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Footbridge over Dal Lake gives way, 17 injured
ex-DSP’s Killing
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BJP working on alliance with PDP, separatists: Rana
Pak violates ceasefire, targets two Indian posts
Rising militant attacks cause for concern
Militant hideout busted in Reasi
Pak Rangers fortify border with bunkers
Kashmir has 2.14 lakh orphans, 32,000 widows
Admissions Under Management Quota
Killing of six sikhs in US GUrdwara
Trans-border tunnel: Involve locals in guarding borders, says
ex-DGP
Kashmir varsity to set up satellite campuses in Leh, Kargil soon
Nyoma, Samba Incidents
Defence institute holds kisan mela to showcase its research
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Footbridge over Dal Lake gives way, 17 injured
Srinagar, August 11 Senior government officials, police officers and protesters fell into the Dal Lake when the bridge collapsed in the Saida Kadal locality. An official at the Rainawari police station said more than 50 people, including children, fell into the lake waters. Additional Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar district, Inam-ul-Qureshi and the SHO of the Nigeen police station were among those hurt in the bridge collapse, the official said. He said 17 people were injured in the bridge collapse and were taken to hospital for treatment. The SHO, Rainawari, and two policemen from his escort party were injured when they rushed to the mishap spot where they had to face an angry crowd who pelted them with stones. The dilapidated bridge, which connected two localities in the Saida Kadal area of the city, collapsed under the weight of the protesters and officials who were there to take stock of its condition. Protests had erupted early this morning in the locality against this week’s drowning of six-year-old Aamir and his four-year-old sister Sakina. Local residents blamed the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority and the local administration for the death of the brother-sister duo. The residents alleged that the lake development body had not been able to check the rising water level of the lake. They said the two children died on way to hospital as the “bad road infrastructure” delayed their shifting to a hospital. Members of the local administration, accompanied by police officers, visited the area to pacify the agitated residents. They were asked by the protesters to take stock of the position of the bridge. After the bridge collapse, rescue boats were pressed into service. Local boatmen also rushed to the spot to save the victims. ADC injured The incident happened when protesters demanding proper road infrastructure were taking senior administrative officials on a tour of their area More than 50 people, including children, fell into the lake waters Additional Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar district, Inam-ul-Qureshi and the SHO of the Nigeen police station were among those hurt |
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ex-DSP’s Killing
Srinagar, August 11 An unidentified gunman had shot dead retired DSP Abdul Hamid Bhat on the outskirts of Srinagar at the Tengpora locality yesterday. “Though prima facie it looks that the retired DSP was killed by militants, we are looking at various possibilities, which also include the criminal angle,” said a police officer privy to the A little-known militant outfit, the Islamic Movement had claimed responsibility for the killing of the retired police officer. Spokesman for the outfit Omar Mukhtar told a Srinagar-based news agency that “the former police officer had played an anti-movement role during the 2010 unrest”. In May this year, the Islamic Movement had also claimed responsibility for carrying out an attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) patrol in the old city, in which seven paramilitary troopers were injured. The group had, in December last year, carried out an attack on J&K Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, who escaped unhurt. However, a policeman was killed and three others, including a civilian, were injured in the shootout that followed. Police sources said they had questioned at least six persons in connection with the killing of the retired cop. “There are no concrete leads in the case so far,” said a police officer. Bhat was posted as Sub-Divisional Police Officer of the highly volatile old city during the 2008 street protests. |
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BJP working on alliance with PDP, separatists: Rana
Jammu, August 11 Addressing public meetings at Jadi, Nagrota and Dansal in the Nagrota Assembly constituency here today, Rana said the BJP, which created the PDP, was working overtime to convince the separatists to openly support the PDP and forge an alliance with it to fight the next Assembly elections together. He said senior BJP leader Ram Jethmalani was in Srinagar recently at the behest of the BJP high command to work out the modalities for the alliance which would be an alliance of “opportunist forces”. Rana termed Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s recent outbursts against the Congress as an agenda tutored by the BJP and said Mehbooba’s praises for the Modi government showcased the PDP’s deep intent to act as BJP’s B team in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the BJP, which had understood that it had lost its moorings in the entire country with its own leader LK Advani having acknowledged defeat in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, was