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Student among 3 killed as schoolbus falls into gorge
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MLA attempts to let loose stray dogs inside civil secretariat
PDP backs Vajpayee’s initiative on Kashmir resolution
Remand of four cops extended till July 16
Leh-Pangong highway temporarily
reopened
LAILA KHAN CASE
Cops launch hunt to nab Tak’s aide Shakir
Conservation report to be prepared on Kharse Chamba
Props in place for return of Bollywood to Kashmir
Maintain decorum during campaign: Omar to Sangma
She has a booming business of blossoms
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Student among 3 killed as schoolbus falls into gorge
Srinagar, July 11 The police said the bus carrying students and staff of a private school, Iqra Education Institute in Khumriyal Lolab in Kupwara district, was on its way to Gulmarg for a picnic when it skidded off the road and rolled down into a 50-foot-deep gorge near Nambal Nard, 45 km from here. “Three persons, including a student and teacher, died in the accident,” said the Senior Superintendent of Police, Baramulla, Anand Jain. The three deceased have been identified as Owais Manzoor (14) of Khumriyal, his teacher Jahangir Ahmad Dar (25) and the driver of the bus, Mohammad Akhter Ganie of Kalaroos, Kupwara. The 43 injured, which included 38 students, three teachers, a peon and his mother, were rescued from the bus by the police, local residents and the CRPF. The police said five of the injured were shifted to Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, 14 to Jhelum Valley College, 22 to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS), Srinagar, and two were admitted in Sub District Hospital, Tangmarg. The injured schoolchildren were between the age group of 11 and 14. “The condition of 10 injured is critical,” said a health official in Srinagar. The cause of the accident has yet to be ascertained. Some of the injured students, however, said the bus was moving “very fast”. “Before the bus skidded off the road, we requested the driver to drive slowly but he did not listen to us. Finally, when we skidded off the road, I thought it was the end of life and became unconscious. Hours later, I found myself on the hospital bed in Srinagar,” said an injured Shagufta, a class VI student. Eyewitnesses maintain that the bus driver in order to give way to a vehicle from the opposite direction, moved the bus to the extreme left and in the process the vehicle skidded off the road. Soon after the accident, local residents and the CRPF deployed in a nearby village rushed to the spot and the police was also informed. Vehicles were rushed from Tangmarg to the accident site to ferry the injured to various hospitals. Senior police and district officials also rushed to the spot to monitor the rescue operation. A case was registered in Tangmarg police station. “We have registered a case under Sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (endangering life or personal safety of others) and 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Ranbir Penal Code,” said a police officer in Tangmarg. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and opposition Peoples Democratic Party have expressed shock over the accident. “Very tragic news about the accident of the bus of Iqra Public School. May Allah grant Jannat to the departed and a complete recovery to rest,” Omar tweeted. The PDP expressed grief over the accident. “We want the administration to take special measures to have a check on speedy vehicles, particularly those carrying schoolchildren,” a PDP spokesman said. |
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When merriment turned into wails of sorrow
Srinagar, July 11 Those who sustained upper and lower limb injuries were admitted to the causality ward of Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS) in Srinagar. The bus was carrying the students on an excursion trip to Gulmarg from a remote village in Kupwara district of north Kashmir. “Everything changed all of a sudden. We had planned the picnic to have fun,” said Naveed Ahmed, a Class V student who sustained injuries on his head and neck. “I want to see Jahangir Sir (schoolteacher Jahangir Ahmad Dar died in the accident),” Naveed cried unaware of the fact that his teacher was no more. The 22 injured admitted to the SMHC hospital were in a state of shock and many among them were seen calling their parents and relatives back home informing them they were safe. “I am fine and had received a minor head injury,” said another injured boy, Tariq Ahmed, while calling his parents over phone. “They have come to know about the accident and they are on their way to the hospital from Kupwara,” he said. The scene at the casualty block of the hospital was chaotic. Many people were seen rendering help to the injured kids and also consoling them. Many were even offering them cold drinks. The schoolteachers who were travelling in other two buses were also at the hospital helping the kids. “We lost our brother teacher and a student in the accident but we are ensuring that the kids do not come to know about the fatalities in the accident as they might get more traumatised,” said a teacher. “We have also informed the parents of the injured children about the accident. The relatives of many children have reached the hospital.” |
