GOC-in-C condoles death

Lt Gen KT Parnaik, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, expressed his deep sorrow and regret over the loss of a precious life in Baramulla. He offered his heart-felt condolences to the bereaved family. The Army commander has ordered a time-bound inquiry into the incident.

Srinagar, March 6
Wireless Internet services were restored in the Kashmir valley today evening after remaining shut for two days.

The services, which had been stopped since Tuesday morning on all wireless Internet service connections, including on mobile phones in the region, were restored in the evening.

Several residents confirmed the Internet service had been restored on their devices and mobile phones.

An official of the private service provider had said yesterday they had received an order from the police authorities to shut down wireless Internet services for two days till Wednesday evening.

While the Srinagar district administration said it was not aware about any order to suspend the services, a senior police officer neither denied nor confirmed that the order had been issued. There has been no official word from the authorities about why they ordered the suspension of services.

Internet services provided by all the private companies had remained suspended since yesterday though the broadband Internet service of state-owned BSNL remained operational.

Srinagar, March 6
Kashmir University has yet again postponed PG examinations scheduled to be held on March 7 and March 8 in the wake of ongoing curfew in various areas of the Valley.

At present, PG students of KU from second and fourth semesters are taking their examinations on the university campus. The examinations at KU are being repeatedly cancelled due to prevailing tension and law and order situation in the Valley.

Although the university had conducted examinations on March 4 and 5 despite strikes on those days, KU’s examination authorities say with more restrictions in place from today, the conduct of examinations would not be possible.

“In order to ensure safety of our students, we had to cancel these examinations. We had managed to conduct examinations on the days of strike with difficulty but the same is not possible now,” said Muhammad Afzal Bhat, Controller of Examinations.

Earlier, when the university had conducted examinations on curfew days, there were objections from students of not being able to make it to examination centre (main campus) due to curfew restrictions. A majority of the students at KU, who belong to districts other than Srinagar, are of the opinion that the examinations should be cancelled on such days.

“It is good that examinations are cancelled. The examination admit cards, which are to be treated as curfew passes, aren’t being treated as the same. As the authorities don’t allow plying of vehicles, it is not possible to reach the university,” said Mukhtar Ahmad, a student hailing from Budgam.

Anantnag, March 6
The family of Mudassir Kamran has rejected the government’s proposal to visit Hyderabad and ascertain the facts regarding his death.

Mudassir Kamran, a 29-year-old research scholar at English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) was found dead in his hostel room on Saturday last under mysterious circumstances.

While the police in Hyderabad has been maintaining that the death was a clear cut case of suicide, Mudassir’s family has alleged that their son had been 
murdered for his pro-freedom stand.

Following allegations by the family and residents of Parigam village in Pulwama, the government had put forth a proposal to the family, asking them to visit Hyderabad along with some officials from 
the state government so that they could ascertain the facts.

“I have sent an official letter to the family regarding the matter,” said Pulwama Deputy Commissioner Shafat Noor Barlas.

The letter number DCP/JC/PA/13-1618 dated 05-03-2013 was delivered personally by the tehsildar concerned.

The state government had offered to bear all expenses on the family’s visit to English and Foreign Languages University in Hyderabad. The letter read if the family wished they could take along some officials of the state government along with them.

While the Mudassir’s family said they had rejected the government’s proposal, the Deputy Commissioner of Pulwama, Shafat Noor Barlas said the family was yet to respond to the official correspondence.

“There is nothing more to establish in this case,” said Ashiq Hussain Malla, Mudassir’s brother. “He had visible torture marks on his body. He has been murdered and there is nothing more to it,” he said.

Srinagar, March 6
The separatists today condemned the killing of a youth in Baramulla. They also said it was high time the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was revoked from the state.

“The killing of Tahir Sofi in Baramulla is yet another instance of the failure of state government to protect the innocent lives in Kashmir,” moderate Hurriyat leader and chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference, said in a statement.

Condemning the “use of force by men in uniform on protesters”, Bilal said, “As the people in the Valley were yet to come out of the grief of the killing of Mudassir Kamran in Hyderabad, the killing in Baramulla has come as a shocker”.

The killing had added to the worries of the people who had already been feeling alienated, he added.

“It is high time to revoke the AFSPA from the state to pave way for peaceful settlement of Kashmir issue,” he said, while demanding stern action against those involved in Tahir’s killing.

