|
|
|
|
|
Custodial Death of NC Worker
High Court stays new recruitment policy
BJP slams NC for not allowing public rallies
|
|
|
|
Eid-ul-Azha: Festive mood across Valley
Biannual Darbar Move defies logic, say experts
Much to the relief of people, Jammu bus stand decongested
‘BJP is exploiting people’s sentiments’
High-yielding rice variety developed
|
||||||||||||||
|
Custodial Death of NC Worker
Srinagar, November 6 The Jammu and Kashmir police had put Aizaz Malik, a 24-year-old youth from South Kashmir, under scanner after the cellphone records of Syed Yousuf, alias Haji Yousuf, showed that the two were in touch on a regular basis, official sources said here today. After questioning, Aizaz decided to record the confessional statement before a Magistrate in South Kashmir during which he said that he had been mimicking many politicians, especially Farooq Abdullah, allegedly at the insistence of Yousuf. In his two-page confessional statement, recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the youth claimed that Yousuf used to pay him Rs 2,000 for doing mimicry over phone which used to help Yousuf convince people who had paid him for getting a ministerial berth or nomination to the Legislative Council or to get any other governmental work done. His mimicry was also recorded by the court which forms a part of the evidence, the sources said, adding that he had been receiving threats from some groups against deposing before the court. Another person, who happens to be an eyewitness in the case, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat of Ganderbal had also recorded his confessional statement before Chief Judicial Magistrate (Ganderbal) Javed Alam. Bhat, a resident of Ganderbal, 30 km from here, was among the three present at the residence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on September 29, when Syed Yousuf was handed over to the Crime Branch after he admitted that he had duped him and another person named Salam Reshi by taking more than Rs 1 crore against a promise of a ministerial berth or membership in the Legislative Council. In his statement, Bhat, who has kept himself away from the media glare since the mysterious death of Yousuf during police custody, recalled that he had gone to Jammu where he had met the deceased. “I had gone to Jammu in February this year where I had met Syed Yousuf and he had asked me the reason for my visit. I told him the Legislative Council elections were being held and I wanted to becoming an MLC," Bhat said in his four-page confessional statement, also recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC. Bhat claimed that Syed Yousuf had told him that he would have to make a payment of around Rs 70 lakh for the same which would be counted as party fund. The eyewitness gave a detailed account of names of his relatives from whom he had borrowed Rs 70 lakh to give it to Syed Yousuf. “In June, Syed Yousuf raised a fresh demand of Rs 15 lakh which again I borrowed from my relative Manzoor Ahmed,” he said. Bhat said that in July he had started demanding his money back from Syed Yousuf as his work had not been done and the deceased had started avoiding him. “One day when I visited his home along with my relation Manzoor Ahmed and demanded my money. He (Syed Yousuf) picked up his phone and told me that he was talking to Dr Farooq Abdullah and also kept the speaker phone on. He told the person on the other side of the phone that Yousuf Ganderbali had come here and was asking why his work had not been done. The person on the other side told the deceased that the work would be done and I should wait. “However, Manzoor Ahmed (Bhat's relative) told the Syed Yousuf that the voice on the other side was not that of Farooq Abdullah,” he said, adding that tempers flared up after that and the deceased threatened him with dire consequences. “I went and told the entire story to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and he asked me to come to the residence at 3.30 pm.... When I reached the residence, I saw Salam Reshi also sitting there. After one hour, Syed Yousuf also came there," Bhat said. Ten minutes later the Chief Minister accompanied by Minister of State (Home) Nasir Sogami also came and Salam Reshi said that Syed Yousuf had also taken an amount of Rs 34 lakh from him and out of that he had returned Rs 30 lakh while Rs 4 lakh was still pending, he said. After hearing the allegation, Omar expressed his displeasure and Syed Yousuf, in presence of Nasir, admitted to taking the money. The Chief Minister then said that crime had taken place and needed to be investigated, Bhat said.
