The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	BJP calls for Jammu bandh today Protests against Kishtwar violence in Jammu region Tribune Reporters Jammu, August 9 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for a Jammu bandh tomorrow to protest against the alleged failure of the state government to protect the minorities in Kishtwar. Addressing a protest rally at the City Chowk in the heart of the city, state BJP president Jugal Kishore Sharma alleged that the National Conference-Congress government had given a free hand to anti-national elements to kill the minorities and loot their property at Kishtwar. Ashok Khajuria, Nirmal Singh, Jitendra Singh, Ramesh Arora, Kavinder Gupta, Bali Bhagat and other senior leaders led a protest march and sat on a dharna to register their protest against the growing incidents of communal violence in Kishtwar. They said the party had received the support of the Chamber of Commerce, the Bar Association, the Beopar Mandal and transport, social and religious organisations for a Jammu bandh on Saturday. Sharma said it was not the first time that the minorities in the erstwhile Doda district had been targeted. Such incidents had occurred in the past, he said, claiming that the government did not take effective measures to identify and book the culprits every time, as a result of which they had now made it a routine to repeat such attacks at regular intervals. Khajuria said, “Enough is enough and the people should be united to send a clear signal to the state government that it should not take for granted the minorities in the state and should take all effective measures to ensure that such incidents are not repeated. The soft approach of the state government towards anti-national forces is sending a wrong message and if the policy continues, there is every possibility of more disturbance.” At RS Pura, district president Sat Pal Pappi led party activists in the protest. They burnt an effigy of the state government. Kathua city president Ramesh Gupta led party activists to block the national highway at Hatli Morh. Party activists also held protests at Hiranagar, Vijaypur and Samba. Rajouri: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal activists blocked the Jammu-Poonch highway at Rajouri and raised slogans against the state government for over half an hour on Friday afternoon. They demanded Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's resignation and Home Minister Sajad Ahmad Kichloo's sacking for failing to control the tense situation at Kishtwar. District Bajrang Dal president Karan Thakur lashed out at the Chief Minister and the Home Minister for their reported failure to protect the minority community. District Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice-president Vibodh Gupta criticised the Chief Minister for his allegedly controversial and anti-national statements. "The minority community was targeted and its shops torched, but the state government failed to control the tense situation at Kishtwar. It is time for him to go. We want peace and harmony in the state," he said. District VHP president Sat Pal Sharma and general secretary Yugveer Gupta also spoke. The police and Central Reserve Police Force kept a vigil during the protest.
	Omar, Swaraj discuss Kishtwar situation on social media Arteev Sharma/TNS Jammu, August 9 Expressing disapproval over Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s “request” to speak to the Northern Army Commander or the Director General of Police (DGP), Jammu and Kashmir, for a “realistic assessment” of the volatile situation in Kishtwar, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj today said law and order was a state subject. “No, I will not bypass the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Law and order is a state subject,” Swaraj wrote on the micro-blogging networking site Twitter after Omar Abdullah requested her to get a realistic assessment on the Kishtwar situation from the Northern Army Commander or the DGP, who was in Kishtwar. Later, Omar Abdullah had a telephonic conversation with the senior BJP leader and informed her that the Army conducted a flag march and more forces were reaching Kishtwar after violent clashes between two communities. The Chief Minister outrightly rejected the “lies on mutilations” of minorities in Kishtwar and said “these were designed to inflame passions and polarise people”. Omar Abdullah and Sushma Swaraj exchanged the words on the social networking site after the supporter of a BJP leader drew her attention to the violent situation in Kishtwar and sought her help. Immediately, the BJP leader wrote to Omar Abdullah, “This requires immediate attention. I have checked up from Kishtwar. Many injured. Houses and shops burnt. Please do something immediately.” She also wrote, “I have spoken to people there. The situation is bad.” Reacting to the request of the BJP leader, Omar Abdullah wrote, “Injuries and damage had taken place on both sides. Situation is being rapidly brought under control. Adequate forces sent.” The Chief Minister suggested to her that she could express her concern by ensuring that troublemakers did not spread this problem to other areas for political benefit. He further tweeted, “On our part, we are doing the same, but everyone’s cooperation will obviously help. I’m basing my request on credible reports.”
