The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Resolution on Afzal Guru stalled in Assembly Ehsan Fazili & Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 28 A resolution seeking clemency for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was stalled in the state Assembly today after pandemonium broke out, leading to the adjournment of the House without any business being transacted. The private member’s resolution submitted by Independent MLA from Langate Sheikh Abdul Rashid now lapses and cannot come up in the current nine-day Assembly session, which ends next Tuesday. As the House assembled in the morning, the Congress legislators, mostly from the Jammu region, stood up and questioned the status of the BJP MLAs, who had been suspended from the party on the charge of cross-voting. Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone had maintained yesterday that as the matter was sub judice a status quo was being maintained in the House in this regard. As the Congress and BJP legislators clashed over the issue and nearly came to blows, fans and tables were overturned, while one legislator climbed onto the table of an official. They also stormed into the well of the House. The pandemonium led to two adjournments before the House was adjourned for the day. Expressing displeasure over the behaviour of the members, Assembly Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone said the House had been converted into a “fish market”. “The scene created by you here is giving the impression that this august House has been converted into a fish market,” Lone said. He added the conduct of the agitating legislators was “unfortunate”. “Very unfortunate. This is not proper, not fair. You are violating the sanctity of the House,” Lone said. The BJP legislators, supported by the Panthers Party MLAs, were demanding that the resolution be dropped from the listed business. The Congress MLAs were demanding the expulsion of the BJP MLAs, who had been suspended from the party on the charge of cross-voting in the Legislative Council elections on April 13. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said it was unfortunate that the House proceedings were disrupted. “We would have liked the business of the day to be taken up as per the norms,” he said. Asked about his party’s stand if the resolution had been taken up, Omar said, “We were told by party president Farooq Abdullah to vote according to our conscience, as it was a private member’s resolution.” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the “drama” in the Assembly was allegedly directed by the NC while the Congress and the BJP were its “actors”. Congress MLA Vikar Rasool climbed onto the table of the Secretary of the Assembly while shouting slogans against BJP legislators. Irked by the disruptions, Independent MLA Rashid also stormed into the well of the House and kicked fans and tables. Lone at one stage told the BJP MLAs that there was no harm if the resolution was discussed in the House. “There is no question of dropping it as it has already been admitted,” he added. Shouting slogans against the resolution, the BJP and Panthers Party MLAs said it was “anti-national” to discuss it as Afzal’s death sentence in the Parliament attack case had been upheld by the Supreme Court. PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beig said the clemency issue was first raised by the Chief Minister through his tweet about the Tamil Nadu Assembly, which had passed a resolution seeking clemency for the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. “After igniting the debate, he should have taken a stand,” he said. Rashid told reporters that the political parties were sabotaging the resolution in the Assembly at the behest of the Central government. “They (political parties) are sabotaging my resolution on Afzal Guru. They are doing it at the behest of New Delhi... All of them are involved, including the PDP, the members of which remained silent,” Rashid alleged. He said the decision to curtail the timing of the House from seven to five hours had been taken deliberately to ensure that the resolution was not taken up for discussion today. Even as the Speaker termed their behaviour in the House as undemocratic and against the ethics of parliamentary democracy, legislators of the BJP, the Panthers Party and the Jammu State Morcha (JSM) showed victory signs when the Assembly was adjourned for the day. “It is a victory of the nationalist forces of Jammu and Kashmir. We have declared that the tabling of such a controversial resolution will not be allowed and we have done it,” expelled BJP leader Chaman Lal Gupta told The Tribune. Another BJP MLA Jugal Kishore flayed the Congress for not making its stand clear on the issue. “Instead of opposing the tabling of the resolution, the Congress legislators were raking up an issue, which is purely an internal matter of the BJP,” he said. JSM legislator Ashwani Kumar said had the resolution being tabled in the House, it would have sent wrong signals throughout the country. “It is morale boosting for the nationalist forces as the move of the state government to table the resolution has been thwarted,” he said. Panthers Party leader Harsh Dev Singh also said the decision to allow the resolution in the business of the House was wrong.
	10 pilgrims hurt as bus overturns Tribune News Service Katra, September 28 At least 10 pilgrims on way to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine were injured when the bus they were travelling in overturned near Katra town around 10 am today. The bus was plying from the Jammu Tawi railway station to Katra. The police said all the injured passengers were first taken to the Government Hospital, Katra, and later shifted to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu. Dev Raj, a Traffic Inspector, who was present at the accident site, said, “The bus was not overloaded, but the driver lost control over it while negotiating a sharp curve and it overturned. There is no casualty so far. However, some passengers are severely injured.” He added the driver and the conductor of the bus fled after the accident. A case has been registered at Katra police station in this regard.
