Srinagar, September 11
Observing that it does not ‘appreciate’ the ‘non-cooperation’ of the BOPEE Secretary with the investigating agencies, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has summoned the entire record related to a previous complaint regarding the misconduct of the J&K Common Entrance Test (CET) which was held in 2012.

In this regard, a Division Bench of the High Court headed by Chief Justice MM Kumar today directed the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Crime, and Director, Vigilance Organisation, Kashmir, to produce the record related to the complaint and the action taken.

The court is hearing a public interest litigation with regard to the recent paper leak in the J&K Common Entrance Test (CET-2013), which was conducted by the Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE).

“In the report of the SP, Crime Branch, it has been mentioned that an anonymous complaint was received on July 17, 2012, alleging that seven candidates have got selected for MMBS through CET-2012, who did not perform well in their 10th and 12th class examinations,” the Bench observed in its orders today while referring to the report submitted by the Crime Branch.

The Crime Branch in its compliance had further submitted, the Bench observed, that verification had revealed that out of the seven candidates only five were selected for the MMBS and after verification of their 10th and 12th class results, were found to be “meritorious” students.

However, the amicus curiae in his submissions sought to draw the attention of the court towards the facts that the reports suggest that anonymous complainants have been submitted before the agencies. He said the complaints were not anonymous and it could be easily verified.

“We direct the SSP, Crime, and Director, Vigilance, to produce the original complainant and the action taken thereon,” the Bench observed. The case has been listed for further hearing next week.

The Bench observed that the role of the investigating agency had to be pro-active because the stakes of the society at large were involved in such matters.

The Bench also showed its dissatisfaction towards the BOPEE authorities in its orders.

“We also do not appreciate the non-cooperation of the BOPEE Secretary with the investigating agency,” the Bench further observed.

During an earlier hearing on July 18, amicus curiae Bashir Ahmad Bashir had sought to draw the attention of the court towards the possibility that the paper leak in (CET-2013) might be part of the modus operandi of the alleged mafia which was operating and selling CET papers.

He had also submitted that last year, during the conduct of CET-2012, the Vigilance Organisation, Kashmir, had also received several complaints from students about the misconduct of the examination but no action appeared to have been taken on those complaints. He had submitted that unless the people involved in this alleged mafia were not penalised, things in BOPEE were not going to improve.

CET 2013 PAPER LEAK - TIMELINE After the news of the paper leak appeared in a section of the media on June 23, CET aspirants lodged protests against the board. The CET is held for various professional courses in engineering and medical colleges of the state and is conducted by BOPEE, an autonomous body. The biology paper was leaked on June 22. The board authorities later cancelled the entire examination and issued a notification on June 29, saying the entrance exam will be conducted afresh. On July 3, while taking suo motu cognisance of the recent paper leak in CET-2013, the High Court issued notices to the Chief Secretary and Secretary, BOPEE, asking them to explain the reasons behind the paper leak. After public pressure and a lot of criticism for its conduct, the BOPEE authorities had said an interim inquiry had been ordered into the issue. Later, it submitted the probe findings to the High Court in a sealed envelope. However, the findings of such an inquiry have not been made public yet.

Srinagar, September 11
The Railway authorities have increased the number of coaches to cater to the heavy rush of commuters that was being witnessed after the train from Baramulla in north Kashmir was connected to Banihal in Ramban district of Jammu region.

Out of three DMU (diesel multiple unit) trains that make 14 trips every day between Baramulla and Banihal, the Railways added eight new coaches to two trains.

“We have added eight new coaches- four each to two trains- to cater to the heavy rush. The two trains plying in Kashmir have now got 12 coaches instead of eight to ferry passengers,” said a senior official of the Northern Railways. “These coaches were added recently and it has helped us to a large extent as the trains were frequently being stopped at various stations in Kashmir for lack of space,” he added.

After the train service was connected to Banihal in June this year, many passengers used to travel on rooftops to reach their destinations as they were not able to find any space in the train. The Railways and civil authorities in Kashmir were worried over the rooftop riding.

After the capacity of the trains was increased earlier this month, the Railways say nearly 15,000 commuters travel daily in the trains. Prior to the railway service upto Banihal, 9,000 commuters used to travel every day in the trains.

The trains started chugging for the first time in Kashmir on October 11, 2008, and the services have been extended in three phases. The train in Kashmir has become the most popular mode of commuting after the rail link was extended up to Banihal.

Srinagar, September 11
Union Minister for Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah has expressed concern over the violence in Muzaffarnagar and asked the Central and Uttar Pradesh Governments to protect minorities.

Abdullah, in a statement issued here, expressed concern over the violence in Muzaffarnagar. He also appealed to the Uttar Pradesh and Centre Government to take an action immediately to contain violence and protect minorities. “Such incidents happening in a country like India where all have a religious freedom are unfortunate,” Abdullah, who is the president of the ruling National Conference, said. He said such violence does not augur well for any civilised nation and appealed to the government to provide compensation to those affected by the violence. He appealed to the people of Muzaffarnagar to maintain brotherhood.

