Srinagar, March 13
The three district of central Kashmir remained shut for the day while protests erupted in parts of the old city here after the killing of a 24-year-old man.

Ganderbal, Srinagar and Budgam - the three districts located in central Kashmir - remained closed as shops and markets were shut and traffic services remained suspended.

The protests broke out in the evening hours in several parts of the old city here as residents, angry over the killing of a man identified as Altaf Ahmad Wani - who was shot dead by CRPF personnel, clashed with police and paramilitary personnel.

The clashes were continuing at Nawab Bazar, Aali Masjid and at Eid Gah till late in the evening as they spread to other parts of the old city.

A resident of the old city said protesters were throwing stones and bricks at a CRPF installation near Aali Masjid and intense tear-smoke shelling was going on.

Hundreds of people had gathered at the Eid Gah to offer Wani’s funeral prayers.

A state government spokesman said the authorities had ordered imposition of restrictions on civilian movement and transport services in Srinagar district till further orders.

Earlier in the day, five CRPF personnel were killed in a militant attack at Bemina, on the outskirts of the city.

Soon after the attack, strict restrictions were imposed in Bemina locality and a large number of policemen were deployed in the area after some residents resorted to stone-throwing at the police vehicle parked near the attack site.

Kupwara, March 13
Amid a shutdown in north Kashmir, sporadic incidents of clashes were reported in parts of Baramulla. A civil curfew and shutdown badly hit normal life in Handwara and Kupwara. Public transport was completely off the roads and shops remained closed. Private vehicles were seen plying on the roads.

Groups of youth clashed with police and CRPF at Baramulla.

The youth dispersed after brief clashes and no one was injured, sources said.

Government and private offices witnessed very thin attendance of employees in north Kashmir.

Schools also witnessed very thin attendance of students and teachers. Additional columns of cops were deployed in the town after the clashes.

Movement of private vehicles was affected in parts which witnessed clashes in Baramulla, sources said. Students failed to attend schools in Baramulla due to absence of public transport on roads.

They were demanding release of youth detained by police on charges of stone-throwing.

Posters asking shopkeepers not to open their shops today were seen pasted on shops in Kupwara market, sources said.

“Hand-written posters were seen pasted on some shops in Kupwara market. The posters asked them to observe a complete strike and civil curfew in protest against the atrocities of security forces in Kashmir,” sources said.

There was no deployment of police and CRPF in major towns of north Kashmir.

Health care in major hospitals of Kashmir was severely affected due to civil curfew and shutdown.

Many patients failed to reach hospitals as public transport remained off the roads due to civil curfew. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Mushawarat (MMM), a united front of separatists, on Sunday announced a fresh protest calendar asking people to observe a civil curfew on Wednesday.

Anantnag, March 13
A complete shutdown was observed on Wednesday in all the four districts of South Kashmir; the situation remained peaceful, barring some stray incidents of stone-throwing.

A shutdown call was extended by the Muttahida Majlis-e-Mushawrat (MMM), an amalgam of the separatist groups in the Valley. Reports said all commercial establishments and government offices across south Kashmir remained closed.

“The traffic on the roads was almost negligible and shops were shut,” said reports.

Schools and other educational institutions too remained closed for the day.

Schools had opened on Monday after a vacation of more than three months.

“All the private schools had decided to keep their institutions shut,” said Khursheed Ahmad, a private school owner in Anantnag town.

In Shopian, clashes between the youth and contingents of police and paramilitary forces were witnessed in Gagran area of the district. Other parts of the district remained largely peaceful. “No untoward incident was reported from any other part of the district,” reports said.

Pulwama town and its peripheries remained peaceful throughout the day and no untoward incident was reported from any part of the district.

Likewise, Anantnag and Kulgam districts too remained by and large peaceful. Meanwhile, huge contingents of police and CRPF personnel were deployed in many parts of the region.

The shutdown call was extended by the MMM to demand the return of the mortal remains of Muhammad Afzal Guru, the 2001 Parliament attack convict, who was hanged on the premises of Tihar Jail in New Delhi on February 9.

Jammu, March 13
Condemning the suicide attack on the CRPF camp in Srinagar today, in which five jawans were killed and seven others were injured, the All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association has expressed serious concern over the fresh spate of militancy and violence in Kashmir.

In a press statement issued here today, association president Indeerjeet Khajuria said at a time when the tourist season in Kashmir was round the corner and preparations were ahead for the Amarnath Yatra, the enemies of peace and people’s interests were again raising their head to disturb peace and normalcy in Kashmir, to mar tourism and pilgrimage.

