The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Another encounter in Kupwara leaves one militant dead 3 Army jawans, one policeman injured in gun battle Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 6 While the Army and the police are still carrying out a search operation in the Nowgam forests in north Kashmir where three militants were killed in a gun battle yesterday, another fierce encounter took place in the vicinity in which a militant was killed and three Army soldiers and one policeman were injured. Several residential houses were also damaged in the encounter in Bawan Rajwar village in Kupwara district that began on Thursday evening. “After specific information about the presence of three militants in Bawan village, a joint search operation was launched by the police and Army last evening. While the troops were cordoning off the village, the militants who were hiding opened fire in which an Army soldier and a policeman were injured. The fire was retaliated, triggering the encounter,” said the Superintendent of Police, Handwara, Choudhry Aslam. “Two more Army soldiers were injured during the encounter later.” Immediately after the encounter broke out, more reinforcement was rushed to the village. Aslam said the militants opened fire from the residential houses in the village. “The encounter ended at 9 am today and body of one militant has been recovered so far. Three houses were gutted and three partially damaged in the encounter. We are clearing the debris and the search operation is still on,” the SP said. The identity of the slain militant could not be established. The policeman who sustained serious injuries during the encounter in the Rajwar belt was immediately evacuated by an Army helicopter to 92 Base Hospital of the Army at Badami Bagh Cantonment. The Srinagar-based defence spokesperson, Lt Col J S Brar, said one AK rifle, one global positioning system, one map sheet and a large quantity of ammunition were recovered from the encounter site. The encounter in the Rajwar belt of Handwara is the second major encounter in the area in the last two days. On Thursday, three foreign militants were killed in Nowgam near the Line of Control.
	Centre’s weak policy on Kashmir will encourage separatism: Jaitley Says interlocutors’ report an attempt to appease separatist elements Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, July 6 Charging the Central government with adopting a weak and confusing policy on Kashmir, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley today said that report submitted by the three interlocutors appointed by the Union Government was nothing but an attempt to appease separatist elements of the Kashmir valley and to further weaken the state’s constitutional relations with India. Addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone of a new office of the state BJP, Jaitley warned that the weak policy would encourage separatist elements who had been exploiting gullible people of the Valley to accomplish their nefarious designs. “There is a need to strongly crush separatist tendency in the Valley because this ideology is responsible for the suffering of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, regretting that the Central government didn’t have a clear policy on Kashmir. “Earlier the Centre had appointed working groups to hold an interaction with a cross-section of society and later three interlocutors were appointed for a similar cause,” the BJP leader said, adding that the Centre was also interacting with separatists and other groups through “quiet diplomacy”. Jaitley said the report submitted by the three interlocutors was aimed at further weakening the political and constitutional relations of the state with the rest of the country. He observed that the interlocutors wanted to restore the pre-1953 position in the state which, according to him, was impossible. Jaitley also took strong exception to interlocutors mentioning Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PaK). “The interlocutors have tried to legitimise the illegal occupation of part of Kashmir by Pakistan,” he said, mentioning the 1994 resolution of Parliament in which it was made clear that PoK was part of India. Cautioning Centre against giving any further concession to Kashmir to appease separatists, the BJP leader argued that Article 370 of the Constitution was the real cause of all problems in the state because this provision has encouraged separatist tendency in the Valley. He said when this provision was implemented in Jammu and Kashmir, it was mentioned that this Article was a temporary provision. “People of the Valley are the worst sufferers due to Article 370 because unlike other parts of the country, investors are not investing in this state due to this provision,” he said. The BJP leader recalled the sacrifices of founder president of Jan Sangh Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, who had launched an agitation against the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. “It was all due to the sacrifices of Mukherjee that Jammu and Kashmir was integrated with India,” he said. Jaitley called upon party workers to spread the message of Mukherjee in every nook and corner of the country to fight separatism. National general secretary of the party JP Nadda and other senior leaders of the party also addressed the meeting.