	Lt Khajuria, 2 SPOs die in Kupwara encounter Tribune News Service Jammu, September 28 While an encounter between militants and the security forces is still going on in a dense forest in the Kupwara sector of Kashmir, Lt Sushil Khajuria, along with two SPOs, sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Hailing from Sangwali village in the Ghagwal area of Samba district, 26-year-old Sushil Khajuria had joined the Army last year. A bachelor, Sushil was born on August 28, 1985, and was commissioned into the Army on March 20, 2010. He was attached with the 18 Grenadiers and was posted in the Kupwara sector. The last rites of the brave officer would be performed with full military honours tomorrow, said a defence spokesman. He added the officer’s body would be brought here on an Indian Airlines flight from Srinagar tomorrow morning. Giving details of the operation, the spokesman said following information regarding the presence of militants in the Miliyal forests in the Trehgam area of the Kupwara sector, a joint operation led by the Army was launched around 1:30 pm on September 26. The area is mountainous, densely forested, with steep cliffs and without habitation. The contact with the militants hiding in the caves in the mountains, which provided an excellent cover to them, was established. “In the ensuing encounter, five terrorists have been killed till now and their bodies are under observation. A heavy firing is still on. There is every possibility of a few more militants hiding in the area. On our side, we have casualties in the form of Lt Khajuria and two SPOs,” he said. The operation was still in progress, he added. The militants are said to be carrying heavy arms and a large amount of ammunition. They have positioned themselves at the top of the terrain, which gave them a vantage point, creating problems for the security forces.
	Navratra festival begins with religious fervour Archit Watts/TNS Katra, September 28 A large number of locals and pilgrims were seen dancing to the drum beats during the inauguration of the 16th navratra festival at the base camp of the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine here today. The Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Pawan Kotwal, along with a number of senior officials, inaugurated the festival. Cultural troupes from Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradhesh, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir gave impressive performances and the pilgrims were heard chanting “Jai Mata Di” and “Chalo Bulawa Aaya Hai Mata Ne Bulaya Hai”. “I am not much aware about the navratras, as I belong to to the Telugu community. It is a marvellous scene in the holy town. The performance of artistes, who have come here from different parts of the country, even made me dance,” said Angela Nastilia, who had come to pay obeisance at the cave shrine from Mauritius. Accompanied by her parents and a friend, Angela said, “We went up to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, but due to a huge rush of pilgrims we could not pay obeisance there. Still, we feel we are lucky, as we have come here during the navratras.” She appreciated the arrangements made by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) en route the 13-km track to the shrine. Besides Angela, several other pilgrims expressed similar views to The Tribune. “The arrangements made by the administration are beyond our expectations. We have never enjoyed this much before,” said Rajiv Sharma, a resident of Delhi. He added, “Earlier, we have planned a three-day trip, but now we will stay here for a longer period.” Sharma said not only the administration, but also hotel and restaurant owners were giving discounts to customers on the occasion. “We got two rooms in Hotel Continental at 20 per cent special discount,” he added. Meanwhile, nine girls dressed as Goddess led a procession, while the Divisional Commissioner, Additional CEO of the SMVDSB MK Bhandari, officials of the Tourism Department, representatives of the Cultural Association, Katra, followed them. The Dhoom Dhol Party from Madhya Pradesh, the Natti Troupe from Himachal Pradesh, the Om Parkash Dhol Party, the Traditional Dance Party of Biswa Nath, the Shridhar tableaux and three children dressed as devils were the key attractions of the procession.
	Delhi High Court blast NIA permitted to question Hizbul militant Ravi Krishnan Khajuria/TNS Jammu, September 28 With investigation into the Delhi High Court blast delicately poised, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) today sought permission from the Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Kishtwar, to question a Hizbul Mujahideen militant, at present lodged in the high security Kot Bhalwal prison on the outskirts of Jammu. Official sources said a team of the NIA today reached Kishtwar and sought permission from ADM, Kishtwar, RK Shivan to question Azhar Ali, a resident of Padder in Kishtwar district. They said Azhar, an Hizbul militant, was arrested by the security forces in 2009 and since then he had been lodged in the Kot Bhalwal jail here under the Public Safety Act (PSA). “The ADM has given permission to the NIA to question Azhar,” said the sources. Azhar had been held on the charges of supplying SIM cards to Hizbul militants and recruiting youths for the the terrorist organisation. A senior police officer said the NIA team had been camping in Kishtwar. On September 24, one of three arrested youths, Shariq Butt, a Class XI student, was released by the NIA. The three youths were arrested after the e-mail claiming responsibility for the Delhi blast was traced to the Global Internet Cyber Cafe in Kishtwar town.
	Jammu lawyers strike work against resolution on Afzal DS Chauhan Jammu, September 28 Lawyers observed a strike in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and lower courts here today and staged protests demanding the withdrawal of a resolution in the state Assembly seeking clemency for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Led by Jammu Bar Association president BS Salathia, lawyers protested at the High Court complex and observed a strike. They shouted slogans and asked the political parties to desist from playing politics over the issue. “Politicians should not interfere in the affairs of the judiciary,” Salathia told reporters here. Meanwhile, litigants had a harrowing time due to the strike. Salathia, while addressing the protesters, said a debate over a judicial verdict was a direct attack on the independence of the judiciary and the lawyers could not be mute spectators to it.
