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Sarpanch’s killing: Police still groping in dark
Hyderabad blasts: ‘Suspect’ turns out to be innocent
Bhartiya Gujjar Maha Sabha deputation meets Governor
Sadhotra is leader of Upper House
Uproar in House over govt’s failure to bring back Chamel’s body
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Govt admits discrepancies in existing BPL lists
PHE minister snubs Rashid for using derogatory language
NC’s adjournment motion on Afzal’s hanging irks ally Cong
Shutdown in Kashmir, protesters demand bodies of
Afzal, Butt
Parliament to decide on Afzal’s body: Minister
Gujjars’ deputation meets Guv
Tribal foundation gives memo to Governor
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Sarpanch’s killing: Police still groping in dark
Srinagar, March 1 The police has so far questioned nearly two dozen persons hailing from Kalantara Payeen - the native village of Wani and various other neighbouring villages, including Muqam, Kalantra and Kakothan. “Those questioned so far had either been in regular touch with Wani over the phone or had some shady past. The deputy panchayat member, Ghulam Mohideen, who last met Wani, was also questioned,” said a police officer in Srinagar who is privy to the investigations. “The two Personal Security Officers (PSOs) of Wani, who have also been questioned by the police, have said it was the Wani’s family who advised him to stay in Srinagar,” he added. The police officer said they were yet to corroborate the version of the PSOs. “The Wani family is in shock, so we could not enquire from them about the PSOs’ statement,” said the police officer. The two PSOs were not escorting Wani when the militants attacked him outside his residence at Kalantara Payeen. The two were in Srinagar on the day when Wani was shot dead. The police officer said the investigators were also sifting through thousands of mobile phone calls to hunt for those involved in the attack on the sarpanch. "We are going through calls originating from the towers located in the village and its neighbouring areas and we are hopeful of a breakthrough," he added. Deputy Inspector General of Police, north Kashmir, Rajesh Kumar said the investigation in the case was going on. “We are working on various angles to crack the case,” Kumar told The Tribune. "But so far no major breakthrough has been made." Minister of State for Home Sajjad Kichloo had asked the police on February 25 to conduct an inquiry within two days to find out the circumstances that led to the killing of the sarpanch, even when he was provided security cover. The minister had not ruled out the possibility that the killing might be a result of local rivalry. “Let us wait for the report, which will determine whether it was a militant attack or a result of any local rivalry,” Kichloo had said.
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Hyderabad blasts: ‘Suspect’ turns out to be innocent
Jammu, March 1 The Jammu and Kashmir Police had arrested Mohammed Salahuddin, a native of Fateh Darwaza in Hyderabad city, near a government school in Ramban area on February 26 for his suspicious behaviour. His two real brothers have reached Ramban to take him to Hyderabad, Ramban-Kishtwar-Doda range DIG, Garib Dass told The Tribune. “We have got clarifications from the Hyderabad Police, which has given him a clean chit. We have informed the Hussaini Alam police station that he was not involved in criminal activities and doesn’t have a hazy past. This evening, we handed him to his brothers, Mohammed Sabir Mohiuddin and Jameel Ahmed, who have come from Hyderabad,” said the DIG. However, he would be produced before the Hussaini Alam police station for completing legal formalities, added Dass. He said Salahuddin had suffered heavy financial losses during his stint as an accountant in a private firm in Saudi Arabia from where he was fired. Consequently, he had come back to his home in Hyderabad on January 23. He also had some family problem before going missing on January 26, said the DIG. With no job in hands and some family problem, he had come to the state to find solace but his suspicious behavior, purposeless visit and timing (of Hyderabad blasts) had aroused our suspicion, he said. Moreover, he had kept his passport and 5,000 riyals in his underwear and his wavered replies had further increased our suspicion, he added. When we detained him, he looked like a beggar wearing untidy clothes than commerce post-graduate. We got him medically examined by the doctors here, said the DIG. The police had also recovered two SIM cards, one of a telecom company of Saudi Arabia, and a pen drive from the “suspect”, who has three minor children, a wife and an old mother back home.
