Rohit Kumar, from the Institute of Music and Fine Arts bagged the third prize. The certificates of merit were awarded to Kanwar Iqbal from Government Medical College and Neha Jamwal and Shifali Gupta, the team from The Business School, University of Jammu.