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Rights panel issues notices to Home Dept, BSF DG
Top Jaish militant killed in Kupwara
Pak violates truce pact in Poonch
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In a first, two non-Kashmiris arrested for stone-throwing
PCI team reviews Baglihar-II power project in Ramban
Army distributes sports items
365 infant deaths at Valley’s two hospitals in 3 months
Meeting on Ladakh council elections
Army foils infiltration bid in Uri
KAS result out, 14 women among 65 selected
BJP mulls legal action against state Congress chief
Govt plans to put Ladakh on pilgrim tourism circuit
BJP sees pattern in terror attacks
MLC calls on Governor
Dept of Posts to recruit staff
Army celebrates Tiger Hill victory day
SC upholds J&K High Court order on illegal admissions
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Rights panel issues notices to Home Dept, BSF DG
Srinagar, July 23 Four civilians were killed and over 40 injured in the Dharam village of the Gool Gulabgarh area of Ramban district on July 19 when BSF personnel fired upon a mob protesting against them. Demanding the registration of first information reports (FIRs) against the BSF and the J&K Police for the killing of civilians in Ramban, the Hurriyat Conference, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, had on July 22 approached the SHRC with a petition, seeking directions to the state government for appointing a commission of inquiry to probe the incident. The matter was listed before a division bench of the SHRC today, which has issued summons to the Secretary, Union Home Department, and the BSF Director General, asking them to file reports about the civilians killings in Ramban district, Hurriyat’s counsel Ajaz A Dar said, adding that the petition had been clubbed with the suo motu reference which was initiated by the SHRC on its own. He said that while taking suo motu cognisance of the incident on Monday, the SHRC has already issued notices to Commissioner Secretary, Home, J&K Government, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, and SSP, Ramban, asking them to file their report about the incident within 10 days. Ajaz said that the SHRC also arrayed the Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, as the party respondent in the matter and clubbed the Hurriyat petition with its suo motu reference. In his orders, SHRC member Amlok Singh had said the reports about the Ramban incident prima facie make out a case of human rights violation. Rs 2-cr property damaged by mob Ramban: The rampage by a mob in Ramban and Gool on July 18 has caused a loss of about Rs 2 crore to government property. The protesters had ransacked seven vehicles, electronic gadgets, furniture and doors and windows at the District Administrative Complex (DAC). The DC chaired a meeting of officers to review the damage caused to the DAC. The first floor of the DAC was made functional while repairs were being carried out on the ground floor. A damage assessment committee was constituted on Tuesday. |
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Top Jaish militant killed in Kupwara Srinagar, July 23 A resident of Swat in Pakistan, Yasir had taken over Jaish command in 2011 after the killing of Sajad Afghani. He was operating from his bases in the dense forest of Lolab region in the frontier Kupwara district for the last seven years. “Yasir had synchronised the infiltration arrangements in Kupwara and Gurez sectors. Militants of terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, were received by him and it was he who would deploy them to various parts of the valley,” said a police officer. “Qari was tasked from across to revive the JeM and the outfit’s cadres number had gone down up to 15-20. Yasir himself was also asked to lie low,” he added. The Army said it got information about the presence of a militant in a residential area in Sivar Gadbadh, Lolab, about 126 km from here, last night. The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Army’s counter insurgency force - Kilo Force - Sarath Chand said a joint operation was launched after an input was generated by the J&K Police. “A joint operation was launched around 11 pm on Monday. By 3 am, the house was cordoned off. At the break of dawn, when the search was started we found nothing. We got the occupants of the house out. We searched the house thoroughly again but did not find anybody. Then we started searching two cowsheds. In one of them, there was a heap of firewood and some other things were kept there. When the search was going on, we observed that one person was inside who opened fire. Troops immediately swung into action. There was an exchange of fire in which the terrorist was neutralised,” Chand told The Tribune. “The important part in the operation was that the operation was carried out without inflicting any casualty on civilians or troopers,” he added. “Qari’s killing is a big blow to the militants and a major success for security forces,” the GOC said. One AK 47 rifle with three magazines and three grenades were recovered. Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen Gurmit Singh dedicated the successful operation to the sustained joint efforts by Army and police.“The highest degree of professionalism is when the target is eliminated without any injury to the troops participating in the operations and with zero collateral damage,” he said.
