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Rebels step up campaign against Health Minister
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DEMAND FOR NEW VARSITY CAMPUS BUILDING
Mendhar Youth’s Death
Heritage School celebrates Dharohar ’10
Hussain chief of NSUI unit of Kishtwar college
Saqib Hussain after being elected president of the NSUI unit of Government Degree College, Kishtwar, on Sunday. A Tribune photograph
Geelani calls for boycott of panchayat poll
Chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, meets delegates
at a seminar organised by the Tehreek-i-Hurriyat in Srinagar on Sunday. Photo: Amin War
No RTI information on investigations, says DGP
Youth’s Killing
Army celebrates Shantaram Day
Officers of the Tithwal Brigade pay homage to Second Lieutenant Shantaram at a war memorial close to the LoC in Laam sector on Sunday. Photo: Ravi Krishan Khajuria
Tension grips Gole Market area
Residents of Gandhi Nagar hold a demonstration against an anti-encroachment drive in Jammu on Sunday.
A Tribune photograph
Army donates medical equipment to Pallanwala PHC
Harshdev grants Rs 15 lakh for school science lab
Row over handout
Migrant women’s meet on Dec 26
Physiotherapists continue stir
Bangladesh national held near LoC
Lt-Gen Jaswal visits Valley
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Rebels step up campaign against Health Minister
Jammu, December 12 During the past week, dissidents who swear their allegiance to Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad have mounted pressure on the party leadership to take action against the minister for his controversial remarks, which, according to them, warranted strict action. Sham Lal belongs to the camp of the PCC chief, Saif-ud-Din Soz.So, the dissidents have been working overtime to ensure his exit from the state ministry. Soz has come out openly in support of Sham Lal and has clarified that the minister had not made any controversial remarks which required action. After getting information that a show-cause notice had been served on Sham Lal, a group of dissidents convened a meeting today to devise a strategy to intensify the campaign against him. “We will wait for some days as the high command has given seven days to Sham Lal to give a reply,” a senior dissident leader told The Tribune. He disclosed that some of the dissidents would visit New Delhi to impress upon the high command to take action against the minister and to hand over a CD of his controversial speech. Meanwhile, after getting the show- cause notice, Sham Lal has started a mass contact programme in his constituency to muster people’s support on issues raised by him. He visited different areas of the Akhnoor Assembly segment and interacted with a cross-section of society. Akhnoor is his native place. Sham Lal’s brother Madan Lal Sharma, who is a Congress Lok Sabha member from the Jammu-Poonch segment, has also come out openly in support of his brother.
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DEMAND FOR NEW VARSITY CAMPUS BUILDING Raju William Tribune News Service
Udhampur, December 12 The five striking students, including Aijaz Sumbria, the district unit president of the union, withdrew their strike after being assured by university campus rector Naresh Padha that their demand would be met. Gurvinderjit Singh, Assistant Commissioner (Revenue), Udhampur, offered juice to the striking students marking withdrawal of their strike. Padha said the construction work of the new building would start from December 21, 2010. The land for the purpose had already been acquired on the Garnai-Jakhani bypass. It had been decided that architects would reach the site on December 21 and kick start the work under their supervision. The students’ demand to have a campus building had been hanging fire for long. The Panthers Students’ Union, the frontal students’ organisation of the Panthers Party, had been spearheading the agitation in support of their demand. The students said in the absence of a campus building, which include hostel facility, students of Udhampur and adjoining areas had to face a lot of hardships in pursuing studies at the university. “Due to the official apathy, students mostly from remote hilly villages with poor financial backgrounds found it hard to pursue studies at the university,” said Sumbria. Amit Sharma, president, NSUI unit of the Government PG College, Udhampur, echoed the same views. He also led a delegation, which met MP Lal Singh in this regard. The authorities came under pressure after the striking students sat on a fast in front of the office of the Udhampur DC. The district administration tried to resolve the matter through negotiations but to no avail. The striking students insisted on calling off the strike only after getting assurance from the universities authorities. The administration approached the university authorities to intervene because students of other educational institutions came out in support of the striking students. They organised demonstration against the state government on the issue.