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CRPF sets up medical camps for Amarnath yatris
Jammu, July 11 The paramilitary force has also stocked life-saving drugs in various medical camps. This year’s pilgrimage has so far witnessed 67 deaths, mostly due to cardiac arrest. “Free medical camps have been set up and mobile medical service is being provided by the CRPF for saving the lives of Amaranth yatris on both the Baltal and the Chandanwari routes,” CRPF spokesperson Sudhir Kumar told The Tribune. Kumar said the CRPF had set up its medical camps equipped with the requisite equipment and drugs at Pahalgam, Mir Bazar, Nunwan, Chandanwari, Sheshnag, Panjtarni, Sangam Top, Manigam, Ranga Morh, Baltal and the holy cave shrine. “We have also deputed teams of specialist doctors and paramedic staff in all camps,” he said. The spokesperson said a special cardiac care unit at Baltal had been introduced this year. High-end equipment like nebuliser, laryngoscope, endotracheal tube, CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) mask, defibrillator, patient monitoring system, suction system and advanced oxygen concentrators as well as emergency drugs are also kept available at the CRPF’s cardiac care unit, he added. A team of doctors are working round the clock under the supervision of the CRPF DIG, North, PK Pandey at the cardiac care unit at Baltal providing free medical care to the pilgrims, he said. This year eight medical camps on the Pahalgam axis and three medical camps on the Manigam-Baltal axis backed by sufficient good-quality medicines and life-saving drugs have been established, The services of mobile medical camps are also being used from Chandanwari to the holy cave and along the Baltal route. More than 32,000 people, including pilgrims, organisers of community kitchens, ponywallahs, porters and employees of various organisations, have been given medical care so far. He said patients visiting the camps were mostly suffering from headache, bodyache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, skin infection, breathlessness, cold and fever whereas serious patients complained of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), hypothermia, myocardial infarction and trauma consisting of limb fracture. This year the annual pilgrimage started on June 25 and would conclude on August 2. |
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MLA attempts to let loose stray dogs inside civil secretariat
Srinagar, July 11 “Despite my warning, the government took no action. Here, human beings are killed mercilessly but dogs have more rights. It was a token protest to remind the Chief Minister and Cabinet ministers of their duties as they sit inside the civil secretariat,” Rasheed told The Tribune after the incident. Last week, he had threatened to put the canines in the “courtyards of ministers and bureaucrats” if they failed to take action over the issue. Alleging that the government was shifting stray dogs into rural areas after a hue and cry over the issue in Srinagar city, Rasheed demanded a comprehensive policy to tackle the issue especially in the rural areas. “On July 3, 41 children of my constituency were bitten by dogs. It is unfortunate that we have to face police wrath to get rid of dogs,” he added. Earlier, Rasheed and his supporters tried to bundle in dozens of stray dogs into the city but the police seized the vehicles carrying dogs at Puetkhah near Sangrama on the Baramulla-Srinagar highway. However, Rasheed managed to reach outside the civil secretariat along with three dogs in a private vehicle. After the police disallowed him to let the dogs out, the MLA and his supporters staged a protest. Rasheed said he was kept in a police vehicle for two hours while his supporters were detained. No dogged resolve, this Dog sterilisation programme was started in the summer capital earlier in May after people had started protesting over the stray dog population. While the government had then stated that there were 91,110 stray dogs in Srinagar city, more than 7,500 dog bite cases have been reported across the Valley till May this year. Even though the government plans to sterilise 50,000 dogs in the city, no sterilisation programme has so far been initiated at other parts of Kashmir. |
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PDP backs Vajpayee’s initiative on Kashmir resolution