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Pak violates truce pact in Poonch
Jammu, July 23 “Around 10.30 pm on Monday Pakistan troops resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian posts in the Digwar sector along the LoC,” said defence spokesperson Col RK Palta. “They fired few rounds of PIKA from across the LoC. Our troops also retaliated with small arms fire”, he added. The exchange of fire lasted till 10.50 pm before guns fell silent on both sides. However, there was no casualty or injury to the troops in the latest incident, he said. Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire agreement for the fourth time this month. On July 3, Pakistani troops fired at policemen who had gone to the LoC at Sabjian in Poonch to collect the remains of a Pakistani intruder killed in an explosion caused by an improvised explosive device (IED). On July 8, Pakistani troops had attempted to fire at Indian soldiers while they were trying to evacuate injured porters along the LoC in Poonch. Four days later, Pakistani Rangers opened fire at Indian forward posts in the Pindi belt along the international border in Jammu district. Pakistani troops resort to firing at Indian positions in a bid to provide cover to infiltrating terrorists from across the LoC. |
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In a first, two non-Kashmiris arrested for stone-throwing
Anantnag, July 23 The duo, in their early twenties, have been identified as Muhammad Afzal from Uttar Pradesh and Muhammad Ibrahim from West Bengal. Widespread protests had rocked the Valley, including Anantnag, last week after four civilians were killed in alleged BSF firing in the Gool area of Ramban district. The civilians were fired upon while they were protesting against the alleged desecration of the holy book of Muslims. “They (two labourers) were identified from a video footage of the stone-throwing youth provided to us by our sources on the ground,” said a senior police officer from Anantnag. The two stone-throwers, the police official said, were arrested on Monday and upon preliminary interrogation it was found that the two worked as labourers here in Kashmir. The two non-Kashmiri labourers have been booked under Sections 147, 148 and 332 of RPC. This is the first such case where a non-Kashmiri has been booked for a stone-throwing incident. Every year more than 3 lakh labourers come to Kashmir from different parts of India. Hundreds of local youth have been arrested since 2008 on the charges of stone-throwing and many of them were booked under the Public Safety Act. |
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PCI team reviews Baglihar-II power project in Ramban
Batote, July 23 To review the case of the state government’s demand for Rs 1,000 crore to supplement the construction cost of the under-construction Unit-II 450MW of the Baglihar Hydel Project, a PCI team held a high-level meeting with the MD, Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation, Basharat Dar, Executive Director, Power Development Corporation, Zahoor Ahmed Chat, Chief of Project for JaiPrakash Associates Ltd V Sethi, Chief Engineer (Electrical) PR Angurana, Chief Engineer (Civil) PG Geelani, CRE, M/S Lehmeyer International, and other senior engineers and officials, including Ramban Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Hussain Malik. During the meeting, the PCI team was briefed about the physical and financial features, besides the prevalent circumstances and the viability of the affordable power produced by the unit. The PCI team was also briefed about the compulsion of the Central government’s financial aid of Rs 1,000 crore through a meticulous powerpoint presentation by Executive Director of the Power Development Corporation ZA Chat. “The aid is imperative for the timely completion of the unit to avoid cost escalation, thereby making the cost of power produced low and within the affordable limits of the buyer or consumer,” said Chat. The team did the round of the project and visited the dam, adit-1 of the head trace tunnel junction, surge shaft bottom, top of the shafts, completed underground power house of stage-I, stage-II of the machine hall, surge shaft and outfall. |
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Army distributes sports items
Jammu, July 23 The sports items were handed over to Raj Kumar, Headmaster of the school in the presence of school staffs, Sarpanch of the village and prominent persons of the area. The teachers and students of the school expressed their gratitude and appreciated the role of the Army for providing such facilities which have not been available to them
since long. The aim of distribution of sports items was to give an impetus to the sports facilities in the life of students hailing from far-flung and remote border areas.