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Police seeks custody of two security personnel
Tribune News Service
Jammu, December 12 They belong to the BSF and the Engineering Regiment of the Army. It may be stated here that a complete bandh was observed in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district in protest against the alleged murder of Najeem Hussain, son of Nazeer Hussain, resident of Dharana village of Mendhar, on December 11. The youth, who allegedly used to get diesel from the security personnel, was found dead under mysterious circumstances on December 10. Talking to The Tribune over the phone, Poonch SSP Manmohan Singh said on the fateful day, Najeem Hussain had gone to a water pumping station where the two security personnel asked Najeem to put the fuel in a heavy duty generator set with a jerrican. “While putting the fuel in the generator set, his (Najeem’s) shawl stuck in its rotor and before the duo (the security personnel) could act, the strong rotor had broken his neck,” said the SSP. “We have recovered pieces of the shawl and ear tissues of the victim from the rotor,” he added. “But instead of informing the police about the incident, the panicked security personnel switched off the generator, removed bloodstains of the victim from the generator set, locked the room and then dumped Najeem’s body at a deserted place, around 100 metres away from the place of incident,” said the SSP. “Had they informed the police about the incident, they would have been given a clean chit, but since they destroyed the evidences in panic, a case under Section 304 RPC will be registered against them,” he added. Following the bandh and massive protests, the Poonch Police had registered an FIR against them under Section 302 RPC. “Though an accidental death, we have written letters to respective commanding officers of the security personnel seeking their custody for the purpose of questioning,” said the SSP. The death had triggered protests in Mendhar, as locals alleged security forces of killing him and disposing the body in the forest area.
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Heritage School celebrates Dharohar ’10
Jammu, December 12 Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla was the chief guest and Minister for Public Health, Engineering and Tourism Nasir Aslam Wani was the guest of honour on the occasion. Prizes were distributed among the achievers by the chief guest and the guest of honour for best book review, academic excellence, best performance in Class X and best all-rounder. Dignity House won the ‘Cock House Trophy’ for the current session, while the award for academic excellence was presented to Parul Thappa for securing CGPA 10 in Class X. The highlight of the programme was a mesmerising dance drama directed by theatre personality Balwant Thakur. Speaking on the occasion, the chief guest applauded the performance and lauded the efforts by the school management for promoting the cultural heritage of the state and thus living up to its name. While presenting the school report, principal BN Sarkar congratulated the artistes, teachers and students for their performance. He said the school would consistently endeavour to scale greater heights. Presenting the vote of thanks, chairperson Sunita Gupta assured all stakeholders that the management would always make an effort to impart quality education. |
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Hussain chief of NSUI unit of Kishtwar college
Udhampur, December 12 The Youth Congress leader, Sheikh Nasir,advocate, who was the chief guest, announced the result while the Kishtwar district unit president, Yasir Rashid, was the presiding officer. Sheikh Nasir congratulated the new president and hailed the peaceful manner in which the candidates conducted the campaign as well as the polling process. Appreciating the decision taken by the district unit to conduct the election, he said this should be a good training for students to learn finer points of contesting elections. Besides ensuring internal democracy, such elections should go a long way in strengthening the students’ belief in the value of democratic institutions, he said, advising the district unit of the NSUI to repeat the same process in other educational institutions. The newly elected president thanked all members of the college unit and assured that he would try to come up to their expectations. A victory procession was taken out by his supporters on the college premises.
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Geelani calls for boycott of panchayat poll
Srinagar, December 12 He said people in the Valley wanted “freedom from the clutches of India and not the Panchayati Raj here”.