	Minority charges district administration of bias Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, August 9 Charging the Kishtwar administration of “facilitating” rioters, fear-stricken members of a minority community of the district today said they would migrate if the authorities continued to harbour a “biased” attitude towards them. Although the administration claimed that prompt action had been taken as soon as violence started, members of the minority community alleged that for nine hours, there was no control on rioters, who indulged in looting and torching business establishments. “Since morning, there have been selective attacks on shops of minority community members and we are helpless spectators to it all as the authorities are in no mood to control the rioters,” Hans Raj, convener, Shri Santan Dharam Sabha, Kishtwar, told The Tribune over the phone. “The situation is becoming like that of the early 1990s when terrorism was at its peak,” he said and added that the Friday’s situation was more dangerous as some officials in the administration were hand in glove with anti-national forces. “We will be left with no other option but to migrate because we have lost faith in the administration,” he said and added that a meeting would be held soon to chalk out the future course of action. Koushal Sharma, whose shop was set afire by rioters, said the police came only after his business establishment was completely gutted in fire. “The rioters were roaming freely in the market and targeting shops and business establishments of a particular community,” Sharma said. He said rioters were carrying fire arms, which was a clear indication that it was a well-planned attack on the minority community. Navneet Singh, a resident of Kishtwar, said in the past fortnight, some anti-national elements were terrorising members of the minority community on one pretext or the other. “We had brought this matter to the notice of the authorities a number of times but no action has been taken so far,” he said. Ajay Parihar, a resident of Kishtwar, whose house was attacked by rioters today, said it was difficult for the minorities to live in Kishtwar in such a scenario.
	Ex-councillors seek judicial probe into Kishtwar violence Jammu, August 9 Former councillors of the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) today demanded a judicial probe into violence in Kishtwar town. “We strongly condemn the violence in Kishtwar town. The government should immediately order a judicial probe into it to bring the culprits to book,” former JMC Mayor Narinder Singh said in a statement here. He alleged that the entire episode was a “pre-planned conspiracy” to polarise society and it needed to be investigated. “It is quite unfortunate that Minister of State for Home Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, who is also the local MLA, was camping in the town for the past couple of days and still the incident took place,” Singh said. The signatories of the statement were Zaffar Ahmad, Balwant Kumar Ballu and Sanjay Mahey, all former councillors of the civic body.
	Admn unaware of figures, fails to answer questions Amit Khajuria/TNS Jammu, August 9 The state administration, including Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, was unaware of facts and figures about the Kishtwar incident. The Deputy Chief Minister, along with Sham Lal Sharma, Minister for PHE, and Raman Bhalla, Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture, organised a meeting of prominent citizens, including leaders of all political parties, here this evening, to seek their cooperation to control the situation in Kishtwar and Jammu. The administration failed to answer questions of those at the meeting, which led to a protest at the PWD guest house in Jammu. BJP MLAs and local leaders accused Minister for Home Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo of engineering riots in Kishtwar and demanded his immediate arrest. MLC Devinder Singh Rana, Divisional Commissioner Shantmanu, Deputy Commisioner AK Sahu and Jammu Kathua DIG Shakeel Beig were present. All members were asking the reason for the clash, but the ministers and the Divisional Commissioner were not aware of the time of the incident and the time taken by the police to act. The Deputy Chief Minister said, “It is sad that this has happened. The administration has tried its best, but it took time to control the situation as it happened suddenly.” He said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had taken up the matter with New Delhi and an Army flag march was taken out in Kishtwar. To protect the Home Minister on allegations of not taking action in his own constituency, which led to loss of lives and property, the Deputy Chief Minister said he must be there to celebrate Eid. He said strict action would be taken against the culprits and compensation given to those who lost their property. On question about the time of the incident and the total damage at Kishtwar due to the incident, the Deputy Chief Minister passed those on to the Divisional Commissioner, who was found wanting. He only confirmed that Arvind Kumar died and about 20 were injured. The The Divisional Commissioner was not aware of ow the youth died. He finally said he was not aware of all facts and figures and he had to check those with the Deputy Commissioner of Kishtwar. Sham Lal Sharma assured those attending the meeting that a thorough probe would be conducted and none would be spared.
	Rajnath calls PM to seek security New Delhi, August 9 The BJP today sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention to ensure security for a minority community in the state. Sources said the party might also raise the issue in Parliament. Meanwhile, BJP president Rajnath Singh today talked to the Prime Minister over telephone and expressed concern over the situation in the district and demanded enhanced security in the area to bring the situation under control. “Had a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh regarding the outbreak of clashes in Kishtwar district of the Jammu region. The Prime Minister assured me that the situation would be quickly brought under control as the Army had been called out in Kishtwar,” the BJP president tweeted. — TNS
	Eid celebrations on border a low-key affair Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, August 9 Amid hostilities and the tense situation along the 778-km Line of Control (LoC) and the 192-km international border, Eid celebrations with the Pak Rangers on the octroi post in the RS Pura sector remained a low-key affair. “A formality not lasting more than five minutes was performed this time because of what they did on the LoC,” said a senior Border Security Force (BSF) officer. On the night of August 5, Pakistan’s border action team comprising Pak army regulars and Lashkar-e-Toiba militants killed five Indian troopers after breaching the LoC in the Chakan-da-Bagh area in the Poonch sector. “Around 11 am, we exchanged sweets with the Rangers at the octroi post in the RS Pura sector. The BSF was represented by 94 Battalion Commandant GS Dhaliwal and the Rangers by Wing Commander Ali and four other officers,” he said. He added that unlike last year, when the celebrations lasted over half an hour, the entire exercise was done with in five minutes this time round. It was done for the sake of formality, he added. He said this time round, the Rangers and their spouses could not get their favourite sweets from Pahalwan-di-Hatti and had to be contended with sweets from a sweetmeat seller in RS Pura. Usually, the Rangers trade small and heavy arms fire, sometimes even mortars, with their Indian counterparts on the international border. In the festive season, they look out for hygienically prepared sweets of the Jammu-based Pahalwan-di-Hatti. The Pak Rangers, in particular, have a big sweet tooth for the preparations and eagerly look forward to the festive season to savour those.
