The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Imam shot dead in Pulwama Police detains two persons for questioning Suhail A Shah Pulwama, May 11 Imam of a local mosque was shot dead by some unidentified gunmen outside his house in Armulla locality of Lassipora area here on Friday evening. The police has detained two suspects in this regard. The incident took place hours after suspected militants shot dead an Assistant Sub-Inspector at busy Rajpora Chowk of the district. According to reports, Mudassir Ahmad Mir of Armulla village received was shot at several times outside his house on Friday evening. “He was immediately rushed to the District Hospital in Pulwama where doctors declared him brought dead,” reports said. Reports said Mir had just reached home after offering Isha prayers but left soon after receiving a phone call. “We have the phone number from which the victim had received the call,” said SSP, Pulwama, Amit Kumar. He said, “We are analyzing the call records of the phone number.” “We have rounded up two people so far as part of the investigation,” he said. “While prima facie there does not seem to be any link between the police officer’s killing and this case, but things will become clear only after investigation,” SSP said. Mir came from a very humble background and is survived by parents, wife and three children, including two daughters. Earlier in the day suspected militants had shot dead an ASI of the Kashmir Police at Rajpora Chowk. The ASI, Farooq Ahmad Sheikh was on Law and Order duty at the Chowk when some pistol-borne militants, riding a bike fired several shots at him. He was declared brought dead at the hospital, the police said. The militant out-fit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen later claimed responsibility for the attack. “The attack was carried out by our militants,” Hizb spokesperson Baleeg-ud-din had told a local news agency, KNS, over the phone. The assasination Imam of a local mosque Mudassir Ahmad Mir of Armulla village was shot dead by some unidentified gunmen outside his house in Armulla locality of Lassipora area Mir had just reached home after offering Isha prayers but left soon after receiving a phone call Mir came from a very humble background and is survived by parents, wife and three children, including two daughters.
	Weapons seized Darshan Bharti Poonch, May 11 The security forces today seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including 4 AK rifles, near the Line of Control in Balakote sector in Poonch. Two rifles of modernised version of AK rifle, AK 7 ML were also seized from the site. The weapons were seized from Sabra Gali in Balakote sector, one km ahead of the fence, as the Army stepped up patrolling to scuttle any attempt by the militants to sneak into the district from across the border, officials said. Infiltration is likely to increase due to mounting pressure from the ISI from across the border, they said. SP, Poonch, Shamsheer Hussain said, “The arms were seized following information that militants had dumped a cache of arms and ammunition somewhere ahead of the fence near the LoC in Balakote sector and were trying to hand it over to the OGWs for further delivery.” Security forces had detected an IED in the same location yesterday and have launched a massive search operation. Sources said in addition to the AK rifles, the arms seized include four pistols, seven radio sets, one UBGL, one Granade, 1,019 AK rounds, three mobile phones, one IED, eight AK magazines, five pistol magazines, one IED remote and some eatables.
	‘Ensure safety of Kashmiri prisoners’ Tribune News Service Srinagar, May 11 CPI (M) state secretary, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in New Delhi on Friday evening and raised the issue of security for Kashmiri prisoners in wake of recent two fatal attacks on Indo-Pak prisoners. “During the one-on-one meeting, the CPI (M) leader discussed a number of socio-political issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir besides the safety concerns of Kashmiri prisoners,” the party spokesperson said in a statement today.