He said the five-month-long agitation in the Valley had produced more fruits than expected and thanked the people for their support. Geelani said the five-point formula suggested by him was the only way to bring peace to the Valley. Terming the ‘vexed Kashmir issue’ as the ‘mother of all problems’ between India and Pakistan, Geelani said no issue between the two countries could be resolved unless and until the issue was not resolved. “The issue of Sir Creek, Siachen and water dispute cannot be resolved until both countries resolve the Kashmir issue,” Geelani said. He said India was not showing seriousness in resolving the issue and used ‘brutal force’ to silent the aspirations of the people of the region who wanted freedom. He said while a number of Indians were living below the line of poverty, the country was spending huge amount of its budget to maintain its “occupation” over Kashmir.
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No RTI information on investigations, says DGP
Jammu, December 12 Speaking to The Tribune on the sidelines of a function yesterday, DGP Kuldeep Khoda said providing such information could heldp the accused due to which the department generally discouraged such applications. The police had figured poorly in response to the applications put under the RTI Act. Generally,RTI activists were advised not to be “too adventurous” while seeking information from cops, while the activists say these applications either get no response or information is denied on security grounds. Notably, a youth, who was not recruited by the police, sought details of the reasons and a video film of the physical tests. He was denied the information. Then, a journalist had sought details of the police welfare funds and how they were used. He has got no response till date. The DGP said he would look into specific complaints which RTI activists would bring to his notice. “The RTI applicants should not seek information on investigation or other details which can compromise security or affect the outcome of a case, but they are welcome on seeking information regarding the crime data and figures, or anything else which does not compromise security issues,” he added. |
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Human rights panel directs govt to order probe
Srinagar, December 12 Indicating that Ghulam Hassan Mir was killed in a staged encounter, SHRC member Abdul Rashid Khan directed the Chief Secretary to conduct a magisterial enquiry into the incident to ascertain the facts about the circumstances in which the youth was killed. Mir, a resident of the Akhal area in Ganderbal district, went missing from the Uparsh area of the district, where he had gone to see his sister on April 29, 2005. His body was handed over to his family on May 1, 2005, as the police in Anantnag district had claimed that he was killed in an encounter in the Pahalgam area a day earlier. His mother, Khalija, filed a petition before the SHRC, which sought reports from the SSP Anantnag, the SP,Ganderbal, and the DG,CID, about the antecedents of Mir. — PTI
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Army celebrates Shantaram Day
Jammu, December 12 This was one of the major successes of the Army during the 1971 war in the Nowshera sector. In this operation, second Lieutenant Shantaram of the 4/9 Gorkha Rifles with undue care to his personal safety led his troops to victory while sacrificing his life. The Pak post of Sukhabanan was then renamed as
Shantaram. To celebrate the occasion, a havan and wreath- laying ceremony were held at Shantaram post and at the memorial at Lam base. Brig AK
Bhatt, Commander, Tithwal Brigade, who belongs to the same battalion, and 11 members of the 4/9 Gorkha Regiment attended the ceremony. Commander Tithwal Brigade also met and felicitated the locals who had assisted the Army during the operation.
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Tension grips Gole Market area
Jammu, December 12 After the news spread like wildfire, shopkeepers in the Gole Market downed their shutters and staged a noisy protest demonstration against the alleged damage to the religious place by the anti-encroachment team of the JDA. The shopkeepers staged a sit-in on the road, thereby, bringing traffic movement to an abrupt halt. To pacify the protesters, SHO Gandhi Nagar Rafiq Manhas rushed to the spot but his efforts went in vain. Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla also rushed to the spot and ordered an inquiry into the incident. Bhalla also directed the authorities concerned to restore the structure. Following his intervention, the shopkeepers resumed their work.
