The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Curfew reimposed in Rajouri Over 30 persons, including seven policemen, injured in clashes Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, March 15 More than 25 persons and seven policemen were injured today when the police resorted to lathi-charge, tear-gas shelling and firing in the air to disperse a procession of the minority community in the communally sensitive town of Rajouri. Consequently, the authorities reimposed curfew in the municipal limits of the border town. “After some people, in violation of the prohibitory orders, tried to take out a protest march and hurled stones at the police in which seven cops and a scribe of a local news channel were injured, the curfew was reimposed in the town,” the SSP, Rajouri district, Vijay Kumar Samyal, told The Tribune over phone. He said one of the three seriously injured policemen identified as Head Constable Chaman Lal had to be evacuated to Jammu for specialised treatment. The injured scribe has been identified as Amit Kumar of JK Channel. However, the Rajouri Deputy Commissioner, Ghulam Ahmed Khwaja, said the situation was “under control”. Trouble erupted around 11 am when around 500 members, including 100 women activists, of the Sanatan Dharam Sabha, in violation of the prohibitory orders, tried to take out a march demanding the arrest of those responsible for throwing stones on the religious processions of the minority community on March 7 and 8. “Following clashes, curfew was reimposed in the town around 1.30 pm. At least 25 protesters, including 10 women, and seven cops were injured in the clashes between the police and activists of the Sanatan Dharam Sabha,” said a local. After some mischievous elements in the procession allegedly hurled stones at policemen, the police fired 40 smoke shells, seven rounds in the air and also lathi-charged the protesters. The situation was tense, he added. Out of the 15 accused of throwing stones at the religious processions on March 7 and 8, one of them identified as Shafqat Wani has surrendered before the police, he claimed. To take stock of the situation, the IGP, Jammu zone, Dilbagh Singh, and the Jammu Divisional Commissioner, Pawan Kotwal, have rushed to the town. The Rajouri president of the Sanatan Dharam Sabha, Dinesh Sharma, claimed that the minority community had wanted to take out a peaceful march against the “discriminatory attitude of the district administration and atrocities by the local police”. The members of the minority community were raising slogans against the district administration but all of a sudden police, without any provocation, resorted to the lathi-charge. They didn’t even spare women and children, he alleged. Meanwhile, the police today arrested the chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and former militant Yasin Malik and his associates near the Banihal tunnel on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. Malik was on his way to Rajouri. The police had yesterday arrested at least 17 activists of the Sanatan Dharam Sabha, including a veteran BJP leader, for defying the prohibitory orders. They were released on bail around 10.30 last night. BJP stages walkout over lathicharge Tribune News Service Jammu, March 15 The simmering tension in Rajouri on Thursday reached the Assembly with the BJP and Panthers Party legislators creating an uproar in the House. They demanded that the government should take necessary steps to restore peace in the town. The BJP legislators also staged a walkout from the House in protest against the police lathi-charge on the people demanding arrest of those responsible for throwing stones on a religious procession in the town on March 8. As soon as day’s proceedings started in the House, the Panthers Party legislators lodged a protest against the alleged “illegal confinement” of Panthers Party leaders in Sunderbani after they were not allowed to enter Rajouri town. “It is highly unfortunate that the Panthers Party leaders were not allowed to enter Rajouri town who were on their way to initiate a dialogue with all sections of society for restoring peace in the town,” the agitating legislators said. BJP legislator Ashok Khajuria took on the government over the “brutal” police lathi-charge on “women and children” of a particular community in the town and demanded that the government should file a reply in the House.
