|
|
|
|
|
Army operation to combat infiltrators continues
Militants involved in Jammu attacks locals, claims Shuhada Brigade
|
|
|
Complete shutdown in Samba, Kathua
Unified Headquarters meeting
Omar silences critics, arrives in Jammu soon after attacks
Havildar Indra Singh bid tearful adieu
RSS chief arrives in Jammu
High-intensity grenades recovered in Poonch
Pakistan opens fire in Poonch
Unaware of father’s death, 6-yr-old girl says he will come back
BJP MP writes to rights panel on fake dengue reports in Samba
Boost for Kashmir crafts: Rao announces loan waiver for handloom weavers
Kaily Mandi Attack
|
|
Army operation to combat infiltrators continues
Srinagar, September 27 The Army termed the ongoing operation in the Keran sector of the Kupwara area, 130 km from Srinagar, as the biggest counter-infiltration operation in recent times. Army sources said a group of more than 30 heavily armed militants had tried to infiltrate through three points along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Keran sector on September 24 evening. Twelve militants are believed to have been shot dead in the exchange of fire. Army sources, however, said there was no firing on Friday. “The Army is moving ahead carefully and has sealed all routes leading to the forest area,” a source said. The Army continues to use helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles to locate the heavily armed militants who are believed to have spread in small groups in Lashdat, Muthal Top and Shalbatu along the LoC in the Keran sector. The operation is going on in 8 sqkm of the forest area, where highly trained militants are believed to be hiding, sources said. General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lt Gen Gurmit Singh had said on Thursday that 10 to 12 militants had been killed in the operation. He said that a mixed group of militants from Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Albader and Hizbul Mujahideen had tried to infiltrate through the Keran sector. The troops of 5 Assam, 57 Rashtriya Rifles and Gorkha Rifles along with the Army’s elite para commandos are involved in the biggest counter-infiltration operation. Spokesman of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps Naresh Vig said the operation was still going on. “The troops are searching the dense forests cautiously and the operation is on,” said Vig. kupwara encounter |
|
|
Militants involved in Jammu attacks locals, claims Shuhada Brigade
Srinagar, September 27 Based on wireless intercepts during the encounter in Samba yesterday, Army sources said the militants were talking in Punjabi and were believed to be from Pakistan’s Punjab province. Army sources added that the militants had infiltrated near the Pahadpur post of the Border Security Force (BSF) on the international border in Kathua district on Thursday morning, three hours before they stormed into the Hiranagar police station in Kathua. They killed four policemen and two civilians, besides injuring four others at the Hiranagar police station before moving to Samba in a truck. The Shuhada Brigade, believed to be a shadow outfit of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), had claimed the responsibility of the attacks. In a statement issued to a Srinagar-based news agency, Kashmir News Service, on Thursday, the militant outfit had said: “Our three men — Mohammad Akram, Furkan-ul-Haq and Engineer Waqaas — carried out the attacks. All the three militants killed during the operation belonged to Jammu region.”? The statement further said during the operation the three militants were in touch with their Jammu-based commander. |
|
|
Complete shutdown in Samba, Kathua
Kathua, September 27 People in both districts blocked the Jammu-Pathankot national highway at several places. They burnt tyres to lodge their protest against the Central and state governments for their “soft approach” towards curbing terrorism. Protesters also took on the Police Department, especially officers concerned, for their failure in sounding an alert after the attack. They said the precious lives of the Army jawans killed in the attack in Samba could have been saved, if they (police officers) would had alerted all check posts in time. All commercial establishments and shops remained closed in Samba town, 2 km from the camp of the 16 Cavalry of the Army, which was stormed by three fidayeens yesterday, who killed four Army personnel, including a Lt Colonel. Residents of Samba assembled at the main bazaar, blocked the highway and burnt tyres. Traffic was disrupted for an hour, with protesters demanding suspension of all bilateral ties with Pakistan. People of the Kootah area and adjoining villages blocked the highway for an hour at the Kootah morh and demanded action against senior police officers, particularly the Station House Officer (SHO), Hiranagar police station, for their failure in alerting security agencies and check posts about the movement of terrorists, who had hijacked a truck and later boarded an unknown vehicle to reach the Army camp in Samba after killing six persons, including four policemen and two civilians, in Hiranagar. “Shiv Kumar Sangra, a constable from Kootah, was killed while fighting the terrorists but the SHO, Hiranagar, who was inside the police station, escaped from the spot and didn’t bother to inform his seniors or sound an alert to track the movement of the fidayeens on the highway. Had he alerted the security agencies in time, the lives of the Army jawans could have been saved,” a protester alleged. They also came down heavily upon Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for not visiting the family of the slain police constable in Kootah and said no government official or minister had met the aggrieved family. The situation was similar in Hiranagar, Dayalachak and other towns of Kathua district where a complete shutdown was observed to protest the fidayeen attacks. Additional deployment of troops and policemen was made along the highway, with security agencies putting up nakas to keep a check on the movement of suspicious elements. |