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Bhartiya Gujjar Maha Sabha deputation meets Governor
Jammu, March 1 The delegation led by Eshfaq-ur-Rehman Poswal, state president of the organisation, presented a charter of demands to the Governor. Their demands were inclusion of a provision for political reservation for the Gujjar and Bakarwal tribes in the state, organising of special recruitment drives for the youths of the Gujjar and Bakarwal communities in the Army and paramilitary forces, raising a Gujjar regiment in the Army, setting up of more mobile schools and providing insurance cover to the livestock of Gujjars and Bakarwals to compensate for the losses of cattle suffered by them due to natural calamities. The Governor said the demands presented by the delegation would be presented to the state government. The delegation comprised Choudhary Nek Alam, vice-president of the organisation; Choudhary Abdul Hamid Kassana, general secretary; Mohammad Anwar, Sofi Alam Din, Haji Abdul Wahid, Choudhary Sanaullah, Choudhary Mohammad Azam and Mohammad Shabbir.
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Sadhotra is leader of Upper House
Jammu, March 1 Following the nomination, Chairman of the Legislative Council Amrit Malhotra congratulated him and wished him success. Meanwhile, the Council Chairman also welcomed the new faces, Dr Shahnaz Ganai, Sham Lal Bhagat, GN Monga and Ali Mohammad Dar, who were elected recently to the Upper House. Complementing the members, Malhotra said the elections to the four panchayat seats were successfully conducted after a gap of 32 years. He hoped the elected members would take active part in all the Council proceedings. — TNS
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Uproar in House over govt’s failure to bring back Chamel’s body
Jammu, March 1 The National Panthers Party (NPP) even moved an Adjournment Motion in the House and demanded bringing back the mortal remains of Chamel Singh. As soon as the House assembled for the day’s proceedings, Leader of Panthers Legislature Party Harsh Dev Singh got up from his seat and sought to know the decision of the Speaker of Legislative Assembly Mubarak Gul on his party’s Adjournment Motion to suspend the business of the House and discuss the aftermath of the Central and the state government’s failure to bring back Chamel’s mortal remains from Pakistan. “The state government has taken no initiative to bring back Chamel’s body from Pakistan despite the fact that his family made the demand several times. There is a need to discuss the issue in the House so that the Government of India is requested to take up the issue with Pakistan government,” Singh said. Supporting the demand for return of Chamel’s body, BJP legislator Jugal Kishore Sharma said the state government should write to the Government of India so that the family of the deceased can perform his last rites. Chamel Singh (40), who was about to complete his five-year sentence, was allegedly beaten by Kot Lakhpat’s jail staff on January 15. Pakistan had agreed to return his body to the family, which claimed that he (Chamel) had gone missing from his fields on the border with Pakistan in July 2008. The lone Jammu State Morcha (JSM) legislator also joined the chorus and raised his voice over the failure of the government on the issue. He also lashed out at the ruling National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for “scoring political gains” by raising “irrelevant issue” of hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in the House. Later, the legislators of these parties moved to the front row and raised slogans demanding the return of Chamel’s body.
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Govt admits discrepancies in existing BPL lists
Jammu, March 1 Candidly admission of the government regarding discrepancies in the BPL lists has substantiated allegations of the deserving masses that many influential persons, having political backing, have managed to get their names included in the BPL lists. In a written reply to the question of Hiranagar MLA Durga Dass in the Assembly, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Ali Mohammad Sagar said his department was implementing various schemes for BPL population of the state on the basis of a survey conducted by the department in 2002 which stands updated during 2007 as per the standing instructions of Union Ministry of Rural Development. “Since the government observed that there were variations in BPL population shown in different surveys conducted by various departments, therefore, in order to rectify these variations, a government order No 821-GAD of 2009 was issued to determine the exact BPL population in the state,” he said. The minister said as per the order a committee of officers of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD), Rural Development Department and Revenue Department was constituted to jointly scrutinise and reconcile the BPL lists prepared by the CAPD department. The Deputy Commissioner/tehsildars were the nodal authorities for carrying out the re-verification within their respective jurisdiction. The minister further stated in the written reply that the government has ordered conducting of social economic caste Census in accordance with the guidelines issued by Union Ministry for Rural Development. “The process is still going on and expected to be completed in the next 9 to 10 months,” he said.
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PHE minister snubs Rashid for using derogatory language
Jammu, March 1 As soon as the proceedings of the House started today, Sham Lal Sharma stood from his seat and drew attention of Speaker Mubarak Gul towards remarks of Engineer Rashid, which he had passed on yesterday. “He (Rashid) has passed some derogatory remarks against the House, so he does not deserve to be a member of the Assembly”, Sham said and snubbed Rashid for trying to challenge sanctity of the Assembly. “If he (Rashid) has no faith on Assembly, he should be disqualified as Member of the Assembly”, he said and pointed out that the member had passed some remarks which were provocative in nature. Although BJP members had entered into a scuffle with Rashid in the Assembly, none of the members from the ruling coalition has countered him for speaking such a language in the House.