The AJHLA president said last two years, particularly 2012, has witnessed a heavy rush of tourists and Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir, providing succour and economic boon to all the stakeholders in tourism and pilgrimage. But this was unpalatable to the elements, who thrive in unrest and violence, and hence they are all out to bring things back to square, destroying tourism in Kashmir.

Khajuria has blamed the politicians with western interests for creating a fluid situation in Kashmir over the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, providing handle and a futile ground to the terrorists from across the country and their agents to take advantage of the fluid situation, to revive militancy in Kashmir, which was sustainably controlled by the Indian Army and security forces, who made supreme sacrifices to bring back peace and normalcy in Kashmir. 

Srinagar, March 13
The High Court has directed Jammu and Kashmir Animal Welfare Board to form a committee of experts to discuss the feasibility of destruction of stray dogs. It has given the board one week to constitute the committee.

Once constituted, the committee shall come out with a concrete proposal or suggestion so that the dog scare, which has given rise to public outcry, is taken care of in a more effective manner within a short span of time, the High Court said in its orders.

These directions were issued by a division bench comprising Justices Mohammad Yaqoob Mir and Janak Raj Kotwal this week, which is hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking an end to the increasing number of stray dogs in Srinagar.

“The expert committee, after a comprehensive study of the problem and after following Section 304 of the J&K Municipal Corporation Act and Regulation No 8 (iii) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Establishment & Regulation of Animal Welfare Board & Societies) Bylaws, 2011, shall come out with a concrete proposal or suggestions so that the dog scare, which has given rise to public outcry, is taken care of in a more effective manner within a short span of time,” the Bench said in its orders.

“The board shall constitute the expert committee within one week and thereafter, the committee shall submit its report within three weeks”, the Bench observed in its detailed orders.

The High Court Bar Association, which had been included in the Public Interest Litigation as interveners, has been pressing for destruction of stray dogs in terms of Section 304 of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act, 2000.

As regards the previous report of the government-constituted expert committee, which too had been asked by the court to suggest ways and measures other than Animal Birth Control (ABC) for controlling the dog menace, the Bench observed that the committee had focused mainly on Animal Birth Control.

“But the present problem of bites by ferocious dogs remains as it is at the peril of public at large,” the Bench said, adding, “Animal Birth Control is alright, but that shall not absolve the authorities from taking care of ferocious stray dogs who have made the lives of human beings uncomfortable and miserable.”

This expert committee, which was constituted by the state Chief Secretary following the High Court directions in June 2012 in its report to the High Court, had also said Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) should launch mass awareness and advocacy campaigns to “contain” what it calls “fear and confusion about stray dogs fuelled by rumours and media hype” and had also ruled out the killing/destruction of stray dogs as demanded by the Bar Association.

PIL — Timeline

In the PIL filed by advocates Nadeem Qadri, AR Hanjura, and a law student Syed Musaib, intervention of court has been sought to address the stray dog problem in Srinagar city, whose population, according to the SMC, has touched over 1 lakh.

The Bar Association, as interveners in the Public Interest Litigation, has been pressing for destruction of stray dogs in terms of Section 304 of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act, 2000.

Subsequently, the government had constituted an expert committee in June 2012 to suggest ways for controlling increasing dog population.

The committee, in its final report to the High Court, had disapproved suggestions about chemical sterilisation of stray dogs or their destruction/killing.

The committee also did not approve the suggestion related to shifting of stray dogs from Srinagar city to some other places, saying that the dogs have a tendency to come back to their original place.

The expert committee had, however, approved ‘sterilisation or animal birth control’ employing surgery the only “long-term, humane, permanent and sustainable solution”.

The High Court has now asked Jammu and Kashmir Animal Welfare Board to form a committee to explore other options like destruction of aggressive strays.

Srinagar, March 13
Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) on Wednesday termed the death of an auto-rickshaw driver in south Kashmir, who succumbed to injuries suffered in stone-pelting, as “most disgusting and sorrowful”.

“The way a young driver Reyaz Ahmad Khanday lost his precious life is most disgusting and sorrowful and such incidents become a cause of disrepute for the entire community,” JeI spokesman Advocate Zahid Ali said in a statement.

The spokesman said to prevent this in future, a joint strategy and “clear stand” was needed.

“A joint strategy and clear stand is to be devised so that the nation gets the right guidance at this most critical juncture,” the spokesman said.

Khanday, an auto-rickshaw driver by profession, had suffered critical injuries during stone-pelting in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district to which he succumbed on Monday night.

JeI, while expressing its total solidarity and deep sympathy with Khanday’s family, also appealed to them to show patience.