	J&K needs stable govt at Centre: PDP chief Says UPA-II presiding over a system of corruption Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, March 15 A day after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took a dig at Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti today said the UPA-II was being seen as “presiding over a system of corruption” and Mamata couldn’t be blamed for raking up “pro-poor” issues. “Unfortunately, the UPA-II government is being seen as presiding over a system of corruption that has taken the sheen off its leadership. Every partner and every ally is trying to give priority to their own agendas. Mamata’s agenda is pro-people and you can’t blame her for highlighting the pro-people issues,” Mehbooba said. The PDP chief, while fielding media queries outside the Assembly here, lashed out at the Congress. She alleged that after so many scams and scandals, the Congress-led UPA government had lost the moral authority to govern. The PDP leader, however, refused to comment on Omar’s tweet, saying: “We should concentrate on corruption, especially in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association. I don’t take what Omar Abdullah tweets very seriously.” Omar Abdullah, in a clear reference to Mehbooba Mufti, had yesterday tweeted: “The PM has his 'M' and I have mine. The only difference is that I know what to expect from my 'M'.” While congratulating the youngest Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, Mehbooba obliquely made a scathing attack on Omar Abdullah. “He (Akhilesh) has come from the grass-roots level and I don’t think that he has been imposed on the people unlike what has happened in other cases.” Omar became the youngest Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in 2009. On speculations about the coming of the third front at the national level, Mehbooba remarked: “We (J&K) need a stable and strong government at the Centre which can take bold and great initiatives, like those taken by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-headed government.” “The need of the hour is a very strong and stable government at the Centre which can not only give governance to the whole country but also address the people of states like Jammu and Kashmir,” she said. Mehbooba challenges privilege motion Jammu: In a letter written to the J-K Assembly secretariat, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday contested the allegations levelled against her and her party legislators for misleading the House in connection with the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) scam. The PDP chief has challenged the privilege motion notice and asked Speaker of the Assembly Mohammad Akbar Lone not to take cognisance of the allegations levelled against her and her party members by the ruling party. Quoting extensively from parliamentary rules, Mehbooba told the Secretary of the J&K Legislative Assembly that while the party legislators hold the institution of the legislature in high esteem, the “treasury bench was creating hurdles in the discharge of its duties towards the people who had elected it”. She also requested the Speaker to use his authority to prevent the treasury bench from obstructing the performance of the PDP legislators from performing their constitutional duties. She reiterated the resolve of her party not to get intimidated. “We are determined to justify our mandate by upholding the dignity of the office of the honourable Speaker and the institution of this august House” Mehbooba said.
	Upper House NC, PDP lock horns over pastures in Kargil Varun Suthra Tribune News Service Jammu, March 15 The Upper House witnessed mayhem today, as the political archrivals PDP and the ruling National Conference entered into heated arguments over a query related to pastures in Kargil with the opposition members later staging a walkout. Argument began over the reply to PDP MLC Nizam-ud-Din Khatana’s query on declaration of pastures of Panikar, Shapat, Nallah and Rangdum in Kargil district as prohibited areas for grazing of animals belonging to nomads. Khatana and another PDP member Murtaza Ahmad showed their discontent over the reply made by Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Sagar that pastures were the proprietary land of Rangdum Gompa and managers of Gompa had obtained a decree in their favour from the District and Sessions Judge, Kargil. While the PDP members were arguing with Congress MLC Nurboo Gialchan and NC MLC Aga Syed Rizvi over the issue, NC MLC Devender Singh Rana objected to the conduct of Murtaza, saying it was unparliamentary and requested the Chairman to instruct him. Murtaza retorted to Rana’s remarks saying that he was not supposed to advise the Chairman. “Mr Rana is the adviser to the Chief Minister and not to the House so he should not have such an approach here,” said Murtaza. “I am a member of the House and have a right to put forward my requests and suggestions to the Chair,” said Rana. Chairman of the Legislative Council Amrit Malhora intervened by saying, “This is House please don’t make it a market.” Meanwhile, Sagar also reacted over Murtaza’s anti-government remarks and alleged that he was in a habit of creating ruckus over baseless issues. “You create nuisance all the time,” said Sagar. Murtaza replied, “You are in a habit of misleading the House with your deceptive replies. Your present reply reveals that you don’t know anything about judgments. Most of the NC members started shouting at the PDP MLA and asked the Chairman to pass him the necessary instructions. Agitating PDP MLCs walked into the well of the House and continued with their noisy protest against the government. Later they walked out of the House. Minister for Home Nasir Aslam Wani also joined the NC members and alleged that the PDP members have been setting a very wrong precedence. “The scenario has been worsening for the past few days as the opposition members do not hesitate in making derogatory remarks against ministers, who are senior NC leaders. I fear if the situation persists, most of us would even hesitate in entering into the House,” said Wani. “Members have every right to grill the government over various issues, but a particular party has set a trend to disrupt the business over trivial issues,” said Sagar without naming anyone. Finally, the Chairman of the Legislative Council said he could request the members on certain issues, but it would be undemocratic to dictate anything to them.