Srinagar, July 11 Addressing a public meeting in Pulwama today, Mufti said in its bid to score political points, the party (BJP) seemed to have forgotten its own role in trying to find an amicable solution to Kashmir problem. “The party must launch a campaign for speeding up the process initiated by Atal Behari Vajpayee rather than agitating against the Article 370 of the Constitution,” he said. The former Chief Minister said the threat of an agitation by the BJP veteran LK Advani against the Article 370 amounted to a reversal of the gains made on Kashmir issue since Vajpayee had announced a ceasefire and extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan. “When I invited Vajpayee to Srinagar in 2003, the armies of the two countries were in a combat situation in the wake of the Parliament attack and Kargil conflict but the statesman in the then Prime Minister saw a window of opportunity and grabbed it to dismantle the walls of hatred in South Asia,” he said. The PDP patron said that Advani’s stance was an antithesis of Vajpayee’s call for ‘Insaniyat Ke Dayire Mein’ slogan. He said Vajpayee had taken initiative to hold direct talks with the separatists which was the first contact of its kind at that level. Mufti also recalled how the NDA government had announced first ceasefire with militants. Mufti said though the UPA government followed the initiative during its first tenure, the process seems to be getting trapped in partisan politics again. “The UPA-1 responded positively to our vision of a simultaneous economic development and resolution effort as a result of which significant milestones were achieved,” he said. The reopening of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawlakot roads was the most significant development in breaking decades-old mindset. |
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Policemen-militant nexus
Srinagar, July 11 In its remand application, the police claimed that a girl from Tral in south Kashmir had developed intimacy with an over-ground-worker
(OGW) of Hizbul Mujhideen who worked for the outfit’s top militant commander Shabir Ahmad alias
Adil. The police said she was instrumental in strengthening the relation between the OGW and one of the arrested cops. The police further said that OGW Reyaz Ahmad Ganai developed friendship with Mohammad
Abbas, a constable with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) who was tasked to infiltrate into militants ranks for intelligence gathering. "The OGW’s girlfriend was doing her nursing training in Jammu and Ganai would usually shuttle to Jammu to meet her. Abbas also had a house in Jammu and Ganai used to take his car to meet his girlfriend," the police said. The police sources said the girl’s name surfaced during the interrogation of the arrested cops. “The girl has no role in the case but as she was putting up in Jammu, it helped Ganai and Abbas to get closer,” said a police officer. The police said that cop Abbas later met Shabir who offered him money and sought information about residential addresses and pictures of the secret police officials. Abbas later met three other accused Mukhtar Ahmad Sheikh, Muhammad Ilyas Khan and Riyaz Ahmad Beigh and lured them for providing information to the militants. After convincing them in August last year, Ganai gave Rs 60,000 to
Abbas. “After receiving money, the four accused police personnel gave weapons, explosives and provided information about police officer sought by the militants,” the police
said. Shabir later sent Rs 2,60,000 to Abbas through Ganai. However, in March 2012, Ganai sent a warning to Abbas that he should return the money to him for not sharing complete information. Abbas later returned money. The activities of Abbas and other cops came to fore when a former Hizbul militant Ghulam Hassan Mir was attacked on June 7 in Hazratbal locality of
Srinagar. The police became suspicious about the activities of the constable who was brought in for questioning which revealed “incriminating evidence” against
him. Abbas was summoned by the police last month for questioning. The police recovered a document in Urdu from Abbas showing various ways of making improvised explosive devices
(IED) and also how to use them. The questioning of Abbas subsequently led to the arrest of three more cops.
WHAT THE PROBE REVEALED
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Leh-Pangong highway temporarily
reopened
Leh, July 11 The road which leads to the Pangong lake and Durbuk block, had been closed on July 7 following a landslide at Tsoltak near the Changla pass. Around three hundred and fifty tourists were trapped here and later rescued in a joint operation by the police, district administration and Army. According to Leh police, restoration of the landslide-affected road is in full swing. The Border Road Organisation (BRO) has temporarily reopened the road by diverting it from some areas for the convenience of public as well as tourists. The police is also regulating one -way traffic at areas where the road has
been diverted and several policemen have been deployed for this.