|
|
Unified Headquarters meeting
Jammu, September 27 Chairing a closed-door meeting of the Unified Headquarters here today, Omar said better coordination and prompt action could have prevented the second terror strike on an Army camp in Samba district. Samba town on the Jammu-Pathankot highway is 38 km from Jammu city. “The Chief Minister felt that had there been a better coordination between various security agencies, the second attack in Samba district yesterday could have been prevented,” said a source privy to the meeting. The three armed militants after storming Hiranagar police station in Kathua district, where they killed four policemen and two civilians, travelled all the way in a hijacked truck to the neighbouring Samba district on the Jammu-Pathankot highway where they entered an Army camp of 16 Cavalry and killed four Army personnel, including Lt Col Bikramjeet Singh. “The infiltration route of the militants also came under discussion, especially in the backdrop of the alert issued by various Intelligence agencies,” said the source. In recent torrential rains, at least seven BSF posts and 800 metres of the border fence were damaged in different stretches on the 191.5-km-long international border. A BSF post was also washed away in the floods. Intelligence agencies had sounded an alert after the recent flashfloods triggered by torrential rains had damaged the border fence on the border. The Unified Headquarters meeting was attended by top brass of the Army, security forces, J&K Police and the civil administration, including Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra, Principal Secretary, Home, Suresh Kumar, DGP Ashok Prasad, GOC, 16 Corps, Lt Gen DS Hooda, and GOC, 9 Corps, Lt Gen P Bakshi.
|
|
|
Omar silences critics, arrives in Jammu soon after attacks
Jammu, September 27 Immediately after the attack, the Chief Minister gathered all information in Srinagar and addressed a press conference, apprising people about the attack in Hiranagar and Samba. Without wasting further time, Omar flew to Jammu along with his Home Secretary, Suresh Kumar, and Director General of Police Ashok Prasad and attended a wreath-laying ceremony of policemen, killed at the Hiranagar police station. Omar didn't allow his critics to lash out at him for not showing activism when people of Jammu were under attack by
militants. He reached Hiranagar during the evening and met the family members of Suresh Kumar, a shopkeeper, who was killed in the attack. He also visited the encounter site at Samba and got the details of the events that unfolded during the day. Omar stayed overnight in Jammu and today morning participated in the wreath-laying ceremony of havildar Indra Singh, who was killed in the Samba attack. This was followed by a high-level security review meeting, in which officers of the Army, police, CRPF and BSF participated.
|
|
|
Havildar Indra Singh bid tearful adieu
Jammu, September 27 Army personnel today morning bid a tearful adieu to their companion who laid down his life for the nation while fighting militants yesterday during a fidayeen attack on an Army camp in the Mehsar area of Samba, 42 km from here. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, Director General of Police Ashok Prasad, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 9 Corps P Bakshi and other police and Army officers were present at the wreath-laying ceremony of the soldier. Havildar Indra Singh was one among the four men of 16 Cavalry Battalion, who died during the fidayeen attack in Samba. Singh received bullet injuries and succumbed to his wounds yesterday evening. After the worst terrorist attack in 10 years in Jammu, in which 10 persons were killed, security in 10 districts of the Jammu region was increased. Multiple check points have been put in place all over the region. Policemen at check points were seen frisking vehicles on the Jammu-Pathankote national highway. Three Pakistan-sponsored militants yesterday infiltrated from Pakistan before launching attacks on a police station at Hiranagar and an Army camp at Samba along the national highway. Sources told The Tribune that search operation was today conducted along the international border and the national highway to sanitise the area. “There were apprehensions that some more militants might have sneaked into the area through the same route taken by the three fidayeen, who were killed in a day-long gun battle yesterday,” a source said. The attacks in two districts along the international border on the Jammu-Pathankote national highway have put a question mark on the security preparation. Questions have also been raised on how the militants sneaked into the Indian side without getting intercepted. The police believes that there are no militants in the area. “No more militants are present in the area. We have increased security and vigil in all districts of the Jammu region,” Rajesh Kumar, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu zone, told The Tribune. “Vehicles are being checked and things are under control,” the IGP. The Army today morning increased security outside its establishments in and around Jammu city. Defence spokesperson SN Acharya said it was a routine affair. |
|
|
RSS chief arrives in Jammu