a divided house in the state. It was now making a desperate effort to cobble up forces in Jammu and Kashmir which have always played with the destiny of the people of the state for their personal political benefits. He said any alliance between the BJP, the PDP and the separatists was welcome to face the next Assembly elections because he had no doubt in his mind that the secular people of Jammu and Kashmir would reject them and teach them a lesson at the hustings. Rana said the BJP and the PDP had a tacit understanding. While they opposed each other tooth and nail outwardly, they were hand in glove with each other internally. He said while the BJP’s base had been eroded considerably in Jammu province, it was looking for borrowed crutches of the PDP which in itself was in a shambles and was exposed before the people of the state as a party of opportunists who indulged in rhetoric to play to the gallery and were bereft of any agenda or ideology. |
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Pak violates ceasefire, targets two Indian posts
Jammu, August 11 “Around 6.20 pm today, the Pakistan Rangers opened fire on our Pindi border outpost near Chamliyal in the Ramgarh sector from their Sheen post, compelling us to give them a calibrated response,” said officiating IG, BSF, Jammu Frontier, NS Jamwal. Initially, the fire came from across the IB and then later the Pakistan Rangers also joined in. Jamwal said intermittent fire between the two sides was still on. The Pakistan Rangers offer “chaddar” at the famous shrine of Baba Chamliyal in Ramgarh sector every year in June. The Sufi saint is revered by both Pakistanis and Indians. The BSF officer said around 7.15 pm the Pakistan Rangers violated the truce deal in the Arnia sector, targeting the Tent border outpost. “They opened unprovoked fire around 7.15 pm from their Paswan post, compelling us to give them a calibrated response,” said
Jamwal.
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Rising militant attacks cause for concern
Srinagar, August 11 The assassination of a retired police officer, who was in charge of several critical neighbourhoods during the 2008 protests, outside a mosque on the outskirts of the city yesterday suggests that militants have successfully managed to make serious inroads into the summer capital, Srinagar, which the Jammu and Kashmir police several years ago claimed had been cleared of militants. An officer at the Batamaloo police station, the locality where retired Deputy Superintendent of Police Abdul Hameed Bhat was killed yesterday, said militants had used an AK-47 assault rifle in the attack. Militancy had largely waned in the Kashmir valley since 2004 as militants went into the defensive mode and engaged in a firefight only when cornered by the security forces. However, over the past few months, militants have carried out several bold attacks in the city, including firing a rifle grenade at the civil secretariat, headquarters of the state government in the Kashmir valley, causing alarm in the security grid. Militants this month have also launched grenade attacks on police stations and at a sarpanch’s house in north Kashmir’s Kupwara, and at Sopore and Pattan towns. A senior police officer, with a vast experience in counter-insurgency operations in the Valley, said militants were trying to send a message that they were “not down and out”. The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, attributed the dramatic rise in militant attacks to radicalisation in a section of society which is believed to have happened during the protests of 2008 and 2010. More than 200 youth, mostly teenagers, were killed in police firing during the protests. “Militants want to show that they are alive and what is happening today is a result of the radicalisation that happened over the past four years. A lot of radicalisation has happened,” he said. The officer said it seemed the new phenomenon of militancy was indigenous but inspired by the idea of a “global Islamic struggle”. In the past seven months this year, during which the state government saw “peace taking roots in Kashmir”, militants have carried out a “spectacular”, though unsuccessful, assassination attack on a state Cabinet minister and planted an improvised explosive device on a car which was accidentally detected by an auto-rickshaw driver. The most alarming attack took place on May 30 when militants riding a motor-bike ambushed a CRPF patrol, firing from an assault rifle and injuring seven personnel. All these attacks were carried out in Srinagar city, which remains at the heart of the Kashmir valley. Sources said these attacks were most likely to have been carried by local militants. The state government has on many occasions signalled the beginning of the end of militancy in Kashmir saying that many regions have been cleared of militants. It has been terming the conflict in the state as being waged by “residual militancy”. |
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Militant hideout busted in Reasi
Katra, August 11 “Based on a tip-off, troops of the Rashtriya Rifles of the Counter-Insurgency Force Uniform, this morning launched a joint search operation in the Dhana area of Mahore in Reasi,” a spokesman said here. He said during searches, one 5.56 mm rifle with one magazine, 20 rounds of ammunition, two 12-bore rifles (single barrel), 16 rounds of 12-bore ammunition, 22 fired cases of 12-bore ammunition, six HMG ammunition, 10 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, 221 rounds of 7.62 mm AK ammunition, one RPG, six UBGL grenades, four kg explosive and 13 electronic detonators were seized. Fifty-two PIKA ammunition link, one binocular, three batteries for radio set and three blankets were among other things seized from the hideout. |