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LAILA KHAN CASE
Jammu, July 11 “The way things are unfolding, Tak is turning out to be a hardcore criminal,” DIG, Ramban-Doda-Kishtwar range, Garib
Dass said. “Had we not chanced upon Laila Khan’s Mitsubishi Outlander car in a garage in Kishtwar that had been rented out to Tak, the whereabouts of the Bollywood starlet and other members of her family would have remained unknown,” the DIG said. Sources said Tak had always been an overambitious man. An eighth class dropout, he faced defeat in 2008 Assembly elections. He had borrowed money running into lakhs from the people in Kishtwar and had cheated many on the pretext of providing them government jobs. “In January 2009, when the results of the Assembly elections were declared, Tak disappeared from Kishtwar and appeared for a brief period in Hoshiarpur and then at New Delhi before landing at the headquarters
of the Nationalist Congress Party in Mumbai,” said Dass. However, before landing in Mumbai, Tak had cheated a retired naval officer Gurdayal Singh in Hoshiarpur in 2010, said the DIG. On the pretext of a project, he had cheated the retired officer of Rs 3 lakh. The retired official had been living in Hoshiarpur with his wife while their children were away in London, added Dass. During his stay in Mumbai, he masqueraded as a high-profile contractor from Jammu and Kashmir who also had a chain of NGOs devoted to orphans, poor and the downtrodden back home. A sharp and sly man, Tak developed a close rapport with the family of Laila Khan including the starlet’s second stepfather Asif Ahmed, Sources said. Subsequently he married Laila’s mother Saleena in Ratnagiri in December 2010. Tak has confessed his involvement in eliminating the Khan family and then tried to destroy the evidences, the DIG said. About Mitsubishi Outlander which blew the lid off this high-profile case, the DIG said, “Some section in the media had associated it with the Delhi High Court blast on September 7, 2011 but we never said so.” Though it was definitely related to criminal activities, he added. |
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Cops launch hunt to nab Tak’s aide Shakir
Jammu, July 11 “A native of Gandoh in Doda district, Shakir had been given a job at the Igatpuri farmhouse by Tak and he is also one of the accused in the case,” Doda-Ramban-Kishtwar range DIG, Garib Dass, said. “He (Shakir) is at large and will to be arrested soon,” added Dass. The DIG further informed that Shakir was married to a woman from Tak’s native village Bonjwa. “Shakir has apparently gone underground. Once we get hold of him, the Mumbai Police will be informed,” the DIG said. Laila Khan's stepfather Parvez Iqbal Tak has once again confessed to killing the starlet and her family members before the Mumbai police today. Tak told the police that he killed Laila's mother Saleena in a fit of rage and then killed the others as they had witnessed the murder. Tak along with Shakir had brutally murdered the family hitting them with iron rods till they died. Later, the duo had buried the bodies in a pit at the farmhouse before managing to escape in a Scorpio and a Mitsubishi Outlander. While Scorpio was recovered from behind Hotel Asia in Jammu, the Mitsubishi Outlander was recovered by the Kishtwar police from a garage in
Kishtwar. |
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Conservation report to be prepared on Kharse Chamba
Leh, July 11 Kharse Chamba is one of the three monuments in J&K which was declared a state-protected monument in April by the government under its Ancient Monument Preservation Act. Situated at Sangku block of Kargil district, the sculpture is in the form of Ganhdara art such as the Bamiyan Buddha statue in central Afghanistan which was destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban. Registrar (Archive), Ladakh Circle, Tsering Tashi, who was member of the team, said, “The conservation team surveyed the monument site to prepare a detailed project report on it. A list of 25 monument sites across the Ladakh region was submitted to the state government to recognise them as state-protected monuments but only Kharse Chamba was declared one this year.” The team consisted of the consultant with the Tourism and Culture Ministry, J&K, KA Qadari and Deputy Director, Archive Archeology and Museum, Perzada M Asharaf. The conservation team has directed the district authorities to divert the motorable road constructed to the monument. Meanwhile, the Kargil Development Authority has planned to construct public conveniences. Executive Councillor, Tourism of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, Phunchok Tashi said the Kargil Development Authority has earmarked Rs 30 lakh to construct footpath and cafeteria at Kharse Chamba and Apti this financial year.