— PTI fresh twist to case In his two-page confessional statement, recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, Aizaz Malik claimed that Syed Yousuf used to pay him Rs 2,000 for doing mimicry over phone, which used to help Yousuf convince people who had paid him for getting a ministerial berth or nomination to the Legislative Council.
|
|
High Court stays new recruitment policy
Kashmir/Jammu, November 6 Advocate Jahangir Ganie said Justice Hasnain Masoodi yesterday heard the writ petition filed by him on behalf of his client Ghulam Nabi Dar of Hazrtbal against the state. “Prima facie, the court observed that that the new job policy announced by the government exploits the human talent and as such put the orders on this direction by the government in abeyance,” advocate Jahangir said. Even as the High Court in Srinagar has stayed the implementation of the new recruitment policy for three weeks, the agitating students vowed to continue their protest till the state government revoked the “controversial” policy. Terming it an anti-youth policy, a number of student unions in Jammu region have decided to gherao the Secretariat on November 9, when the Darbar will open here after a gap of six months. “We welcome the move of the high court, but this is not the final decision. We demand that before the court pronounces its decision, the state government should revoke this policy in the larger interests of the youth of the state,” said Suresh Ajay Magotra, chairman of the Youth of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. “We have been fighting against this anti-youth policy for the last one week and will definitely go to the Secretariat on November 9, where we will show black flags to the ministers and MLAs of the ruling NC-Congress government. A number of student unions are supporting us for this purpose,” he added. The local unit of the ABVP has also expressed similar views. “The stay on the recruitment policy shows that it is anti-youth, anti-state and hence ill-directed,” ABVP leader Pawan Sharma said. “We are not going to budge from our stand till the government itself does not revoke this policy. The ‘Secretariat Chalo’ call still stands and we will go there on the first day of the Darbar opening to express our resentment against the
state government,” added Sharma. The youth wing of the National Panthers Party is also continuing their protest in all colleges and universities in the region. Pushpinder Manhas, leader of the youth wing of the National Panthers Party, said: “We will further intensify our agitation. For the past few days, our activists are staging protest demonstrations at various levels across the state and will continue with it till this policy gets revoked.”
|
|
BJP slams NC for not allowing public rallies
Jammu, November 6 How can Omar think of revoking AFSPA when public meetings are being denied for security reasons, wonder BJP leaders. Former state president of the party Nirmal Singh, who has been touring different parts of Jammu region in connection with the ongoing Jan Jagran Yatra, was not allowed to address a public meeting at Doda today due to security reasons. “It is ironical that on the one hand the government has been denying us permission to hold public rallies due to security threats but on the other hand the Chief Minister of the state has been vociferously demanding revocation of the AFSPA, claiming improvement in the security scenario,” Nirmal Singh told The Tribune after he was not allowed to address a public meeting. The BJP leader said the authorities were very much aware about the ongoing Jan Jagran Yatra of the party but at the eleventh hour, the organisers were told that they did not have the permission to hold public meetings due to security reasons. He said today’s episode had exposed the double standards of the coalition. Nirmal Singh said besides demanding revocation of the AFSPA, the state government was also seriously thinking of disbanding village defence committees (VDCs), citing improvement in the law and order situation in the state. He maintained that the demand for revoking the AFSPA was nothing but a political gimmick as the Chief Minister was aware that the situation was not yet normal in the state. Singh regretted that the present regime was behaving in a dictatorial manner and not allowing the Opposition to perform its role. “I fail to understand why this government is so paranoid about the BJP,” he said. Not only the BJP but even main opposition party PDP was denied permission to hold public rallies at Doda and Bhaderwah in September this year. Following the denial of permission, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti held a meeting at the Bhaderwah guest house on September 16. The BJP has taken out the Jan Jagran Yatra from four different parts in Jammu region. After covering remotest areas of Kishtwar, the BJP yatra reached Doda today but party leaders were not allowed to address public meetings due to “security threats”. |