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Pak Rangers fortify border with bunkers
Jammu, August 11 Intelligence inputs suggest that since 2004, the Pakistan Rangers have constructed and repaired 886 bunkers, 261 trenches, 398 towers and 143 border outposts on their territory alongside the border. From time to time, protests were lodged with the Pakistan Rangers at various flag meetings, said official sources. The sources said the Pakistan Rangers had been doing so with a sinister plan to shuffle militants between these bunkers and trenches in a bid to push them into the Indian territory. However, to outmanoeuvre them in their game plan, the BSF had deployed adequate troops along the international border and a strict vigil was being maintained, they added. “The BSF has also been provided with sophisticated weaponry and gadgets like night-vision devices, thermal imagers, bulletproof jackets and bulletproof vehicles,” the sources said. They said the Pakistan Rangers had recently constructed a bunker opposite Arnia sector. They said the 12 Wing Chenab Rangers had clandestinely constructed a bunker opposite the Peetal post of the BSF. A senior officer of the BSF denied any such development in this particular stretch in Arnia sector. Last year in April, the Pakistan Rangers had constructed a double-storeyed bunker near their Surgpur post opposite the Abdulian post of the BSF in RS Pura sector in violation of international conventions. “The 192-km-long international border is a sensitive stretch and past experiences clearly indicate that the Pakistan Rangers can never be trusted. Militants in the past have intruded into our territory from Bainglard in Samba sector and Kanachak. They have even tried to infiltrate from RS Pura sector. Therefore, we cannot afford to remain complacent,” said a senior police officer. To check misadventures of a hostile neighbour, the BSF had also started constructing ambush-cum-naka points by raising mounds and setting up observation posts atop those mounds. SINISTER DESIGNS Intelligence inputs suggest that since 2004, the Pakistan Rangers have constructed and repaired 886 bunkers, 261 trenches, 398 towers and 143 border outposts alongside the border To outmanoeuvre them in their game plan, the BSF has deployed adequate troops along the international border |
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Kashmir has 2.14 lakh orphans, 32,000 widows
Srinagar, August 11 The survey conducted by the JKYF holds that the number of orphans, widows and destitute in the Valley has particularly increased during the two decades of turmoil. In a power-point presentation shown at the seminar, the JKYF pointed out that successive state governments had failed to address the issues of rehabilitation, education and financial security of orphans and widows in Kashmir. The reasons being cited for this include absence of consolidated studies, running of fake trusts and NGOs, non-implementation of social welfare schemes and little awareness of the plight of orphans and widows among people of the Valley and outside. Social problems faced by these less fortunate sections of society include poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and health problems. Syed Abdul Hamid, patron, JKYF, said lack of support from government bodies in this regard lead to further segregation of widows and orphans from society. “Society still has not been able to give them their rights, forget about voicing their support for them. It is not only NGOs or social workers who are supposed to work for them. Each and every section of society, including the government, needs to contribute,” he said. The submissive role of the media in highlighting the plight of orphans, widows and destitute also came up during the seminar and and a more pro-active role on the part of various media organisations was called for. Earlier, KU Vice-Chancellor Talat Ahmad inaugurated the seminar and released the annual report of the JKYF for 2011- 12. |
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Admissions Under Management Quota
Jammu, August 11 According to sources, despite the permission by the JKBOSE to start admissions under the management quota, the managements of ETT institutes are reportedly not happy with this late decision. They claim that had the decision been taken earlier, they would not have suffered financial losses due to “meagre number of admissions” for the academic session. It was reported in these columns that a small number of students had turned up for admission to various private institutions for the 2011-13 academic session that eventually caused monetary losses to owners of private ETT colleges. The institutes then approached the JKBOSE authorities to seek permission for admissions under the management quota which the board authorities strictly denied. The owners of ETT institutes criticised the JKBOSE decision, claiming that no notification in this regard was issued by the board. “There is nothing new as the JKBOSE has this habit of first denying us admissions under the management quota and then later allowing the process with a late fee,” an owner of an ETT institute said. “We have invested a lot in creating infrastructure for students in colleges so that they can successfully complete their course. If things do not improve, there is every possibility that no student will get admission in the state to pursue the ETT course,” he said. “Had the JKBOSE authorities cooperated with us by allowing admissions under the management quota, we would not have lost students,” said another owner of an ETT institute. |