	Police rejects teenager’s claim of forcing him to spy on stone pelters Azhar Qadri Tribune News Service Srinagar, May 11 Danish Farooq Wani, 16, of Chatabal in Srinagar, has accused the police of trying to push him to spy on his fellow stone pelters. Danish, a Class X student, was arrested in November last year for throwing stones during a protest and dubbed by the police as a “notorious stone-pelter”. He later got a bail. He has alleged that the police was forcing him to accompany them during raids on fellow stone pelters. The police has refuted the allegation. He has filed an application before a local court alleging he was being “forced to act as a spy” by the police.His arrest had drawn the attention of human rights groups, including the Amnesty International, which had alleged that the teenager was being treated “as an adult rather than a child”. In an application filed before a local court, by Wani's counsel Syed Babar, said the teenager alleged that he was being “continuously harassed”. Babar said the alleged police action of forcing the teenager to spy had put Wani’s and his family’s life “at risk”. A senior police officer said the boy may be trying to “malign” the department. “If a person is a stone pelter, he may try to malign people (police) so that the law enforcement agency is presented in the worst possible manner. How can you rely on a person who has been a stone pelter,” DIG, Central Kashmir, Syed Afadul Mujtaba said. Mujtaba said no one is beaten to become a spy. “The basic concept is that a spy or informers are friends of the police,” he said. However, the teenage boy has pleaded that he be sent to judicial custody “in order to save” his life. Wani has also alleged he was made to “stay” at the police station for a night even after being granted bail by a court. “When my family called, the officer picked up the phone and told them that I was at Gulmarg with them,” he said. “It has now become a situation where his own people are treating him as a traitor and the police is behaving with him as if he is a militant,” Babar alleged. SHO, Shaheed Gunj police station, Showkat Ahmad, who is one of the two officers against whom the accusation has been filed, said Wani was making “baseless allegations”. “He is a notorious stone pelter and a desperate criminal against whom many cases are registered. He is trying to divert attention and making up false claims to wriggle out of the cases,” Ahmad said. He said the “first and foremost duty” of the police was to act towards “prevention and detection” of crime. “For that purpose I can use any legal method. When the Army used to crackdown here in the past they would use humans in the parade. This is our duty, so instead of discouraging this we should appreciate it,” he said.
	Doubts over Tawi lake project Experts say there is no plan to stop influx of sewage into the river Sumit Hakhoo Jammu, May 11 While executing agencies claim to have completed 75 per cent of the work to create Jammu’s first artificial lake on the Tawi river, senior government officials have raised serious doubts about its success. Though the work is under way, no solution has been found to deal with more than 12 drains, which open up in the river at several places along its course through the city. Sources said the lake’s construction, which started about three years back, was in violation of environmental norms and that no strategy had been made to stop the dumping of plastic and solid waste in the river. A senior officer in the Irrigation and Flood Control Department said the lake would become a cesspool as tonnes of solid waste and sewerage water will get accumulated near the barrage being constructed near Bhagwati Nagar. “The lake project has become a huge burden as its construction was shifted from Sidhra to Bhagwati Nagar, under political pressure, to benefit some people having land near the site. In the long run, it will be like a big lake of sewerage water,” said the officer. The idea of creating the artificial lake was first conceived in 1986 by the then Governor, Jagmohan, and Sidhra was identified for its construction. The successive governments neglected the project and it was only in 2008 that the state government initiated the process. However, business interests played a major role in shifting the site from Sidhra. Earlier, some people living in the vicinity of the lake project protested against its construction alleging that their land will get flooded. However, the matter was downplayed by the government and the then Minister for PHE and Irrigation, Taj-Mohi-ud-Din. The prestigious Rs 140-crore Tawi lake project was one of the most important initiatives of the state government to make the city attractive for the visitors, while using the barrage water to augment irrigation facilities in the paddy-growing areas of the district. The reservoir will lift 700 cusecs of water from the Tawi to recharge the Ranbir Canal to irrigate 8,000 kanals of agricultural land in villages dependent on rainfall. “It will further choke the river body because no plan has been formulated to stop the flow of sewerage water and solid waste on the banks of river. All the waste will pile up near the dam site and it will also affect the groundwater as seepage of sewerage water will render drinking water unsuitable for use,” said Bushan Parimoo, an environmentalist, who has worked for saving the river body. Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Flood Control, KK Gupta said only a small portion of civic work was pending while mechanical work, including construction of iron shafts and other parts, was going on. “We will complete our target of constructing the lake by July. Other aspects have also been taken care of and sewerage treatment plants are also proposed to be constructed,” Gupta said.