Srinagar, September 11
A leading private school in Kashmir has restricted the admission of children to kindergarten on a skewed criterion of the parent’s qualification, profession and income.

Iqbal Memorial Institute, named after a famous Urdu poet and philosopher, conducted the interviews of nearly 1,000 children and their parents to decide who get the admission. As many as 125 children were selected.

The admission criteria for the children included their parent’s qualification, profession and income, said Yousuf-ul-Ummar, chairman of the Iqbal Memorial Trust.

The issue came to the fore when the school denied admission to a four-year-old boy to Lower Kindergarten (LKG) which his parents said was “discriminatory”.

“When I went to the school and asked them why my son has not been admitted, they told me that the reason is his father is a shopkeeper,” the child’s mother said.

However, the trust, which runs the school, defended the criteria. “We did the interview of the children and their parents and checked their background, what parents do, their qualification, their income,” Ummar said.

He said, “Though income is not important, the selection was done on whether the parents are really interested or not and can they afford to be there.”

Ummar said the parent’s education also decided the points for the child's education. He said the admission was the prerogative of the school. “We should select people of our own choice. There is no question of getting dictation from anybody. It is not a matter of right to get admission in this school, we have our own criteria and whosoever wants to come will have to come on our norms,” he said.

Education Secretary SK Singh said private schools had their own admission criteria. “The admission criteria should be defined and it should be declared to the public,” he said.

Most people in Kashmir prefer their children to get admission in private schools than in government-run schools, which have a dismal performance record.

An educationist said private schools, which are not funded by the government, were not running a “social welfare scheme” and could not be blamed for the failure of properly funded government institutions. “What should be asked is why government schools are not working?” AG Madhosh, a renowned educationist, said. He said though private schools were meant for a specific class of society, the selection criteria based on parents' background was discriminatory.

Srinagar, September 11
The annual yatra to Gangbal Lake, which is considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva, is all set to start tomorrow from Naranag in Ganderbal district of the Kashmir valley.

Vinod Pandit, chairman of the All Parties Migrant Co-ordination Committee (APMCC), which is organising the pilgrimage along with the Harmukh Ganga Gangbal Trust, said a group of devotees would start the yatra after pooja at Naranag tomorrow morning. He said pilgrims would trek to the Gangabal Lake, which is located around 14,500 feet above the sea level in the Harmukh mountain range. The Gangbal Lake is also known as Harmakut Ganga.

While it takes around six hours to reach Gangbal from the Naranag base camp, the devotees are schedule to return on September 15 after performing ‘yajna’ at the lake.

On the significance of the pilgrimage, Pandit said: “The yatra has a historical and religious significance for us and the pilgrimage site (Gangbal Lake) is the abode of Lord Shiva from whose ‘jattas’ (hair locks), the holy Ganga flows down forming a divine lake.”

The pilgrimage had been resumed by the APMCC in 2009. Pandit said the yatra had been resumed in 2009. It used to be an annual affair from the ancient period, he said.

Pandit said the main aim behind making the pilgrimage to Gangbal an annual affair was part of the APMCC’s mission to reopen all the historical and religious places and resume ancient pilgrimages of Kashmiri Pandits. He said the same was being done to save the cultural and religious history of Kashmiri Pandits as majority of them have migrated out of Kashmir after the eruption of militancy in the state.

The APMCC along with the Sharda Mata Trust (SMT) had last month revived the Dyneshwer Yatra in the Valley after 24 years.

Srinagar, September 11
Stating that the department was understaffed, the traffic police has revealed that nearly 1 lakh vehicles enter and leave the summer capital every day.

“Around 1 lakh vehicles enter and leave Srinagar city every day and around 10,000 vehicles cross Pantha Chowk centre after every hour. Therefore, you can understand the situation yourself. Despite running short of manpower, we are trying our best to regulate the flow of the traffic,” said Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Haseeb-ur-Rehman while quoting a survey during an interactive session at Kashmir University (KU) yesterday. He said this while responding to the queries of students over traffic management.

A KU spokesman said the interactive session was held with an effort to find a solution to the traffic mess on routes especially leading to the Kashmir University from Lal Chowk and other areas of Srinagar.

The session was presided over by Head and Dean, Faculty of Law, KU, Mohammad Ayub.

Speaking on the occasion, Ayub expressed concern about the absence of an efficient public transport system in the Valley.

During the interaction, students as per the spokesman appreciated the special provision for non-stop buses facilitated by the traffic police for university students to ensure timely attendance in their classes at the university.

The SP assured the students that more non-stop buses would ply on the routes leading to the university.

Srinagar, September 11
Citing “irreconcilable differences” with the party leadership, People’s Conference (PC) spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu has announced his exit from the party along with three other senior party functionaries, including Srinagar and Bandipora district presidents.

The PC is headed by Sajjad Gani Lone, who is the son of slain Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone.

In a statement here, Mattu said he had resigned from the post of spokesperson of the PC and also announced his exit from the party along with his workers from Amira Kadal constituency.