Jammu, September 27 Though, the RSS chief’s visit to the region was pre-scheduled, it attached importance in the wake of Thursday’s terror attack. The Sangh has reportedly decided to utilise the opportunity to devise a strategy to counter the demand for the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and boost the morale of the security forces engaged in a proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir. Sources said the RSS chief would hold a closed door meeting with some retired Army and police officers at Jammu tomorrow to get feed back from them regarding the morale of the forces deployed to fight terror in the region. “A meeting between the RSS chief and some of the retired officers from the Army and the civil departments was planned earlier, but in the awake of Thursday’s terror attack some changes have been made,” a source said. He added that the organisers have now decided to call a good number of retired Army officers for the meeting, so as to take their suggestions. “As the demand for the revocation of the AFSPA has been repeatedly raised by the Kashmir-centric parties for petty political gains, there is a need to effectively counter such demand. So we have decided to arrange interaction between the RSS chief and the retired Army officers to devise a joint strategy,” a senior Sangh leader said on the condition of anonymity. He added that nearly 50 retired Army officers would interact with Bhagwat. The sources said the Sangh Parivar, including the BJP, has already chalked out a strategy to launch nationwide campaign against the groups demanding the revocation of the AFSPA. “Selective attack on the security forces, including the Army, is a clear indication that some forces within the state are trying to demoralise the security forces deployed in the region,” the Sangh leader said. He added that the organisation has decided to effectively counter the campaign. |
|
|
High-intensity grenades recovered in Poonch
Poonch, September 27 The incident happened around 10:30 am today when some students, who were going to take bath in the Pulast River under the Kalai Bridge, found a poly-bag carrying grenades lying along the river bed. “When we were going to take bath in the river we found a poly-bag filled with grenades. We immediately rushed to the police post and informed them,” said Tahir Wazir, a Student. The police without any delay swung into action and recovered the grenades. “They were of very high intensity and were capable of causing immense damage. We are making further investigations into the matter,” police said. It, however, said the grenades were totally rusted and could be more than two-years-old. |
|
|
Pakistan opens fire in Poonch
Jammu, September 27 “The firing is still on,” he added. Sources said the Indian forces posted along the LoC in the area responded in equal measure. Earlier this week, the Pakistani troops had opened unprovoked firing on the forward posts along the LoC in Poonch district. “Earlier on Wednesday night, the Pakistani troops had opened fire from small and automatic weapons on our forward posts along the LoC in the Balakote sub-sector of Mendhar in Poonch district,” Acharya said. Meanwhile, following the twin terror attacks in Kathua and Samba districts, security has been tightened along the border areas of Poonch.
|
|
|
Unaware of father’s death, 6-yr-old girl says he will come back
Kathua, September 27 Constable Shiv Kumar Sangra was one among the four policemen killed inside the Hiranagar police station by the terrorists yesterday. While Pooja, the widow of the slain constable, remains inconsolable, Shiv Kumar’s father Sat Pal Sangra recalls the fatal morning with moist eyes. “He (Shiv Kumar) was on duty at the Londi check post on the highway, some two or three kilometres from the Kootah village towards Jammu, during the intervening night of September 25 and 26. He returned home at 5 am. However, he got a call from the police station at 5.30 am and was asked to be on duty by 6 am, as one or two policemen were on leave,” Sat Pal said. “He took tea before leaving for the police station. I got a call from someone, who informed me that there was firing in the Hiranagar. I immediately called him (Shiv Kumar) but he didn’t respond,” he added. Shiv Kumar, the eldest and only brother of five sisters, had joined the Police Department in November 2000 and is believed to be the one, who opened a retaliatory fire on the militants inside the Hiranagar police station before falling prey to the assailants. The bullets had pierced into his skull and he remained lying in the pool of blood for almost an hour before being taken to a nearby hospital, said the distraught father. Sat Pal, an ex-serviceman, also rued the killing of Army personnel at Samba. “Had local officials posted in the police station alerted their seniors or police headquarters in time, the lives of the Army men could have been saved,” he said. “We have lost the battle to terrorism. If we can do something for our next generation, it is the direct war with the neighbouring country. We should teach them (Pakistan) a lesson that we are not a weak nation,” said one of the kin’s of the slain constable. |
|
|
BJP MP writes to rights panel on fake dengue reports in Samba
Jammu, September 27 After a report was published in ‘The Tribune’ on September 20 that some private laboratories at Samba were sending patients to Ludhiana for treatment by issuing fake dengue reports, Khanna wrote to the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) that "it is a clear cut human rights violation due to non-action on the part of public servant." The nexus between some private laboratories and doctors at Ludhiana was reported in these columns. Some of the private medical laboratories at Samba, on the basis of the ‘Rapid Test’ for dengue, were sending patients to Ludhiana, saying that Jammu doctors cannot treat the disease properly.— TNS
|
|
|
Boost for Kashmir crafts: Rao announces loan waiver for handloom weavers