	Azad loyalists celebrate MLC Jugal’s victory Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, March 15 Detractors of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz, who owe their allegiance to Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, today displayed their strength by organising a massive rally in the city to felicitate the newly elected Member Legislative Council (MLC) Jugal Kishore Sharma. It is the first time after the appointment of Soz as the JKPCC chief that dissidents have organised any function at the party headquarters. The victory of Sharma for the lone MLC seat was certain, as no other candidate was in the fray. Dissidents had decided to show their strength on the day when he (Sharma) was formally declared elected. Today when Sharma had gone to get a certificate of elections, a large number of Congress workers gathered outside the Assembly to felicitate their leader. All dissident leaders had made it a point to ensure the presence of a maximum number of their supporters near the Assembly. Congress workers from different parts of the Jammu region had gathered outside the Assembly to felicitate Sharma. As soon as Sharma came out of the Assembly, a large number of supporters resorted to sloganeering. Interestingly, all supporters were shouting slogans in favour of Sonia Gandhi and Ghulam Nabi Azad. Amidst shouting of pro-Azad slogans, workers passed through different bazaars of the city before stopping at the Congress headquarters at Shidhi Chowk, where leaders praised Sonia Gandhi and Ghulam Nabi Azad for giving mandate to Sharma. As the function was held inside the party headquarters, dissidents availed of this opportunity to highlight the achievements of Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was the Chief Minister of the state from 2005 to 2008. No prominent leader from the Soz group except JKPCC spokesman Ravinder Sharma was present in meeting at the party headquarters. MLC mandate to Jugal Kishore Sharma is being considered a big victory for the pro-Azad faction in the state. Veteran leaders Mangat Ram Sharma and Bhupinder Singh Pathania were also in fray for the mandate, but ultimately Azad loyalist Jugal Kishore got the mandate.
	Sanitation drive launched in Reasi Our Correspondent Katra, March 15 Ahead of the summer season, the Municipal Committee, Reasi, yesterday launched a special 15-day long sanitation campaign in the city. On the first day of the drive, officials of the Municipal Committee urged residents of the city not to litter on streets and open spaces and maintain sanitation in the area. Residents were also informed that coolers, overhead tanks and other water containers such as discarded tins, tyres and pots should be overturned and cleaned regularly to prevent breeding of mosquitoes. Placards and banners were used in disseminating the message of proper sanitation to residents. They were also told about the do’s and don’ts for proper garbage disposal and preventive measures for the control of malaria and dengue. Forty additional safai karamcharis where deployed in small groups for sweeping of public places and open spaces to maintain the aesthetic look of the town. The safai karamcharis would work under the close supervision of the senior inspectorate staff of the Municipal Committee.
	Jammu-Mumbai express to chug off from March 19 Tribune News Service Jammu, March 15 To cater to a huge rush of passengers in the summer season in Jammu, the Railways will operate a new weekly train between Jammu and Mumbai from March 19. The Vivek Express will depart from Jammu on Monday at 9.30 am and will reach the Bandra station at 10:35 pm on Tuesday. It will depart from Mumbai at 12.05 pm on Saturday and reach Jammu at 1:15 pm on Monday. The summer season is the peak season for the Railways in Jammu, as the rush increases due to the Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage. The Jammu-Mumbai route remains crowded because of a few trains running on it. Vimal Kumar, Station Manager, Jammu Railway Station, informed The Tribune, “Most of the passengers visiting the Jammu railway station are Vaishno Devi pilgrims. The Railways has started the new train to provide relief to those who remain in the waiting list for a long time.”
	Pandit body ‘denied info’ on passports issued to separatists M Aamir Khan Srinagar, March 15 A Kashmiri Pandit (KP) organisation yesterday said it had been denied information under the RTI Act after it had sought details over the issuance of passports to separatists. The Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS) had filed an RTI application to the CID headquarters of the Jammu and Kashmir Police in January seeking information about the issuance of passports to separatist leaders like Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Nayeem Khan, Mohammad Abbass Ansari, Bilal Lone, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat and Syed Saleem Geelani. However, KPSS president Sanjay K Tickoo said they had been denied information by the CID headquarters. “We received a response from the CID headquarters vide letter no: CID/GB/RTI/2012/07/1423 dated: March 6, 2012, in which our request has been rejected and it is being claimed that this particular information does not fall within the ambit of Section 8 (a) of the Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act, 2009,” Tickoo said. Claiming that the information had been sought by the KPSS in the context of cases filed against these separatist leaders in various courts, he said: “As per our understanding, many of them have been denied passports in the past but somehow for the last few years some of them have succeeded in acquiring passports.”
	IAF airlifts 402 more passengers to Leh Our Correspondent Srinagar, March 15 The Kargil Courier Service, which was started in November last year by the Indian Air Force (IAF), has so far airlifted 2,781 stranded passengers from Srinagar and Jammu. “So far 2,781 stranded passengers of Kargil have been airlifted from Srinagar and Jammu to Kargil and Leh after the Kargil Courier Service was started on November 29,” said an official. “A total of 225 passengers were airlifted from Srinagar to Leh while 177 passengers were airlifted from Jammu to Leh in a special aircraft of the the IAF today,” the official added. Meanwhile, stranded passengers of Kargil at Srinagar, who have the air tickets of the Kargil Courier, have been asked to report at the Kargil House, Bemina, at 7 am tomorrow to airlift them to Leh.