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Army donates medical equipment to Pallanwala PHC
Jammu, December 12 So far, villagers were forced to travel to Akhnoor and Jammu for medical treatment due to constraints of non-availability of specialist medical equipment at the PHC. The equipment was presented to the civil administration at a ceremony attended by Deputy Commander, Pallanwala Brigade, and Block Medical Officer JP Singh. Naib Tehsildar Khour, a large section of local population and Army personnel, too, were present. Addressing the gathering, senior Army officers reiterated the untiring commitment of the men in uniform to the development of the border areas under Operation Sadbhavana.
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Harshdev grants Rs 15 lakh for school science lab
Udhampur, December 12 The MLA appreciated the school management for organising the function in a colourful manner. On the occasion, the area people invited put forth their demands, including regular power supply, shortage of staff in various educational institutions in other areas of Ramnagar, medical sub-centre at Chowki, smooth functioning of the Chowki to Katwalat road for vehicular traffic, and tractor road from Chowki to Lanka. Singh assured them of taking up all these issues with the authorities of the departments concerned.
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Northern Command PRO shifted
Jammu, December 12 PRO, Ministry of Defence, Northern Command, Lt-Col P Kochhar, has been transferred and Col S Kalia has been posted in his place with immediate effect, defence sources said. — PTI
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Migrant women’s meet on Dec 26
Jammu, December 12 According to a statement issued here, the members of the Kashmira Vahini held a meeting to take stock of the preparations for the event. The meeting was presided over by programme coordinator of the conference Sudesha Kaul. Delegates from Hyderabad, NCR, Bangalore, Varanasi, Nagpur, Jaipur, Pune and Chandigarh have confirmed their participation in the said event. It was decided at the meeting that eight papers on the socio-cultural aspects would be presented by leading women scholars at the conference. |
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Physiotherapists continue stir
Jammu, December 12 They raised slogans in favour of their demands, including jobs, state council and opening of physiotherapy units at each primary health centre. Former MLC Abdul Rehem Tukru and former MLC and state secretary of CPI comrade Kamal Dev visited the dharna site and extended their support to them. Addressing doctors, they said their party was with them and showed the copy of a letter from AB Bandhan, general secretary, CPI, written to CM Omar Abdullah advocating for their demands.
— TNS |
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Bangladesh national held near LoC
Jammu, December 12 Official sources said BSF jawans spotted a person roaming under suspicious circumstances near the international border in the Katli border area of Samba district. He was immediately taken into custody. During questioning, he revealed his identity as Rehman of Mirpur district in Bangladesh and confessed that he was trying to
enter Pakistan. The BSF also recovered some Indian and Bangladeshi currency from his possession.
— TNS |
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Lt-Gen Jaswal visits Valley
Srinagar, December 12 He was received by Lt-Gen SA Hasnain, GOC of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Army. The Army Commander interacted with senior officers and was given an update regarding the prevailing security situation. The GOC took the opportunity to release a Coffee Table Book,titled “Shri Amarnath shrine Yatra”, compiled and published by the CIF (K), and dedicated it to the people of Kashmir and all security forces.
— TNS |
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Saqib Hussain was today elected president of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) unit of Government Degree College (GDC), Kishtwar, for which election was held for the first time at Multipurpose Community Hall, Kishtwar. He defeated his nearest rival, Aftab Siddiqui, by securing 127 votes. In a triangular contest, two other candidates, Siddiqui and Rattan Lal, polled 121 and 70 votes, respectively.
state to boycott the upcoming panchayat elections in the state.
Geelani, while addressing a conference organised here, said: “Brazen human rights violations have been going on in Kashmir for the past over 60 years and the Indian Army has been committing atrocities on the people of Kashmir. We urge them to boycott the upcoming panchayat elections in the state.”
The Tithwal Brigade today celebrated Shantaram Day with a wreath-laying ceremony at a war memorial close to the LoC in the Laam sector of Rajouri district.
On this day in 1971 during the Indo-Pak war, a vital post of the enemy named “Sukhabanan” was captured by the Indian soldiers of the 4/9 Gorkha Rifles
(Chindits Battalion).
Jammu, December 12