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NC’s adjournment motion on Afzal’s hanging irks ally Cong
Jammu, March 1 To stop its arch riva, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), from taking “political mileage” on the issue, five members of the National Conference (NC) today moved an adjournment motion in the Assembly to suspend normal business of the House and to discuss the delay in getting the remains of Guru. The PDP had moved the adjournment motion on Thursday on the same issue. Sources said the decision to move the motion was taken this morning to counter the PDP’s move. Five members of the National Conference, Nasir Aslam Wani, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehndi, Javed Ahmad Dar, Peer Afaq Ahmad and Mohammad Ashraf Ganie, moved the adjournment motion but the Congress was not happy over this “political move” of its coalition partner. Congress leaders have reasons to be worried over this move of their coalition partner because the BJP would exploit it in the Jammu region to corner the party (Congress). Sources in the Congress said it was decided at the meeting of legislators of both the parties on Thursday evening that the coalition would jointly oppose the attempt of the PDP to politicise the Afzal Guru’s hanging. “We were not aware that the National Conference was going to move an adjournment motion on this issue,” a senior Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity. He said at the meeting both the parties agreed to counter the PDP through a different strategy by raising some other relevant issues in the Assembly. The sources said an emergent meeting of senior Congress leaders was convened this evening to discuss the situation emerged after the National Conference moved a resolution in the Assembly to bring back mortal remains of Afzal Guru. “The state leadership also conveyed their feelings to the party leadership and has made it clear that this move of the National Conference would prove disastrous for the Congress in the Jammu region,” a source said, adding, “The Congress high command has asked the local leaders to take up the issue with the leadership of the National Conference so as to avoid further embarrassment.” Meanwhile, spokesman of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Ravinder Sharma made a veiled attack on National Conference MLAs for trying to rake up the issue. “There is political one-upmanship on this issue,” he said. “Everybody has a right to express his or her view. The Chief Minister has already raised this issue, so there should be no further politics on it,” the spokesman said.
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Shutdown in Kashmir, protesters demand bodies of
Afzal, Butt
Srinagar, March 1 Main markets in the region’s summer capital, Srinagar city, remained closed and transport services across the Kashmir valley were affected by the shutdown. Though shops were open in the city outskirts and private cars and cabs were plying, the semblance of a shutdown was prevalent in the region.
Parliament to decide on Afzal’s body: Minister
Jammu, March 1 “Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has already taken up the matter with the Prime Minister, who had asked him that the issue would be discussed in Parliament. The state government has no role on the issue as the final decision on the return of mortal remains is to be taken by Parliament,” Kichloo told mediapersons outside the Legislative Assembly here.
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Gujjars’ deputation meets Guv
Jammu, March 1 Their demands were inclusion of a provision for political reservation for the Gujjar and Bakarwal tribes in the state, organising of special recruitment drives for the youths of the Gujjar and Bakarwal communities in the Army and paramilitary forces, raising a Gujjar regiment in the Army, setting up of more mobile schools and providing insurance cover to the livestock of Gujjars and Bakarwals to compensate for the losses of cattle suffered by them due to natural calamities. The Governor said the demands presented by the delegation would be presented to the state government. The delegation comprised Choudhary Nek Alam, vice-president of the organisation; Choudhary Abdul Hamid Kassana, general secretary; Mohammad Anwar, Sofi Alam Din, Haji Abdul Wahid, Choudhary Sanaullah, Choudhary Mohammad Azam and Mohammad Shabbir. |
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Tribal foundation gives memo to Governor
Jammu, March 1 Their demands were inclusion of Gojri language in the eighth Schedule of the Constitution, establishment of a Tribal University in the state, setting up of a research centre for Gojri language at the University of Jammu, reservation in employment and admissions to various courses at the University of Kashmir (KU) and Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University for the Scheduled Tribes and opening of the Gojri Department at the KU. The Governor assured the deputation that the issues raised by it would be discussed with the authorities concerned.
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The decision of the ruling National Conference to move an adjournment motion in the Assembly on Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru’s hanging has irked the Congress leadership.
Srinagar, March 1
A nine-member delegation of the Bhartiya Gujjar Maha Sabha, J&K Chapter, met Governor N N Vohra at Raj Bhavan here today.
The delegation led by Eshfaq-ur-Rehman Poswal, state president of the
organisation, presented a charter of demands to the Governor.