	Army to hold recruitment rallies in Ladakh Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, May 11 In a move seen as a step to fortify and improve defences along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, the Army has decided to conduct open rallies to recruit troopers in Leh and Kargil districts from May 20 to 24. The move comes close on the heels of an “amicable” resolution reached between India and China to the three-week stand-off at Daulat Beg Oldie sector on May 5. Defence spokesperson claimed the recruitment rallies were scheduled before the Chinese intrusion in Daulat Beg Oldie sector and should not be seen as a fallout of the Chinese misadventure. The Army will conduct an open recruitment rally at Nemu from May 20 to May 24 for Leh and Kargil districts of the Ladakh region. The aspirants, meeting the eligibility criteria and hailing from Leh and Kargil districts, have been asked to report at the rally for screening on May 20 in Leh and on May 21 in Kargil at 7 am. “Ladakh Scouts is in the region to protect the frontiers and rallies in Leh and Kargil are not the result of the recent Chinese misadventure,” said a Defence Ministry official. Schedule The Army will conduct an open recruitment rally at Nemu from May 20 to May 24 for Leh and Kargil districts of the Ladakh region
	Cong warring factions meet Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, May 11 Amid reports that the Congress is going to start operation “clean-up” in the state before Lok Sabha elections to throw out tainted ministers, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saifuddin Soz today met his bete noire-Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand to “discuss” important party issues. Former Deputy Chief Minister and veteran leader Mangat Ram Sharma was also present in the hour-long meeting. Tara Chand is a loyalist of Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and his meeting with the PCC chief gained importance at this crucial juncture when the party has been facing crises due to “war of words” between two cabinet ministers. The high command has also taken a serious note of the recent developments in the state party unit. “In the next coordination committee meeting, the Congress representatives would give a clear warning to the NC to pursue the Congress agenda in the government,” sources said.
	Mazdoor conference demands release of 8 per cent DA Tribune News Service Jammu, May 11 Members of the National Mazdoor Conference (NMC) today stressed the need for releasing the eight-per cent DA instalment due from January in favour of state government employees and pensioners. NMC president Subash Shastri urged the Chief Minister to release the same at the earliest as soaring prices had made their life difficult. Addressing NMC activists here, Shastri said the state government had earmarked funds for the release of DA instalments in the state budget and so, the delay of releasing the arrears was not justified. Shastri expressed hope that in the next cabinet meeting, a decision in this regard is taken so that employees and pensioners can heave a sigh of relief. Shastri said the Centre as well as several other state governments had already released the instalment to their employees and pensioners. He said the state government should follow suit. Other demands raised in the meeting were enhancement of medical allowance from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 per month, merger of 50 per cent DA with the basic pay/pension and constitution of 7th pay commission along with 20 per cent interim relief. They also demanded regularisation of daily wagers working in various departments of the state government and increase in their wages to Rs 10,000 per month, removal of pay anomalies in the SRO 93 and release of pending salary of motivators working in the IWDP, Akhnoor, Phase II.
	Security core group meets in Srinagar Srinagar, May 11 The first meeting of the core group after the reopening of the Durbar offices in Srinagar was held at Badami Bagh Cantonment, today. The security situation was reviewed at the meeting. The meeting was co-chaired by the Security Advisor Lt Gen Om Prakash, General Officer Commanding Chinar Corps and the Director General of Police Ashok Prasad with senior officers of Army, police, CRPF, BSF, intelligence agencies and the administration. Sources said the recent attacks on policemen in the Valley were also discussed. — TNS
	Nomads’ cattle pose risk for commuters RK Kichlu Batote, May 11 The movement of cattle, bovines, goats and sheep on the Jammu-Srinagar highway (NH-44), particularly the most accident-prone stretch from Udhampur to Jawahar Tunnel has been posing a risk to the lives of commuters. With the beginning of migration of nomads from the plains of Jammu province towards higher reaches through the NH-44, commuters’ woes are on a rise. The increasing rush of tourists towards the Kashmir valley with the closing of educational institutes for summer vacations across the country, especially after the Durbar Move from Jammu to Srinagar, is proving to be a bitter and harrowing journey for commuters. Traffic snarls have become an order of the day, increasing the journey time by several times. “The impediments in the smooth flow of traffic due to the migrating herds is compounded by the breaking down of overloaded trucks and trailers on the potholed highway, especially on sharp curves, create problems for commuters and the traffic police,” said SSP, Traffic, NH-44, Virender Sharma. “It is a big problem for us. We are planning to chalk out a time schedule for their movement on the highway and provide them an alternate route,” said Traffic IGP Munir Ahmed Khan.