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365 infant deaths at Valley’s two hospitals in 3 months
Srinagar, July 23 This has been revealed by the medical superintendents of GB Pant Hospital and LD Hospital, in their papers submitted to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, which is hearing a public interest litigation filed in the wake of infant deaths at GB Pant Hospital in 2012. The court had on July 7 asked the medical superintendents to file their status reports with regard to the neonatal and infants deaths at the respective hospitals. GB Pant Hospital was in the news last year after about 500 neonatal and infant deaths were reported at the hospital in the first five months. As per the documents related to mortality figures provided by medical superintendent of GB Pant Hospital Muneer Masoodi, during the last three months (April, May and June), 4,937 neonates and infants were admitted to various departments of the hospital. However, during these months, as per the documents, the hospital has reported 269 neonatal and infant deaths, which includes 100 deaths in April, 76 in May and 93 in June. The 269 deaths also include 140 neonates who were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the hospital but did not survive. As per the documents about the mortality statistics at LD Hospital, one of the leading government-run maternity hospitals of the Valley, it has reported 90 neonatal deaths from April to June. The neonatal deaths include babies admitted to the hospital, who were born there from April to June. They were admitted to the NICU of the hospital. In the status report filed by medical superintendent of LD Hospital Mushtaq A Rather, it has been further revealed that during these three months, 769 babies were admitted to the NICU of the hospital, out of which 90 didn’t survive. It has also been revealed that during these months, 6,384 babies were born in LD Hospital. However, while defending the neonatal and infant deaths, the medical superintendent of GB Pant Hospital, during his submission to the court, attributed these deaths to nutritional-related problems. He also submitted that the dead babies also included those infants who were referred to the hospital from various private nursing homes and hospitals in a very serious condition. In news for wrong reasons GB Pant Hospital was in the news for several months because of the high rate of infant deaths in 2012. The hospital administration reported about
500 neonatal and infant deaths in the first five months last year. The inquiry panel blamed the high rate of infant deaths on the lack of manpower, equipment and mismanagement of services. Following the submission of the inquiry report, the medical superintendent of the hospital was transferred and attached and a new head was appointed. In October 2012, the state government had revealed that 3,828 children had died in the hospital from 2008 till August 2012. |
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Meeting on Ladakh council elections
Jammu, July 23 The meeting was held to impart training to the officers and discuss preparations for holding free and fair elections. The training will conclude on July 25. Election-related material was given to the officers. Hussain said arrangements for elections to all 26 constituencies were in the final stage. He said security arrangements had been finalised. More than 1,200 officers would manage the electoral process at 257 polling booths across Kargil which had more than 79,000 voters, he added.