Srinagar, September 27 Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, Rao said under the recently announced Central scheme, Revival Reform and Restructuring (RRR), loans taken by the handloom weavers of the state till 2010, which included the principal amount and interest, had been waived. Stating that the decision was taken to revive the handicrafts of the state, he said the waiver would especially benefit handloom weavers of the old Srinagar city. Speaking on the occasion, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee
(JKPCC) president Saifuddin Soz said the decision would benefit thousands of handloom weavers of the state. Soz also pointed out that the Centre had also approved grant of Rs 5 crore to boost the ‘khatamband’ art form in the Valley. However, he regretted that the Forest Department had failed to utilise the Central funds. He claimed that the department had failed to provide timber to khatamband craftspersons Soz proposed to the Union Minister that the Centre should fund a permanent exhibition at a central place in the summer capital so that visitors and customers could approach the artisans directly. Talking to artisans, he said the Centre was interested in the promotion of handicrafts and it was for the people of Kashmir to take advantage of the funding available. He told Congress workers to ensure effective liaison between the artisans and the Centre so that the artisans could benefit from various schemes. Rao said he would consider the proposals for the development of the handicraft sector so that certain projects could be undertaken as early as possible. Meanwhile, Soz said he had not personally received any communication from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on the surfacing of the name of Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir after former Army Chief VK Singh claimed that the Centre had been funding political parties of the state since 1947. central scheme *
Under the recently announced Central scheme Revival Reform and Restructuring, loans taken by the handloom weavers of J&K till 2010, which included the principal amount and interest, have been waived *
The Centre has also approved grant of Rs 5 crore to boost the ‘khatamband’ art form in the Valley |
|
|
Kaily Mandi Attack
Jammu, September 27 Shockingly, more than five years after the gruesome attack the authorities have still not been able to fulfil the commitment made to the victims. Terrorists had struck in the Kaily Mandi area of Samba district during the morning hours of May 11, killing six people including two security personnel and a senior photo journalist. “For the last five years we have been moving from pillar to post for justice. A number of promises were made after the attack, but not even a single promise has been fulfilled so far,” rued Bindu Sambyal, who lost her parents in the attack. Bindu and her mother-in-law Darshana Pathania had received severe bullet injuries during the attack. Bindu, who is married in Punjab, was on a visit to her parental home at Samba along with Darshana when terrorists struck in the area and killed her parents. “I lost both my father and mother in the attack. The government at that time had promised to give job to one of the family member. But these promises remained only on papers,” she regretted. Bindu added that she along with her mother-in-law were even forced to pay for their treatment as the authorities refused to bear the expenditure. “I had to undergo surgery as many as four times due to the bullet injuries, but government has not provided even a single penny,” she said while expressing anguish over “inhuman approach” being adopted by the government towards the terror victims. “My parents were killed in front of my eyes. The gory memories are still fresh in mind,” she recalled. The story of Dwarka Nath is no different. Dwarka Nath along with her wife Madhu Bala grappled with the terrorists before the later laid down her life. “We almost snatched their weapons, but unfortunately I slipped and fell down and terrorists sprayed bullets on us. My wife died on the spot,” recalled Nath. “The government had promised bravery award for my wife, who lost her life while fighting the heavily armed terrorists, but so far nothing has been done,” Nath rued. He revealed that when they approached the
government for compensation their claims were rejected on the plea that he (Dwarka Nath) was a government employee. |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
A complete shutdown was observed today in Kathua and Samba districts to protest the militant attacks on the Hiranagar police station and an Army camp yesterday.
People in both districts blocked the Jammu-Pathankot national highway at several places. They burnt tyres to lodge their protest against the Central and state governments for their “soft approach” towards curbing terrorism.
It was an emotional scene at the Jammu airport today when the body of havildar Indra Singh was paid last respects and sent home to Rajasthan for last rites.
Army personnel today morning bid a tearful adieu to their companion who laid down his life for the nation while fighting militants yesterday during a fidayeen attack on an Army camp in the Mehsar area of Samba, 42 km from here.
Twenty four hours after the militants struck at Hiranagar and Samba, the police recovered eight live grenades near the Battalion Headquarters of 5 Gorkha Regiment in the Kalai area of
Poonch. The incident happened around 10:30 am today when some students, who were going to take bath in the Pulast River under the Kalai Bridge, found a poly-bag carrying grenades lying along the river bed.
Six-year-old Priyanshi is unaware that her father has been killed in the terror attack on the Hiranagar police station.
The Class II student is greeting the people pouring into her house for condolences with a smile and if someone asks her where her father was she replies, “Papa Upar Gaye
Hai, Kal Wapis Aayege (my father has gone up in the sky, he will return tomorrow).”