|
Eid-ul-Azha: Festive mood across Valley
Srinagar, November 6 “This morning, more than Rs 13 crore was withdrawn and 36,000 transactions have been recorded,” the bank official said. The festive mood
has engulfed the Valley for the past few days as people flocked to bakeries
and confectioneries which are quickly running out of stock. Eid-ul-Azha or the festival of sacrifice is celebrated by Muslims across the world to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God, according to Islamic scriptures. In the summer capital, shoppers thronged commercial areas of Lal Chowk, Residency Road and Karan Nagar to buy essentials for the festival as passengers buses were diverted to avoid traffic jams. The state government has formed special market checking squads to ensure availability of essential supplies to consumers on fixed rates on the eve of
the festival. In north Kashmir's Kupwara district, market checking squads destroyed rotten food and imposed fines totalling Rs 15,550 on vendors found violating rules, an official spokesman said. The Animal Husbandry Department also set up seven sale booths in Srinagar city and 41 points were established in other districts for the sale of chicken. Director, Animal Husbandry, F A Kaloo said nearly 17 lakh poultry birds grown in local farms had been pumped into the market to meet the growing demand for the festival. Thousands of sheep and goats and a few camels have been bought by the people for the ritual of sacrifice during the festival.
— PTI governor extends greetings
Governor NN Vohra has greeted people on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. In his message, the Governor hoped that this festival would strengthen bonds of communal harmony, brotherhood, amity, tranquility and the glorious pluralistic ethos for which Jammu and Kashmir has been known for centuries. He prayed for peace, progress and prosperity in the state. |
|
Biannual Darbar Move defies logic, say experts
Jammu, November 6 Apart from causing huge public funds expenditure, the move holds up work for over three weeks as the government remains in transit during the period. When Maharaja Gulab Singh started the move in 1872, the Internet facility was yet to come about, nor did he have modes of fast transport at his disposal. Equipment to control ambient temperature was not in place either. Experts from various fields are of the opinion that the move should be scrapped with immediate effect. Prof Baljit Singh from department of political science, Jammu University, feels it is an illegal exercise. “The monarchy started the exercise. There is no constitutional validity of the exercise, which is not required. The government can easily have separate headquarters in Jammu and Srinagar. I think they just play to regional sentiments by shifting the Darbar every six months.” Dr Jaspal Singh from dept of distance education of the university finds it astonishing that in this age of modern technology, the practice is still followed. “Kings did not have the facility to transfer files via the Internet or to travel in a few hours between places, and ACs or good heaters. Now, one can easily communicate fast through phones, internet or Fax. Still, so much time and money is wasted,” he rues. Economist Dr Deepanker Sengupta feels the move is merely a political necessity and a burden on the state’s finances. “The state is dependent on the Centre for funds and still enjoys the luxury of moving the state capital twice a year. This is also because of the over-centralized system of governance. The state is a far cry from providing the people governance at their doorstep,” he says. Another economist
Dr Parkash Anthal, also from Jammu University’s department of economics, argues that the state
government has no commitment to effecting control of expenditure. “The Darbar Move is just one of the exercises causing financial burden. Over the years, successive governments in the state have failed to introduce proper austerity measures. Further, there is no justification for taking the records of Jammu division to Srinagar and vice versa. The records of Jammu and Srinagar should be kept at the places concerned,” he says. |
|
Much to the relief of people, Jammu bus stand decongested