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Army foils infiltration bid in Uri
Srinagar, July 23 “The militants opened fire which was retaliated and the exchange of fire continued till this morning. We suspect that one militant was killed, but we are yet to retrieve his body,” said an Army officer today. The sources said though the exchange of fire had stopped since morning, the Army was carrying out searches in the forests. — TNS |
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KAS result out, 14 women among 65 selected
Srinagar, July 23 The preliminary examination for the posts was held in August 2012, in which 14,309 candidates appeared, the spokesman said. The main exam was held in March-April 2013 and the interviews of 226 candidates were conducted from July 1 to 19. — TNS
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BJP mulls legal action against state Congress chief
Jammu, July 23 The firing has been snowballing into a political controversy as the BJP has decided to “expose” the local Congress leadership for allegedly inciting people against Central security forces. Quoting the statement issued by Soz after the incident, state BJP president Jugal Kishore Sharma regretted that Soz had jumped the gun to appease anti-national forces active in the Kashmir valley instead of verifying facts. “Soz has directly blamed the Border Security Force (BSF) for the killings, but after an initial investigation, an SI with the Jammu and Kashmir Police has been arrested and booked under Section 302 of the Ranbir Penal Code, which negates the claim that the BSF had indulged in
unprovoked firing,” Sharma said. He claimed that Soz had joined the campaign to appease the Hurriyat Conference and other separatist groups. “We demand an apology from Soz for making unsubstantiated allegations against the BSF and holding the BSF responsible for the Gool incident without any proof,” he said. He added, “The issuance of such statements before the inquiry has been
completed shows that the Congress and its president want to take political mileage from the incident by creating communal tension and hitting out at security forces which they find a soft target.” Sharma said such irresponsible statements demoralised security forces and leaders like Soz should weigh the pros and cons before jumping to hurried conclusions. BJP sources said the party leadership was mulling legal action against Soz for his “irresponsible” statement after the firing. “The party leadership has told its legal wing to prepare a case for legal action,” the sources said. State BJP chief spokesman Jitendra Singh claimed a deep-rooted conspiracy in the incident on July 18. He said it had raised the important question whether the incident was triggered by the rumoured desecration by BSF personnel of a holy book or instigated by a calculated design. |
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Govt plans to put Ladakh on pilgrim tourism circuit
Srinagar, July 23 “The state government is planning to restore existing monasteries in the region, hire landscaping experts, set up tourism centres and provide basic road infrastructure in the region to woo Buddhist pilgrims from around the globe,” state Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir said while addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Western and Eastern mixed flute concert by maestro Andrea Griminelli with Emanuele Segre, accompanied by Ladakhi musicians at the Stok Palace, Leh. “A detailed project report of Rs 150 crore has been submitted to the Centre for developing the tourism circuit in three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh,” the Tourism Minister said. Out of the total fund, Rs 50 crore has been earmarked for developing a Buddhist circuit in Ladakh, while the remaining money would be spent on encouraging the Sufi tourism circuit in Kashmir and pilgrimage centres in Jammu, he said. Keeping in view the increase in the flow of tourists to Ladakh every year, the government
plans to have facilities such as the tourist centres, not only in the main city, but also in places which hold tourists’ interests such as monasteries and areas around the banks of the Indus, Mir said. “The centres will guide tourists, provide them information and also cater to their needs,” he said, adding, last year around 1.79 lakh tourists visited the region, of which over 30,000 were foreigners. Ambassador of Italy Daniele Mancini, the King of Stok Palace with Queen Mother-Disket Wangmo, Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Rigzin Spalbar and others were present on the occasion. — PTI |
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BJP sees pattern in terror attacks
Jammu, July 23 He said the heightened level of violence could be seen in perspective when this phenomenon was contextualised with increasing attempts at cross-border infiltration. He said a Rashtriya Rifles convoy was attacked on the main road passing through the Hyderpora area on June 24. He said the ambush site was on National Highway (NH) 1A, which was the lifeline for maintenance in the Valley and security forces deployed in the area. He asserted that this led to the inference that it looked like a preplanned operation executed with precision which resulted in the death of eight soldiers. He said an assessment of incidents in the last three months revealed a trend in the nature of attacks. Presenting details, Jitendra Singh said the identification of terrorists killed in recent encounters indicated the revival of the Hizbul Mujahideen, which was increasingly being seen as a spent force in the state as a result of the