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Killing of six sikhs in US GUrdwara
Srinagar, August 11 They have urged US President Barack Obama to hold a thorough and impartial investigation into the shocking incident. “The Supreme Court has given its verdict in the Pathribal case. That it was fake has also been established by the CBI as well as the Supreme Court,” All Parties Coordination Committee, Kashmir, chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina said while addressing a press conference here. Thirty-five Sikhs were gunned down at Chattisinghpora village in Anantnag district by a group of 15-odd unidentified gunmen dressed in Indian Army fatigues. Though the authorities have blamed Pakistan-based militant outfits operating in Kashmir for the massacre, Sikhs in the Valley doubt their claims, demanding an independent probe. He said the verdict in the Pathribal case had now reinforced the view that the Chattisinghpora massacre of Sikhs may have been “stage-managed”. “If the Pathribal encounter is fake, the Chattisinghpora massacre may also have been stage-managed. However, it needs to be ascertained and that is why we are demanding a fresh probe,” Raina said. Condemning the killing of six Sikhs by an attacker in a gurdwara in the US, Sikhs in the Valley hve termed the incident as the second such shocking incident after the Chattisinghpora massacre. “We condemn this incident. We urge President Obama to hold a fair investigation into the terror incident, which, besides others, has also shocked the Sikh community in the Valley”, Sikh leader Niranjan Singh said. He also demanded a probe into the Chattisinghpora incident. During the press conference, Sikh leaders observed a one-minute silence in memory of those killed in the attack in the US. |
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Trans-border tunnel: Involve locals in guarding borders, says
ex-DGP
Jammu, August 11 While the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have been reportedly roped in to conduct geological and seismic survey of the tunnel, a top Army source here felt that the border guarding force along the 192-km-long international border should not tread the ‘beaten’ path anymore. “We should now start patrolling a much wider area along the barbed fence because this tunnel had been detected some 300 metres behind the fence inside our territory,” said the source. “Citing lack of equipment to detect any underground activity will not serve any purpose. To my knowledge not even developed countries in the world has any technology, which can detect underground activity at a depth of 25 feet but at the same time we need to remain more alert to the situation,” he said. Simply, following the beaten path could be too big a risk for the security of the country, he added. The imprints of hand-driven wheel carts and oxygen pipes clamped inside the tunnel amply suggest a well-thought out plan of the neighbour to either push armed ultras or smuggle narcotics, said the source. An ex-serviceman Prem Singh and 19-year-old youth Sukhdev Singh were the first to notice cave in of their agricultural fields because of rains and thereafter the BSF had been informed. Former DGP MM Khajooria also felt it to be a serious issue but said blaming intelligence agencies would not be appropriate. Going by its diameter, length and oxygen pipe, it seems they were probably making it secure, the former DGP said. He, however, regretted that even on serious issues New Delhi turns too diplomatic and too soft with Islamabad. “We should learn to deal with them more seriously and strictly because Pakistan has always harboured malafide intentions against India,” said Khajooria. Pakistan has scant regards for ceasefire agreement on the borders and they remain in aggressive mode, he added. Now, against the backdrop of this tunnel, we should find out if more such tunnels existed on the borders, said Khajooria. The ex-DGP also felt that vision of security needs to be broadened. “They (security forces) must be aware of the options of the enemy to outmanoeuvre them in time,” said Khajooria. “Besides more alert security forces on the border, we also need to involve locals to minimise such incidents in future,” he said. He regretted that in the instant case none from the administration deemed it fit to suitably reward the ex-serviceman and the youth, who had detected the tunnel. A Lashkar terrorist, Adnan, who was arrested in Kashmir in 2009, had reportedly told his interrogators that Pakistan had started constructing a 2,500-metre-long tunnel in Sialkot sector on the other side of the international border. Adnan had also disclosed that he himself had worked for a month on the tunnel. |
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Kashmir varsity to set up satellite campuses in Leh, Kargil soon