Srinagar, March 13
Separatist leaders in Kashmir have condemned the killing of a civilian in downtown Srinagar by the security forces. Meanwhile, Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani, who is under house arrest, has announced to visit Afzal Guru’s house on March 15.

Altaf Ahmad Wani was shot dead when the CRPF men opened fire at Saidapora locality in downtown Srinagar today. “Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, while condemning the killing of the civilian by the CRPF, has termed this an act of frustration by the forces,” a spokesman of the Hurriyat Conference said.

“Mirwaiz has said that all these killing are direct consequence of the unbridled powers given to the forces under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act,” the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the hardline Hurriyat leader has announced to visit Afzal guru’s house in Sopore village on March 15. Afzal, convicted for involvement in the Parliament attack, was hanged in the Tihar Jail on February 9.

“On Friday, March 15, Geelani will visit Afzal Guru’s house in Jageer village after offering Friday prayers in sopore. Then, he will also visit Watergam village and Baramulla town,” a spokesman of the Hurriyat faction, lead by Geelani said here.

In a separate statement, JKLF chairman Yasin Malik has termed the killing of Altaf as “barbarism”. “The forces have unleashed a reign of terror in the valley. What was the sin of Altaf? Why was this innocent young man was killed without provocation? What is the sin of his innocent daughters who have lost their only bread earner,” a JKLF spokesman quoted Malik in a statement. 

Srinagar, March 13
The state government on yesterday provided training in Basic Life Saving (BLS) and first aid to nearly 50 video and photo journalists. The journalists were given a practical presentation by experts from the Health Department, Kashmir, in dealing with emergencies on the road.

“As the photo and video journalists are the first ones to reach any spot, we thought it was important for them to know how to first take care of themselves,” said the Director, Health, Kashmir, Dr Saleem-Ur-Rehman. “We provided them some basic tips about the BLS and we hope it will help journalists reporting from Kashmir,” he added.

In fact, the Director said that in the next phase they would provide training in the BLS to journalists from the print media.

The journalists were trained by master trainers Dr Khursheed Iqbal and Dr Fatheh Mohammad Iqbal who have been trained by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Dr Eric Bernes. “We trained them today in how to get immediate care, which one needs before reaching any health centre,” said an official. The trainers advised photo and video journalists that the golden rule while covering any event was that no picture was worth a life.

“So always take care of yourself and when you will be safe, you will then be able to show the story to the rest of world,” a health official, Dr Niyaz Jan told journalists. Since armed militancy erupted in the Valley, nearly a dozen journalists have been killed. 

Srinagar, March 13
A group of 24 students, who had gone to Rajasthan as part of the National Integration Programme, returned Kashmir after 12 days of the tour. The students were drawn from various schools of Budgam and Pulwama districts in south and central Kashmir and their trip to Rajasthan was sponsored by the Army, a defense spokesman said in a statement here.

“The group of 24 exuberant and enterprising students of various schools returned from 12-day tour to Rajasthan. A flagging-in ceremony was also held at Qasba Nagam, Budgam, to welcome theentourage,” the spokesman said.

“During the function, the youth shared their experiences and mentioned that the tour provided them an opportunity to visit numerous exotic places, understand the diverse culture of Rajasthan and development outside Jammu and kashmir,” he said.

During their stay in Rajasthan, the students visited various places like Ajmer, Udaipur and Mount Abu, Pushkar Lake, Udaipur City Palace, Vintage Car Museum and Guru Shikhar Peak (Highest point in Rajasthan) besides a number of other tourist spots, the spokesman added.

The children, he said, were also taken to some of the prestigious educational institutes of the country like Pacific University, Udaipur, and Mayo College, Ajmer, where they interacted with the students and faculty members.

“At Pacific University, the students were briefed about various facilities like free education, boarding and lodging facilities for the Kashmiri youth,” he said. The tour was organised by the 53 Rashtriya Rifles. 

Jammu, March 13
Higher Education Department has recognised degrees obtained by students from Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) through regular mode. They can now pursue their education from the Jammu University.

This information was given by Minister for Higher Education Mohammad Akbar Lone while replying to a clubbed calling attention notice by Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri and Dr Shehnaz Ganai.

He said so far as recognition of degrees through distance mode of education is concerned, the matter was discussed in the Academic Council meeting recently, wherein it was resolved that the same be recognised after verification for Maulana Azad National Urdu University that the examination for which the degree issued was conducted directly by the University itself and not through any study centre/franchise.

The revenue papers prepared by the Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, are being examined and processed in the department for authentication and placement of the requisite indent to the Revenue Department for transfer of land. However, the ownership of the said land shall remain in the name of Higher Education Department, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, he added. 