neutralisation of its senior leadership by security forces. He said the analysis of recent terror attacks suggested that those had been carried out after detailed planning and executed by employing high tactical skills. He added that this especially held true for the ambush in an urban area like Hyderpora, where the ability to surprise was a challenge. He said the subsequent escape from the site reinforced the assessment of improvement in skills. He warned that the selection of NH 1A for the attack reinforced the vulnerability of lines of communication and especially of key arteries in the state. Reacting to the Chief Minister's repeated demand for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from certain areas in the state, including Srinagar and other areas served by the NH 1A, Jitendra Singh said the terror strike in Hyderpora was a clear vindication of the apprehensions expressed against selective revoking of the AFSPA from certain areas. WHAT PARTY SPOKESMAN SAID * More casualties among security forces in first half of this year than whole of last year *
Attack in Hyderpora area on June 24 a preplanned operation executed with precision *
June 24 terror strike vindicates apprehensions against selective revoking of AFSPA *
Identification of terrorists killed in encounters indicates revival of Hizbul Mujahideen |
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MLC calls on Governor
Srinagar, July 23 They discussed measures for the promotion of tourism in Kishtwar and rations supplied to meet the requirements in the Marwah area. Asgar took up the problems being faced by pony owners of the Warwan area as they had to travel to Anantnag to get registered for the Amarnath Yatra. The Governor assured him that a number of ponies and their owners, decided beforehand, would be registered in the Warwan area for the yatra next year. |
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Dept of Posts to recruit staff
Jammu, July 23 “The department has invited applications from eligible candidates,
both men and women, to fill 55 posts lying vacant in different post offices in the circle,” said John Samuel, Chief Postmaster General. He said the revenue of the circle had gone up
by 37 per cent during 2012-13. He expressed the confidence that the pace
of growth would continuing during the current fiscal. “The minimum qualification for the post of postman and other support staff is matriculation. The selection will be done on merit based on marks obtained in the aptitude test,” he said. No interview would be held for the purpose of selection, Samuel said. He added that the last date for receipt of application forms was August 19. The Chief Postmaster General especially encouraged women to apply to be a part of the department. He said a drive for the recruitment of gramik dak sevaks would shortly be undertaken across the state. He added that the advertisement notice for posts of postman and support staff had been issued and applications forms were available at all main post offices of the state. |
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Army celebrates Tiger Hill victory day
Jammu, July 23 Pakistan had deployed about 40 soldiers on Tiger Hill, with additional troops moving in nearby areas. The 18 Grenadiers was ordered to evict the enemy and recapture the peak. Well-entrenched Pakistani soldiers had been directing precise artillery fire on to the Srinagar-Leh highway from Tololing in the Dras sector. The attack on Tololing was launched on May 22. |
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SC upholds J&K High Court order on illegal admissions
Jammu, July 23 Earlier, the J&K High Court had dismissed the appeal filed by the college against the judgment of the court by upholding the decision of the university. According to an official spokesperson of the university, a Supreme Court bench dismissed the SLP filed by the Divya College of Education, thereby upholding the order passed by the J&K High Court. The HC had upheld the decision of the University of Jammu and directed the college to consider payment of reasonable compensation of Rs 50,000 each to 292 students. The college sought the regularisation of 292 illegal admissions made by it in violation of the statutes which was opposed by the University of Jammu on the grounds that admission to B.Ed course in private colleges and allotment of students to various colleges were to be made in accordance with the university statutes, that too, through the process of centralised counselling by the Central Admission Committee of the University and private B.Ed colleges had no authority in terms of the university statutes to make admission on its own. Of the candidates selected, only 18 candidates opted for the Divya College of Education in view of the option exercised by the candidates. 292 seats available in the college remained unfilled. |
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The Planning Commission of India (PCI), led by its member, BK Chaturvedi, former Cabinet Secretary, and Arun Mehta, Principal Secretary, flew to the project site of Baglihar-II at Chanderkot in Ramban district today.
To review the case of the state government’s demand for Rs 1,000 crore to supplement the construction cost of the under-construction Unit-II 450MW of the Baglihar Hydel Project, a PCI team held a high-level meeting with the
MD
Syed Asgar Ali, Member of Legislative Council (MLC), called on Governor NN Vohra here today. Asgar discussed with the Governor the need to establish a board for the proper management of the Machail Yatra in Kishtwar district and arranging facilities for pilgrims.