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Props in place for return of Bollywood to Kashmir
Jammu, July 10 Headed by the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, the nine-member committee has also been entrusted with the task of coordinating and settling all inter-departmental issues relating to tourism. “The state government felt the need to bring back and facilitate Bollywood for shooting films in Kashmir, which was once a favourite destination of film directors and producers. The eruption of militancy changed the whole scenario in the state and nobody ventured into Kashmir for shooting films for years together,” a senior administrative official said requesting anonymity. The official said the previous government under the leadership of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had also promised all possible help to Bollywood to
shoot films in the state but it couldn’t yield the desired results. “Mufti had even visited Mumbai and had invited film producers to restart film shooting in the Valley and other parts of the
state but sporadic incidents of violence and militancy kept filmmakers away from Kashmir,” he said. “The prevailing peace and calm in Kashmir has given a chance to the government for taking up such ventures which will not only boost tourism but also ensure economic development
of the state,” the official added. He said the film industry had witnessed a tough phase as filmmakers preferred shooting songs and scenes of their films in Europe and other foreign countries after rise in militancy in the Kashmir valley after 1989. The other members of the panel include the administrative secretary, tourism and culture department; administrative secretary, forest department; chief wildlife warden; director, information department; both directors of tourism department, Kashmir and Jammu regions; director, floriculture, Kashmir; and director, archives and museums. Acclaimed theatre director, Balwant Thakur, who belongs to the state, welcomed the decision saying that it would encourage the return of Bollywood in
the state. “The government move to constitute such a high-level panel will change the outlook of filmmakers towards Kashmir. We hope that they will rush to Jammu and Kashmir to shoot their films. Besides, it will also boost tourism and give exposure to local talent,” he said. |
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Maintain decorum during campaign: Omar to Sangma
Srinagar, July 11 “Note to Mr Sangma- you are contesting elections to the highest office in the land. Would it hurt you to maintain a measure of decorum?” Omar wrote on the micro-blogging website Twitter. While the Chief Minister did not point out the exact reason behind his comment, he was apparently referring to Sangma’s statement where he had said yesterday that Rashtrapati Bhavan was being used
as a “dumping ground for a failed former finance minister”. Sangma had said this while referring to his rival in the presidential election - United Progressive Alliance (UPA) backed candidate Pranab Mukherjee. The statement was reportedly made during his presidential campaign in Mumbai. Omar has already said the ruling National Conference (NC) would back the Congress-led UPA nominee for the post of President and Vice President. “National Conference is part of the UPA government and it will vote for presidential and vice presidential candidates to be fielded by the UPA coalition,” he had said. The NC has five members of parliament - three in Lok Sabha and two in Rajya Sabha besides 28 MLAs in the state Assembly. The Presidential elections are scheduled on July 19. |
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Women Power
Jammu, July 10 Nusrat Jahana Ara (33), a computer graduate, had no knowledge of agriculture when she thought of having her own farm some 15 years ago. “Initially it was very difficult. I started the business of cut flowers and even did house-to-house marketing for my flowers. People took pity on me but I never bothered and worked towards my aim. Later, I made a proper strategy for my work. I targeted VIP functions, corporate houses, big events, etc,” said Nusrat. Initially, Nusrat bought flowers from Delhi and sold them in Srinagar. As the demand increased, she purchased 25 kanals for her farm at Amod in Pahalgam and started growing flowers. Now she owns the state franchise of Petals and Ferns --- a retail chain of flowers. Her farm produces a variety of flowers like gladioli, roses and tulips. “I do not belong to a family of farmers and had absolutely no knowledge about farming but once you start something, you learn about the subject. Now I know everything about flowers. Our main market is Jammu, Srinagar, Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai,” she added. Nusrat has been awarded the Women Leadership Award in 2009 by the Rotary Club and Tata Stree Shakti Award in Mumbai by the Tata group. She has employed 30 permanent employees and 300 casual workers. She also shifted to Pahalgam to pursue her work. “The mentality of people has not changed much. Some people still oppose me for the outgoing nature of my job but my willingness to work and the support of the family has made me a successful woman.” |
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In a novel way of protest, Langate MLA Engineer Rasheed and his supporters attempted to let loose stray canines on the civil secretariat premises here today. Even as the bid was foiled by the police, the MLA said it was a “token” protest to remind the government of its duties as it had failed to tackle the stray dog menace in his constituency, which falls in Kashmir valley’s Kupwara district.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has cautioned the BJP against undoing the process of reconciliation, resolution and Indo-Pak amity which was initiated by the NDA government under Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Kashmir is keen to revive its old links with Bollywood as the Omar
Abdullah-led coalition government has constituted a high-level panel to handle the “facilitation” required for film shootings in the state, especially
the Valley.