	Jamaat sticks to dress code ‘appeal’, says it’s no diktat M Aamir Khan Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 6 Even as the politico-religious organisation Jamaat-e-Islami today said it stood by its previous statement urging tourists to dress “decently”, houseboat owners of the Kashmir valley have decided to display stickers urging visitors to adhere to a dress code. “We will be pasting stickers on houseboats telling tourists to respect local sentiments. I will also get in touch with hoteliers and tell them to do the same,” Houseboats Owners Association chairman Mohammad Aziz Tuman told The Tribune. However, he said they could not force tourists to dress in a “certain manner”. “We can only tell them but they cannot be forced in any way, which is bound to have a negative impact on the tourism industry,” Tuman said. The Jamaat on the other hand said it stood by its previous statement that was issued on Tuesday. The spokesman of the organisation, Zahid Ali, blamed the media for misconstruing its statement. “Without fearing any backlash or adverse publicity, the Jamaat sticks to its statement… but it was misconstrued by New Delhi-based electronic and print media. Neither did it contain any diktat nor any edict regarding any ‘dress code’ for tourists but simply an exhortation/ appeal to them to dress decently so that local ethos are respected and people’s sentiments not hurt. The tourism department responsible for proper guidance of the tourists was though impressed upon to explain to the tourists the local situation,” Ali said. Asserting that the Jamaat had suggested “no Islamic dress” to tourists, the spokesman said: “We have a right to preach and propagate Islam amongst the non-Muslim tourists also, not by issuing press statements but in its own prescribed mode.” Tuman, however, urged the Jamaat to first introspect and then issue such statements. “They should first concentrate on the social evils facing our society. Many local youth do not dress appropriately and there are other issues like drugs and alcoholism that should be dealt with first,” he said. Meanwhile, most of the tourists The Tribune spoke to said they were unaware of the controversy. When told about the matter, the Jamaat’s “exhortation” evoked mixed response. “Telling someone to dress in a decent manner is not wrong. In our culture too, we are told to dress decently,” said Maninder Kaur, a tourist from Patiala. However, another visitor differed, saying: “It is not good to dictate terms. Expressing an opinion is fine but it should not be forced.” Deal firmly with Jamaat: BJP Dinesh Manhotra/TNS Jammu: Although the mainstream as well as separatist groups have preferred to maintain a guarded silence over the dress code diktat issued by fundamentalist group Jamaat-e-Islami, the BJP on Friday asked the state government to tackle such forces in a firm manner. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, while interacting with mediapersons on the sidelines of a party function here, said there was a need to deal with such elements severely. "These are organisations which are always trying to create disruptive activities in the state. And therefore, it is for the state government to deal with them with a heavy hand," Jaitley said. Spokesman of the state unit of the BJP Jatinder Singh said such diktats should be discouraged and it was responsibility of the civil society to oppose such attempts. “It was the responsibility of the government to severely deal with such organisations.” The BJP also lambasted the Congress for not clearing its stand on the issue.
	Governor, CM discuss security Srinagar, July 6 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Governor N N Vohra and discussed various issues here today. The Governor and the Chief Minister discussed internal and external security as well as the socio-economic development of the state. They also discussed issues relating to effective coordination between all concerned government and private agencies for securing continuing upgradation of facilities for tourists and pilgrims in the state. Issues relating to strengthening of anti-corruption measures and improvement in the functioning of governmental machinery were also discussed. — TNS Radha Kumar calls on Governor Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 6 Prof Radha Kumar, who was one of the Centre’s interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir, called on Governor N N Vohra here this evening. During their meeting, the Governor and Radha Kumar discussed various issues relating to Jammu and Kashmir being developed as a frontline state in the country.
	Amarnath yatra death toll rises to 35 The latest victim, a native of Meerut in UP, died at Pissu Top near Chandanwari Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 6 As the annual Amarnath yatra entered twelfth day today, the number of pilgrims who died mainly due to cardiac arrests so far has gone up to 35. According to officials, one pilgrim Anant Bhatnagar who hailed from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh died at Pissu Top near Chandanwari today thus taking the toll to 35. Of the total deaths, 20 took place along Baltal-holy cave axis while 15 others died along the Pahalgam-holy cave axis, officials said. “Most of the deaths have taken place on the treacherous Sheshnag-Maha Gunas-Panjtarni stretch,” said Farooq Ahmad Shah, Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag. The Anantnag Deputy Commissioner, also the Yatra Officer for the traditional Pahalgam route, said there were eight medical camps along the route from the Srinagar-Jammu national highway upto the holy cave. These camps are