	Governor reviews development works in Kargil Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 28 Governor NN Vohra today reviewed the pace of the execution of various development works and welfare schemes, including various Centrally-sponsored schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) in Kargil district of the Ladakh region. During a day-long visit to Zanskar and Kargil, the Governor held a meeting with the members of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, the Deputy Commissioner and other district officers at the Circuit House at Baroo. The Governor enquired about the status of the restoration work and emphasised the need for according a time-bound attention to the execution of the road schemes and a sharp focus to developing agriculture and its allied sectors, particularly horticulture, beekeeping, poultry, fish farming, animal and sheep husbandry and forestry to generate added income and employment avenues for the people of the area. The Governor said in view of a relatively shorter working season, there was a need for stocking construction materials, besides foodgrains and medicines before the onset of the winter. He also called upon all public service cadres to put in sustained hard work to ensure the full utilisation of the budgetary resources and a cent per cent achievement of targets. Referring to the vast potential of the solar and wind energy in the area, the Governor said the projects must be implemented for deriving optimal benefits from the schemes launched for the purpose by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Earlier, on his arrival at the Army Helipad at Padum, Zanskar, he was given a traditional welcome by Punchok Tashi, Executive Councillor, Health, Tourism and Zanskar Affairs, LAHDC, Kargil; Hassan Khan, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kargil; the SDM, Zanskar, and other officers and political, social and religious leaders. The Governor drove to Sani, near Padum, and laid the foundation stone of the beautification work of the lake, which is estimated to be completed within four working seasons by the Zanskar Development Authority at a cost of about Rs 2 crore. The main components of the beautification work of the lake include the construction of a cafeteria, an approach road, public conveniences and parking facilities. A colourful cultural programme was also presented by the locals on the occasion.
	Artillery Regiment celebrates raising day Tribune News Service Jammu, September 28 The Artillery Regiment of the Army celebrated its 184th raising day in the garrison town of Udhampur today. The raising day, which is also known as Gunners Day, is observed on September 28 to mark the raising of the first Indian artillery unit, 5 (Bombay) Mountain Battery, on this day in 1827. On the occasion, GOC-in-C of the Northern Command, Lt-Gen KT Parnaik praised the professional standards and ethos of the Gunners and called upon the artillery units deployed in Jammu and Kashmir to reach the high standards of excellence and continue to contribute towards peace and stability in the region. Ever since the concept of destroying the enemy’s war machine from a standoff distance evolved in warfare, the artillery has been a major battle-winning arm and its importance continues in the modern-day battlefield. The Artillery Regiment has been part of all the wars that India has fought since Independence and the Gunners have proved their mettle by their professional acumen and dedication. The victory of the Army in the Kargil war in 1999 demonstrated the fire power of the artillery, which proved to be a major war-winning factor. The Gunners have always been known for their professional excellence and the exacting standards. The Gunners are also actively undertaking the counter insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and have made an immense contribution to ensuring peace in the region. Maj-Gen NP Gadkari, Artillery, Northern Command, called upon all the Gunners to rededicate themselves to uphold the ethos and spirit enshrined in the motto of the Artillery Regiment, “Sarvatra Izzat-O-Iqbal”.
	Rs 2.35 crore relief for family of chopper crash victims Tribune News Service Srinagar, September 28 The Jammu and Kashmir State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has awarded damages to the tune of Rs 2.35 crore to the legal heirs of two Amarnath pilgrims killed in the crash of a state-owned helicopter in 2003. A Bench of the commission headed by Justice GD Sharma (retd) and member Shabnum Munshi on Monday last directed the state government and a private travel agency to pay the damages to the legal heirs of Vineet Kedia and his wife, who were killed in the helicopter crash on August 5, 2003. Besides the Kedia couple, pilot Group Captain JS Kehlon and two other Amarnath pilgrims were also killed and the state-owned Bell 407 helicopter was completely damaged in the crash. Kehlon was also the Civil Aviation Commissioner of the state government. The complaint was filed before the commission by RK Jajodia, maternal grandfather of two minor sons of the Kedias. “The award is made against the state government, the Civil Aviation Department of the state government and M/S Nidesh Tours and Travels, which was engaged unauthorisedly as the booking agent for the chopper sorties by the deceased pilot in his capacity as the Civil Aviation Commissioner,” the commission said in the order. In case of non-payment of the award amount within two months, interest shall be chargeable at the rate of 6 per cent per annum till the liability is liquidated. The commission also directed the Chief Secretary to constitute a committee of experts to enquire into the crash and submit a report to the commission within four months. It also asked the committee thus formed to submit recommendations for suitable legal action against the delinquent functionaries within the “four corners of law”.