Srinagar, August 11 The initiative, which was started in 2005 when the university established two campuses in south and north Kashmir, was revived early this year when Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kashmir Prof Talat Ahmad and his team identified land in the border district of Kupwara for an off-site campus. The university will reach Leh and Kargil districts in 2012 with select academic programmes for students. The satellite campuses are an advantage for youth from border areas of the Valley and Ladakh region who do not wish to leave their native places. The campuses will also provide ample employment opportunities. “The idea behind setting up of these campuses in the border areas is not only to provide education opportunities to the students, but also to ensure jobs for educated youth as faculty members. It is a win-win situation,” said Prof S Fayaz, Registrar, University of Kashmir. “We welcome this move of the university authorities. It was our long-pending demand that campuses be opened in Kargil and Leh. Since these regions remain cut off from the rest of the state for six winter months, we cannot remain dependent on universities in Kashmir or Jammu,” said Afsana, a student from Kargil. The authorities are certain that the satellite campus initiative of the university will be a success. “In terms of providing quality education, secure lodging facilities and suitable academic environment, the university should not neglect these border areas and pay attention to the concerns of students,” said Mujeeb, a postgraduate student at the Anantnag campus of the university. |
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Nyoma, Samba Incidents
Jammu, August 11 If the Nyoma incident on May 10, there was a serious clash between Army officers and soldiers where fists were also exchanged while the alleged suicide by a soldier in Samba on August 8 saw jawans staging a protest against their officers at the Army unit. The dead soldier, Arun V, was a resident of Thiruvananthapuram. The anger among the soldiers in Samba was so high that to sooth their frayed nerves, Commander of Yol-based 9 Corps Lt Gen AK Bhalla had to rush to 16th Cavalry Regiment in the garrison town. “Though these are two separate issues, we have to admit that there was a failure at the command level in both the cases,” said a top Army source. The soldiers are not simpletons anymore like their predecessors in the past, who quietly obeyed their officers. Today, they come from cities and urban areas. They are aware and informed because of information technology. We also cannot deny the fact that in both the incidents there had been a failure on the part of Commanding Officers, added the source. However, the source claimed that a majority of the officers despite “constraints” continued to perform their task and kept the flock together. “The remedy lies in giving dignity to the armed forces, improving their work conditions and recognising their efforts,” said the source. Being thousands of miles away from their families, officers and soldiers work in inhospitable conditions and the challenging routine sometimes squeezes life out of them. Under such conditions anyone in the 13 million-strong Army can go astray, added the source. Maj Gen GS Jamwal (retd) felt that the Army worked in inhospitable conditions and officers and jawans had umpteen problems but nobody was bothered. “No one at New Delhi is worried about the Army and its problems. Those at the helm of the affairs are indulging in scams running into crores of rupees and in the case of a soldier’s suicide at Samba, the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister promptly ordered an inquiry. It amounts to belittling the Army,” said Jamwal. In the Nyoma incident, Commanding Officer of 226 Field Regiment Col P Kadam, two Majors and two soldiers were injured. The Army had later described it as an “isolated act of indiscipline” and not a mutiny.
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Defence institute holds kisan mela to showcase its research
Leh, August 11 It is being celebrated by DIHAR, which is one of the research units of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), to showcase its research and developments in the field of agriculture and allied sectors to farmers and the public. DIHAR, which was earlier known as Field Research Laboratory, was established in Leh district in 1962 to promote agricultural production in Ladakh and ensure availability of fresh vegetables to defence personnel posted in the region. Brig RVS Khuswaha, Station Commander of 14 Corps, inaugurated the mela this morning. Brig Khuswaha said the Army procured 28 varieties of vegetables from local farmers and 50 per cent of the Army’s requirement was being met locally in summer. In his welcome address, DIHAR, Director, Ravi Shriwastau said to meet the meat requirement of the Army, DIHAR in collaboration with the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council had started an initiative to strengthen the poultry farming, which was a new field in the region, by providing technical know how to progressive farmers. Shriwastau added that the formation of cooperative societies among poultry farmers was under progress. Dr Tsering Stobdan, one of the agricultural scientists of DIHAR, said, “DIHAR has cultivated 107 varieties of vegetables this season. Efforts are on to achieve a record in the Guinness Book of World Records, as cultivating a variety of vegetables in the same season and in the same field is unique in the world.”
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Srinagar, August 11
was brought to light in a seminar conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Yateem Foundation
(JKYF), a philanthropy organisation, in collaboration with the National Service Scheme, KU, on the university campus.
Seeking a fresh probe into the 2001 massacre of 35 Sikhs in south Kashmir’s Chattisinghpora village, Kashmir Sikh leaders have condemned the killing of six Sikh worshippers at a gurdwara at Oak Creek in the US.