The statement further said many activities had also announced their exit from the party. “The PC’s Srinagar district president Syed Owais Qadri, Bandipora district president Tanveer Dar and Batamaloo zonal president Zaffar Hussain Shah have also announced their departure from the party with their workers and supporters,” the statement from Mattu said, adding that the “announcement to quit the party has come after lengthy deliberations between the leaders and workers.”

Mattu, however, did not say which party he is joining after quitting the PC. “The future course of action would be decided collectively in due course,” he said.

Srinagar, September 11
The fifth batch of 550 Haj pilgrims, including 335 men and 215 women, embarked from the Srinagar International Airport in two flights for the annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, an official said.

He said 2,749 pilgrims have left for Jeddah till date while a total 8,664 pilgrims of the state were scheduled to perform Haj this year.

To see off pilgrims, the Director Airport Authority, Srinagar, officers of the district administration, Budgam, and executive officer, State Haj Committee, Srinagar, were also present at the airport. The last Haj flight is scheduled to leave from here on September 23. Similarly, flights from Saudi Arabia to here carrying Haj pilgrims will operate from October 20 to November 5.

Haj is among the five fundamentals of Islam and every believing Muslim aspires to perform the pilgrimage at least once in his/her lifetime. The departure of intending Haj pilgrims in the Valley is a joyous occasion as the kith and kin can be seen thronging the residences of the respective pilgrims. Relatives, friends, colleagues and neighbours can also be seen pouring in for at least a week once a Haj pilgrim returns home.

Srinagar, September 11
Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir on Wednesday visited the silk cocoon auction mset up by the Sericulture Department in Srinagar to facilitate the selling and buying of local silk cocoons.

Cocoon producers from Pattan, Tangmarg, Bandipora, Sonawari, Budgam, Srinagar, Ganderbal, Kangan and Tral have brought their produce for selling in the market. The market was thronged by both local and outside state buyers, an official statement said here.

Similar auction markets had already been set up at various other places across the state, it added.

"With weavers receiving double price for their produce this year in the auction market than the last year, Mir expressed his happiness with the upshot saying that it was due to the sustained efforts of the government that both the silk cocoon production and its quality had seen marked improvement, resulting in higher returns to the silk weavers," the statement further added.

Mir said last year, the per kg price was around Rs 550, whereas this time around, depending upon the quality, it is sold anywhere between Rs 750 and Rs 1,065 per kg.

The Sericulture Department has been facilitating the selling and buying by roping in local as well as outside buyers and setting up cocoon auction markets, he said, adding that as many as 2,000 families were associated with this trade which has grown to Rs 20 crore from Rs 5 crore last year.

Srinagar, September 11
Condemning the killing of another civilian in Shopian by the CRPF today, Human rights group and the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Societies (JKCCS), supported the demanded for removal of the paramilitary camp from Gagran village in the district.

In a statement here, the JKCCS also criticised Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his silence over Shopian killings, where the death toll has reached to five.

Earlier, four persons were killed by the CRPF personnel, belonging to the same camp, three of whom were later identified by the police as civilians.

“The silence of Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir reveals that armed forces are beyond his control and now he has given up on his rhetoric of protecting the human rights of people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement added. “The rising numbers of civilian killed, and more particularly, the manner in which the Shopian killings were carried out and dealt with, indicate an escalation of violence on the part of the Indian State in Jammu and Kashmir”, the JKCCS said.

As an immediate response to the killings, the human rights group said: “We support the demand of the people of Shopian for the removal of the CRPF Gagran camp and the immediate arrest of the CRPF personnel responsible for the killings.”

“As of today, a total of 43 civilians have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir in 2013”, it said, adding that in 2012, the number of civilians killed in J&K was 31.

Srinagar, September 11
The 115th Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) organised a free medical camp in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district on Tuesday.

A Central Reserve Police Force spokesman said the camp was organised at Ascent Educational Institute School, Ganderbal. More than 1,500 civilians turned up from nearby localities and were examined at the medical camp.

“They are provided free medical check-up as well as medicines in the presence of senior Central Reserve Police Force officers, local administrative officers, senior citizens and villagers,” he said.

On the occasion, HS Rawat Deputy Inspector General, Central Reserve Police Force, Srinagar (North), said the aim of organising free medical camp was to provide free medical check-up and medicines to the inhabitants of the far-flung areas.

Srinagar, September 11
The inaugural function of the two-day annual sports meet of Women’s College Moulana Azad Road was held in the sports ground of the college on Wednesday.

Principal of the college, Prof Shaheen Altaf was the chief guest on the occasion. The function was attended by the faculty and the students of the college.

In her inaugural address Altaf laid stress on the harmonising of sports and academic activities in order to produce physically and intellectually balanced individuals.

“I also congratulated the students who brought laurels to the college during the academic session by bagging prizes and medals in different sports activities,” the principal said. “Different athletic events like 100 metre,200 metre,400 metre,800 metre race and sac race, lemon race, slow cycling and throwing events are to be held during the sports meet,” an official statement from the college said.

Earlier, Jaleel Ahsan presented the welcome address while Dr Zahida Deva was the stage secretary.