Jammu, November 6 The decision has been welcomed by the Action Committee, General Bus Stand, Jammu. The government decision to shift idle buses from the bus stand and ordering their parking at the newly constructed yard at Khanpur will remove congestion and traffic jams on the busy BC road, Jewel Chowk and Tawi Bridge. “It will also provide ample space for buses entering and leaving the Jammu bus stand,” the committee has observed. A meeting of the committee held here yesterday under the chairmanship of its convener Inderjeet Khajuria demanded strict enforcement of the rule that no idle bus should be allowed to remain parked in the bus stand. “Further, buses of all routes should pick up and drop passengers only at the bus stand. Picking up passengers and dropping them on the BC road, along Jewel Chowk and Rehari road should be strictly prohibited and the violators be heavily penalised,” said Khajuria. This would ensure hassle-free traffic movement, he added. The committee has also demanded speedy completion of the project of modernisation of the General Bus Stand making it multi-storey complex with provision for parking of over 1,000 small vehicles, shopping complex and runway for the buses. |
|
|
‘BJP is exploiting people’s sentiments’
Jammu, November 6 Addressing a public meeting at village Gharana in Suchetgarh assembly, Gharu Ram reminded the gathering that people had voted for the BJP in the last Assembly elections with the hope that the party would fulfil its promises of protecting interests of Jammu region. “What to talk of protecting interests of the people of Jammu region, BJP
leaders have brazenly sold themselves in exchange for huge financial transactions,” he
said while pointing towards the infamous April 13 cross-voting episode in which seven out of a total of 11 MLAs had cross-voted in favour of National Conference (NC) and
the Congress. Lambasting BJP for cheating people of Jammu region, he said it was a
historical fact that the BJP had always betrayed people in one way or another. “The one and only agenda of BJP is to rake up emotive issues to exploit sentiments of the people for political gains,” Gharu Ram said and cautioned the people against designs of the saffron party. |
|
|
High-yielding rice variety developed
Jammu, November 6 According to officials of the State Agriculture Ministry, the variety has a high yield potential of 5 tonne per hectare. In addition, four other high-yielding rice varieties developed by SKUAST are in the pre-release stage. According to a report of the Ministry of Agriculture, four high-yielding rice varieties - SKAU-382, SKAU-341, SKAU-292 and SKAU-403 - with a yield potential of 9.0, 9.5, 9.0 and 8.5 tonne per hectare respectively, are in pre-release stages. These have been tested and evaluated in farmers’ fields in collaboration
with the Department of Agriculture, Kashmir and experimental farms of SKUAST. Rice is a major kharif crop of the Kashmir Valley, covering an area of about 1.45 lakh hectare. Pusa Sughand-3, an aromatic and basmati type rice variety developed by SKUAST, has already
been introduced in the Valley, it said, adding that the aromatic rice variety has a yield potential of 50 quintal per hectare.
— PTI |
|
|
Doda accident: Two more bodies recovered
Udhampur, November 6 At the time the operation was called off this evening, two more bodies, identified as those of Swami Raj, 40, of village Bhadra and Mansoor Ahmed, 26, of village Changa Bhalesa in Doda district, had been fished out. Swami Raj was the conductor of the ill-fated vehicle. The accident had taken place yesterday when an overloaded Matador (JK 02 F 9028) plunged into the Chenab allegedly due to rash driving while it was heading towards Thathri from Pul Doda in Doda district. The district administration had yesterday requisitioned services of special divers of the Navy from Srinagar to supplement efforts of local divers. The district administration announced ex gratia aid of Rs 10,000 each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 2,000 each for the two injured. Doda ADC AR Natnoo said the administration would also prepare cases for sanction of
Rs 1 lakh each to kin of the deceased under Passenger Relief Fund. But the same would be initiated after completion of necessary formalities confirming the deaths. |
|
|
Reservation in private sector demanded
Jammu, November 6 Highlighting their demands, he said the confederation has been demanding enactment of the Reservation Act which was promised by the UPA-I in its Common Minimum Programme and was introduced in the Parliament but has been on the backburner till date. The confederation also demanded a ban on the contract system in government employment. |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
In a new twist to Syed Mohammad Yousuf Shah death case, a mimic artiste has claimed in his confessional statement that the deceased used to pay him Rs 2,000 for mimicking the voice of Union Minister Farooq Abdullah to win the trust of people who allegedly gave him money in return for getting a ministerial portfolio or any other government job.