In a separate statement issued here, a JKLF spokesman, quoting party chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, termed the killing of Tahir in Baramulla as an act of terrorism. Malik is currently on a visit to Pakistan.

“While paying tributes to the slain youth, Malik said the trigger happy forces in Kashmir have been given a free license to kill and it is high time when international community come out from their deep slumber and raise their voices against this unilateral violence in Kashmir,” the JKLF spokesman said.

Meanwhile, condemning the killing of a boy, Tahir Rasool Sofi in Baramulla on Tuesday, the Grand Mufti (Chief cleric) of Kashmir said Tahir’s killing and the death of a Kashmiri PhD scholar Mudassir Kamran in Hyderabad last week were “interlinked”.

Tahir, a post-graduate in Social Work, was killed in Baramulla on Tuesday when the Army opened fire during a protest demonstration in the town. Tahir’s parents alleged that he was killed by the Army, while the latter has denied the charge, saying soldiers had fired in the air.

“The incidents involving the death of Mudassir in Hyderabad and the recent killing of Tahir Sofi are connected with each other”, Grand Muti Syed Bashiruddin said in a statement.

“The hanging of Afzal has set the whole state on fire. And when the people are demanding return of his body, bullets are being showered on hapless Kashmiris, which is condemnable”, he said.

“The body of Mudassir, who died in Hyderabad, bore torture marks. Subsequently, a boy was killed in Baramulla during a protest over the killing of Mudassir. This shows that the Central government is not serious over Kashmir”, he said, while terming the whole sequence of the events since the hanging of Afzal as “unfortunate.”

While condoling the death of both the boys, the Grand mufti however urged people to show restrain and take recourse to patience.

In another statement, Jamiat Ahlaihadees, a prominent religious body of Kashmir condemned the killing of Tahir Ahmad Sofi at Baramulla. “Tahir’s killing is a criminal act. Now the attempt to conceal this fact is shameful”, Jamiat president Moulana Ghulam Rasool Malik said in statement issued here.

The Jamiat has also expressed their condolences with the bereaved parents of the boy.

Srinagar, March 6
Four houses were damaged in a fire incident last evening in the city.

A police spokesman said the fire broke out in the house of Ghulam Nabi Pandith, at Tangpora Bhat Bagh near Safakadal, and spread to the adjacent houses.

Three more houses, belonging to Bashir Ahmad Sheikh, Bashir Ahmad Darzi and Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, were damaged in the fire. The blaze was brought under control with the help of fire tenders and local police and a case has been registered, the spokesman said. — TNS

Srinagar, March 6
J&K police has registered a case against unidentified gunmen for allegedly abducting a woman panchayat member in north Kashmir.

The woman, from ruling National Conference, Rafeeqa Begum, 45, wife of Mohammad Shafi Lone, on Tuesday had alleged that she was abducted by gunmen in Kupwara district for few hours and later released.

“We have registered a case under Section 364 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) against unidentified gunmen,” said a police officer in Srinagar.

“We have started investigations into the case and are looking into all angles,” he added.

Rafeeqa, a resident of Tikkipora, had alleged that she was kidnapped by two gunmen in the wee hours when she stepped out of her house.

“The two gunmen kidnapped and threatened me of dire consequences, if I did not resign as a panchayat member. They also thrashed me and allowed me to go home only after three hours,” Rafeeqa had told the police after she was released.

She was later taken to a hospital for medical examination.

The alleged abduction happened three days after the police in Kupwara foiled a bid to kill a panch and arrested Bashir Ahmed Sheikh, a resident of Chalgund, Haihama. On February 24, sarpanch Javid Ahmed Wani was shot dead by suspected militants in Baramulla district.

Srinagar, March 6
One person died and 18 others were injured in different road accidents across the Kashmir valley.

Ghulam Qadir (60), a resident of Noorbagh, was hit by a truck at Sekidafar Chowk, a police spokesman said. He was shifted to SKIMS hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

In Kupwara town, a truck’s brakes failed, causing injuries to all 16 occupants. All the injured were shifted to a hospital for treatment.

In Budgam district, a passenger vehicle turned turtle near Ompora, resulting in injuries to two people, both of whom were shifted to hospital for treatment.

Cases were registered in all accidents, the spokesman said.