functional at Qazigund, Mir Bazaar, Nunwan, Chandanwari, Pissu Top, Sheshnag, Panjtarni and the holy cave. There are several other health centres including a primary health centre at Pahalgam where specialists are also posted for the facility of the yatris. “The deaths are taking place due to the high altitude and lacking acclimatisation among the yatris coming from different parts of the country,” the DC said. Many yatris do not strictly adhere to the dos’ and don’ts issued by the Sri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) ever since the registration for the yatra began. Governor NN Vohra, who is also the Chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), had expressed a serious concern over the deaths the other day. The Governor has directed the SASB officials to further publicise the health advisory for the safety of the yatris. Those who intend to undertake the yatra have again advised to undergo a medical check-up and those having any medical or orthopedic problems should not undertake the pilgrimage. Meanwhile, the number of yatris who had darshan of the ice Lingam of Lord Shiva, has reached a mark of nearly 2.42 lakh by this afternoon, which is expected to cross the mark of 2.50 lakh by tomorrow. A total of 2.24 lakh pilgrims had darshan till Thursday. At least 17,500 pilgrims had darshan by 5 pm today. TREACHEROUS STRETCH n Most of the deaths have taken place on the treacherous Sheshnag-Maha Gunas-Panjtarni stretch n Of the total deaths, 20 took place along Baltal-holy cave axis while 15 others died along the Pahalgam-holy cave axis n Officials say that many yatris do not strictly adhere to the dos’ and don’ts issued by the Amarnath Shrine Board which is resulting in casualties
	Jehangir Chowk-Rambagh flyover work to begin in Nov Majid Jahangir/TNS Srinagar, July 6 With the bidding process for the Jehangir Chowk-Rambagh expressway project already under way, the Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency (JKERA) said the groundwork on the 2.41 km flyover would start in November this year. The upcoming flyover is expected to ease traffic snarls in Srinagar to a great extent and would also help in the long term traffic management in the city. “We have already floated tenders for the work and the last date for the submission of bids is in the last week of this month. The ground work on the expressway project would start in November,” said Muhmmad Azhar, Public Relations Officer, JKERA. Azhar said that JKERA has simultaneously undertaken a survey to shift various utilities along the working corridor of Jehangir Chowk-Rambagh flyover project as well. “The shifting of utilities would be done by various state departments and JKERA has already advanced an amount of Rs 13 crore to the concerned departments for the purpose,” he said. The much-awaited flyover project would be executed by JKERA and would be financed by Asian Development Bank (ADB) under Jammu Kashmir Urban Sector Development Programme. Nearly 90 structures which house over 300 shops, tin sheds and godowns, will be demolished before the construction work begins on the proposed flyover. “We are also focusing on the resettlement aspects and on making the corridor hassle-free before the work starts and activities like acquisition of land, structures, clearance of RoW (Right-of-Way), construction of rehabilitation complexes for affected shopkeepers have already been started,” Azhar said. The flyover at Jahangir Chowk was constructed in a record period of one year and thrown open on July 13, 2004. The terminal point of the proposed flyover would be at Rambagh crossing in the city. The residents have criticised the government for the delay in starting work on the flyover. “In 2009, the government had promised that the work on this flyover would start shortly. In May this year, J&K Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar said the work on the flyover had been started on the special instructions from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. But no construction work is visible on the ground,” said Shafat Ahmed, a retired Engineer. HIGHLIGHTS n Nearly 90 structures which house over 300 shops, tin sheds and godowns, will be demolished before the construction work begins on the proposed flyover n The upcoming flyover is expected to ease traffic snarls in Srinagar to a great extent and would also help in the long term traffic management in the city n The flyover at Jehangir Chowk was constructed in a record period of one year and thrown open on July 13, 2004
	Vaishno Devi pilgrim count crosses 5-m mark Devinder Thakur Katra, July 6 Over five million pilgrims from across the country visited the famous shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi nestled in Trikuta hills at a height of 5,500 ft above sea level in the first six months of this year. This was said by Senior Superintendent of Police (SS)P, Reasi, Raghuvir Singh, while outlining the steps taken by the authorities in making the pilgrimage a success. About 5.17 million pilgrims visited the shrine up to June this year as against 4.72 million during the corresponding period in 2011. “This indicates that the number of pilgrims this year is going to cross last year’s record of 10.1 million,” Singh added. He added that “handling such a number of pilgrims is a massive challenge.” On the other hand, the board has channelised water from the Pai nullah to the shrine to meet the needs of pilgrims,” Shrine board officials said. For the shrine board, who regulates the yatra, the biggest challenge is meeting water, electricity, boarding and lodging needs of pilgrims at Katra (the base camp), at the shrine and also en route.