	No sweets exchanged Darshan Bharti Poonch, August 9 Keeping aside the past practice, Indian troops today did not greet their Pakistani counterparts on Eid-ul-Fitr at the Chakan Da Bagh point along the LoC as a protest against the Pakistani army's recent act of killing five Indian soldiers in the same area. Since the opening of the cross-LoC bus service and trade in 2005 and 2008, respectively, greeting each other on all religious and national festivals had become the regular practice, sometimes even within 24 hours of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops. As the Pakistani troops did an inhuman act recently and repeatedly violated ceasefire on the LoC, it was better to keep distance till normalcy was restored on the LoC, said a senior Army officer. Sources said the Army in many posts along the LoC did not celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr to pay homage to the five soldiers killed along the LoC recently.
	Omar, Farooq pray at Hazratbal Tribune Reporters Jammu, August 9 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah today offered Eid prayers at Dargah Hazratbal in Srinagar amid a huge congregation of devotees. The duo mingled with people and shared Eid greetings with them. During the day, a large number of people from different walks of life visited the Chief Minister at his residence to extend festive greetings. These included Speaker Legislative Assembly, members of the council of ministers, Parliament members, legislators and political activists. Meanwhile, Speaker Legislative Assembly Mubarak Gul offered Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at Hazrat Syed Yaqoob Sahib Sonawar today. Minister for CAPD and Transport Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan offered prayers at Eidgah, Handwara. Leh: Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated with traditional and religious fervour in the Ladakh region on Friday. Thousands of persons prayed for world peace and communal harmony in the region. The main gathering of Shias was at the Imam Bargah in Leh under the chairmanship of Sheikh Abdul Kazim. Sunnis gathered at the Idgah in Leh under the chairmanship of Maulvi Hafiz Ghulam Mohammad.
	US, India may hold joint military exercise in J&K this year Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, August 9 Following the visit of US army chief General Raymond T Odierno to the Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur on July 25, US troops in combat fatigues may be seen holding a joint military exercise with Indian troops in the state this year. “Though their and our trainings are more or less common and troops from other countries do go to High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg to learn techniques of mountain warfare, US troops are likely to conduct a joint military exercise this year with our troops in Jammu and Kashmir,” a top Army source said. As of now, there was no formal proposal, but during General Raymond’s short visit to the Northern Command, he and GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra discussed relevant strategic issues important to both countries, said the source. During the meeting, General Odierno had evinced a keen interest in the Indian Army’s counter-insurgency operations, he said. However, if US troops wanted to have a feel of the counter-insurgency operations, they might have to be taken to the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram because Jammu and Kashmir sans counter-insurgency-oriented infrastructure, he added. During General Odierno’s visit to India on July 24 and 25, he met Army Chief General Bikram Singh and Union Defence Minister AK Antony before visiting the Northern Command headquarters to meet Lt General Chachra. An agency report from Washington quoted General Odierno saying that the US would like to have joint exercises in Jammu and Kashmir, where the terrain was difficult like that of Afghanistan. Later this year, Chinese troops would also take part in a similar joint exercise with the Indian Army in the eastern sector. “But troops of the People’s Liberation Army of China are unlikely to be invited to Jammu and Kashmir for obvious reasons,” said the source. The proposal to have a joint military exercise between the two armies is presently being dealt by the two respective ministries, and in all likelihood, it would be held in the eastern sector, he said. Since April, the Chinese army has been frequently breaching the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. In 2010, China had refused to issue a proper visa to then Northern Army Commander Lt Gen BS Jaswal, on the grounds that he commanded the Indian troops in a “disputed territory”. In a belated response to China’s ever-increasing military might, the Union Government recently gave its nod to a 50,000-strong Mountain Strike Corps along the Chinese border, which would come up in seven years at a cost of Rs 64,000 crore.