	Folk fest for B.Ed colleges begins Tribune News Service Jammu, March 15 A two-day folk festival ‘Lok Rang’ for private B.Ed Colleges organised by the Department of Students Welfare, University of Jammu, commenced with folk dances at Rajinder Singh Auditorium here today. Prof RD Sharma, Dean, Academic Affairs, University of Jammu, was the Chief Guest on the occasion. He underlined the need to organise such programmes frequently. Dressed in traditional costumes, young dancers presented the Dogri folk dance ‘Jagarna’, Kashmiri ‘Rouf’, Gujarati ‘Dandia’, Marathi ‘Lavani’ and Punjabi ‘Gidda’ etc. The participating teams included the Bharatiya College of Education, Shivalik College of Education, Lal Bahadur College of Education, Rajiv Gandhi College of Education and Surya College of Education etc.
	Army holds health camp Tribune News Service Jammu, March 15 The Gurj Division of the Army organised a two-day medical camp in the remote Lohai Malhar Block of Billawar tehsil in Kathua district today. The camp provided medical aid and specialised treatment to about 2,500 patients, who had come from far-flung areas of Nathi, Barnota, Lohai and Malhar. Inaugurating the camp today, General Officer Commanding of the Gurj Division emphasised on the need to ensure good hygiene and cleanliness in villages, better medical facilities for children and women, sanitation facilities and an enhanced awareness among the community towards health care. The occasion also marked the culmination of vocational training courses for 2011-2012 conducted by the Gurj Division for the empowerment of women and unemployed youth of Bani and Billawar tehsil. Basic IT training was imparted to 220 youths and 220 women were trained in stitching skills during the training programme.
	TV artistes stage protest Our Correspondent Srinagar, March 15 Several television producers and veteran artistes of the Kashmir valley staged a protest against the Director, Doordarshan Kendra, Srinagar, here today. Under the banner of the Television Professionals United Forum (TPUF), the producers and artistes gathered at the Press Enclave demanding the ouster of Doordarshan Kendra Director Shammi Shair. “For the last one year, Shammi Shair has shut the door on artistes and producers and is only offering work to her kin. She should be dismissed immediately as we have also taken up the case with Prasar Bharati,” said veteran artiste Zameer Ashai of the “Mile Sur” fame. Another protesting producer said: “She should be replaced by a credible person who would restore the credibility of Doordarshan here because she is even refusing work to those producers who had kept Srinagar Kendra running when militancy was at its peak and when not many wanted to be associated with Doordarshan.”
	Over 33 lakh saplings to be planted in Valley Our Correspondent Srinagar, March 15 The state government aims at planting 33.70 lakh saplings across the Valley in the coming months. The plantation season begins in the Valley after the harsh winter. The government will also make available 14,000 chinar saplings free of cost for plantation. This was stated during a meeting of various departments to discuss the action plan for the plantation of saplings throughout the Valley. The meeting was chaired by Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Asgar Hassan Samoon recently. At least 33.70 lakh saplings — 11.70 lakh by the Social Forestry Department and 22 lakh by the Forest Department — will be planted during the drive. Around 36,000 saplings will be planted in the summer capital of the state. Besides, 14,000 chinar saplings will be made available by the Floriculture Department for free distribution. The Divisional Commissioner appreciated the efforts of the Forest Department in planting around 1,500 pine trees on the Nallahmar road in the old city. The meeting was attended by senior officials of the floriculture and social forestry departments besides those of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and the Pollution Control Board. The Divisional Commissioner directed the Director, Rural Development, to ensure that plantation was carried out on panchayat land under the MGNREGA scheme. The divisional administration has also urged the civil society and NGOs to take part in the plantation drive.
	Cash reward for chess prodigy Tribune News Service Jammu, March 15 Arushi Kotwal, a resident of Bhaderwah, who brought laurels to the country and the state by winning two gold medals in the under-7 age category of Asian School Chess Championship in both team and individual events, today received a cash reward from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here. A Class II student, Arushi participated in the under-7 girls category of Asian School Chess Championship held at Indira Gandhi Stadium, New Delhi, from December 6 to December 23, 2011. She hails from Chinta village of the Bhaderwah area in Doda district. To encourage the sports talent, the Chief Minister today gave Arushi a cheque of Rs 50,000 when she met him here. Congratulating her for bringing pride to the country and the state, Omar wished her success in all the spheres of life and sports.