	Jammu University’s God Particle connect A team of four physicists and two engineers from the varsity part of ALICE experiment Sonika Raina Tribune News Service Jammu, July 6 Amid the jubilation at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (also known as CERN) in Geneva for having spotted a sub-atomic particle ‘consistent’ with the 'God Particle', back home the physics department of the Jammu University had a special reason to cheer about the discovery. The Jammu University team led by Prof Anju Bhasin is part of the ALICE experiment being conducted by the CERN to look into the evolution of the universe. The team comprises four physicists and two engineers. The physicists are Prof Anju Bhasin, Sanjeev Sambyal, Ramni Gupta and P Baba while the engineers are Anki Gupta and Sanjay Mahajan. Prof Anju Bhasin, head of the Department of Physics, while talking to The Tribune said, “We are involved in the detection and fabrication work in the ALICE experiment since it commenced in 1995. We are also doing research on the signals of quarks and gluon plasma when the Big Bang broke.” The ALICE Experiment will investigate the answers to fundamental questions such as “what happens to matter when it is heated 100,000 times the temperature at the centre of the sun”, “why do protons and neutrons weigh 100 times more than the quarks they are made of”, “can the quarks inside the protons and neutrons be freed” etc. Prof Bhasin was part of the team that hosted the visit of the President Pratibha Patil to CERN in October 2011. She along with her team is involved in three other experiments at the CERN and often visits the laboratory in Geneva. “Our department is involved in many major experiments with the reputed universities of the world. The other major project in which the Jammu University is involved is the STAR experiment being conducted by the Brook Heaven University of USA,” she added. “In the STAR experiment too, the Jammu University team has the responsibility of detection and fabrication,” said Prof. Bhasin.
	Missing XEN’s case: Family demands CBI probe Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 6 In a brightly-lit room of the congested Magarmal locality in Srinagar, Sukhbir Kaur sits dumbstruck and shattered. Reason: Her husband Jagdeep Singh Bali, 57, an Executive Engineer (XEN) in the state Public Health Engineering (PHE) department, is missing since February 18 and the family believes he has been murdered. About two months back, an unidentified body was exhumed four days after it was buried in south Kashmir. The Bali family suspected the one buried in Awantipur was their own Jagdeep. The body was badly decomposed and DNA tests were conducted on April 21. The body was buried again. The family is now waiting for the DNA report but the delay in report arrival is creating doubt in their mind over police investigations. “Over two months have passed since the DNA samples were taken, we do not have any information so far. This indicates there is something fishy,” says Kaur. “We suspect the culprits who kidnapped, tortured and subsequently killed my husband must be either trying to change the samples or tamper with the results of the DNA test by using money or influence. I and my family are sure that the body buried in Awantipore was that of my husband.” Kaur said she had lost hope in the police investigation and the case should be probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation. “We want a CBI probe to look into all the aspects of the case as the J&K police has failed to get any lead in the past four months,” she said. The Bali family has been traumatised by a series of events that followed since the Executive Engineer went missing. "We have not been able to sleep since my father went missing. He was posted in the monitoring cell of the PHE and we suspect that a powerful group might be behind his kidnapping and subsequent murder,” alleged Abhay Bali, son of the missing engineer. Abhay recently passed his secondary school examination with distinction. Jagdeep’s Bali’s eldest daughter is married and settled in Canada while the youngest daughter is yet to be married. The police, however, claimed they were waiting for the DNA report. “We are waiting for the DNA report and once the report reaches us we will be able to establish whether the body buried is that of Bali or someone else,” said Awantipur SP Abdul Waheed. THE CASE FILE n February 18: Bali went missing after he left his Magarmal Bagh home at 7.30 pm n The call details of his mobile phone revealed that he was in the vicinity of the Aloochibagh area till 11 pm that day n His phone was switched off subsequently n February 19: A missing report was lodged with police n April 17: A body was fished out from the Jhelum in Awantipore. The body was later buried. n April 21: The body was exhumed on the directions of the Pulwama District Magistrate and the DNA samples were taken
	BSP demands trifurcation of state Jammu, July 6 The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has said the trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir is the only solution to remove disparities with the Jammu and Ladakh regions. Addressing a public meeting at Nagrota recently, BSP leaders said the stand of the party was clear with regard to the trifurcation of the state and this was the only solution with regard to the disparity with people of the Jammu and Ladakh regions. The BSP demanded that the Jammu region and the Kashmir region should be carved out as separate states and the Ladakh region should be declared a union territory. The meeting at Nagrota was held under the chairmanship of Tulsi Dass Langeh, state president, in which Narender Kashyap, Rajya Sabha member and national general secretary of the party, was the chief guest and Prakash Bharti, state co-ordinator, was the guest of honour. At the meeting, the party announced Rakesh Wazir, state general secretary, as the candidate for the Nagrota Assembly constituency and Raman Wazir, sarpanch, Nagrota Toke Waziran, as the candidate for the post of chairman of the Block Development Council of Dansal block. Prakash Bharti asked people to unite themselves under the banner of the BSP to get justice. Speaking on the occasion, Langeh said the coalition government in the state had failed on all fronts and except making promises this government had done nothing for the people. Rakesh Wazir, while listing the problems of the Nagrota constituency, highlighted the issues of scarcity of water and the deplorable condition of roads in villages. — TNS