Srinagar, March 13
In the wake of an indefinite curfew which is to be imposed by the state government from March 14 in Srinagar district, Kashmir University has postponed the examinations which were to be held tomorrow.

As per KU authorities, the examinations scheduled for March 14 have been cancelled for various Post Graduate (PG) courses and the fresh dates of examinations will be notified later. 

Srinagar, March 13
The Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) and Medical College will begin masters course in orthopaedics from this year. The direction in this regard was given by the Medical Council of India (MCI). “The institute will begin MS orthopaedics course from 2013- 2014 and the intake capacity is likely to be increased when all the criterion are met,” an official handout stated.

The Department of Orthopaedics at the institute has already conducted special surgical procedures of spinal surgery and anthroscopy. Dr Showkat Zargar, Director, SKIMS, and ex-officio Secretary to the government, has congratulated the department over the feat. He said the institute would ensure to provide best academic culture with advanced facilities in the related fields.

He said this was a major achievement on the part of the institute as the state had less number of orthopaedics available and this would encourage more students to join the field.

Jammu, March 13
The J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Jammu, today organised a Punjabi Kavi Darbar at KL Saigal Hall here. A total of 16 poets participated in the darbar which was inaugurated by Savita Bakshi, Additional Secretary, Jammu.

Deedar Singh, a renowned Punjabi writer, was the chief guest while Saran Singh presided over the function.

Savita Bakshi said Punjabi poets had contributed a lot in the field of poetry. She also highlighted cultural activities of the academy being held in the rural areas.

Saran Singh lauded the efforts of the academy in organising the programme, besides complementing efforts of Punjabi section, working for the development of Punjab language and literature.

Deedar Singh encouraged the poets, who recited their poetry in the Kavi Darbar. They included HS Rehbar, SS Mastana, Monojit, Rattan Kanwal, Mangat Singh Jugnu, Dr Sarna, Balwinder Singh and Aman Singh. The proceedings of the programme were conducted by Popinder Singh while Neeru Sharma presented the vote of thanks. 

Jammu, March 13
Sacred Heart College of Education got the better of KCS College of Education in the finals to emerge victorious in the two-day-long Inter-College Badminton Tournament organised on the college premises here today.

Dr Mubarak Singh, HoD, Education was the chief guest, who distributed prizes among the winners. Mubarak Singh threw light on the importance of sports in day-to-day life. He also impressed upon the participants and other students to participate in sports activities for the overall development.

Earlier, principal of the host college Dr KK Tiwari, in his welcome address, introduced the participants with the chief guest.

Prof RK Bakshi, presented the vote of thanks. Players from various colleges, including Sai Shyam College, National College, Chenab College, Tawish College, KCS College, BN College and the host college participated in the sporting event. 

Jammu, March 13
Shashi Jamwal of Survey of India (SOI) proved his supremacy by retaining the chess title during the competition being organised by the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee (CGEWCC), here today.

In the final, Shashi Jamwal had the last laugh against Raju Bhanotra of Principal Accountant General (PAG). Vijay Singh of Intelligence Bureau (IB) had to settle for the third slot after losing to Raju Bhanotra.

Earlier, in the second round, Sanjeev Sharma of SOI defeated his compatriot Vinod Choudhary while Surinder Mohan outclassed Sandesh Kumar of PAG.

Similarly, Vijay Singh overcame the challenge of DK Jamwal of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) and Saransh Sharma of the NSSO defeated PS Jamwal of the same department. In another match, Raju Bhanotra notched up win over Rajinder Gupta of Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM). 

Anantnag, March 13
A 15-year-old girl died and two other persons were injured after they were trapped in a landslide in Bijbehara area of this south Kashmir district, police reports said. Masrat Jan, daughter of Abdul Wahab Rah, a resident of Waghama area in Bijbehara, had gone to the nearby hilly area to fetch soil, along with some other members of the family. “While they were extracting soil, a landslide occurred and they were trapped,” said Ijaz Ahmad, a local. He said the three of them were rescued and were taken to the hospital; the girl succumbed to her injuries on way to the hospital.

The two other persons are undergoing treatment while the body of Masrat Jan has been handed over to the family for last rites. Locals said the hill in the vicinity had been used for soil-quarrying for long and this had taken a toll on its strength. — OC

Srinagar, March 13
One person died when he was hit by a passenger cab in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

Abdul Salam Shera, a resident of Bozgam village, died when he was hit by a passenger cab near his residence in Kulgam district, a police spokesman said. The spokesman said the body of the deceased had been handed over to his family for last rites while police has registered a case. — TNS