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Principal players roll up their sleeves for poll harvest in Poonch, Rajouri
Death
of patient
Protesters block highway after two youths slap girl
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Ministers, babus refuse to let go of colonial mindset
Relative among two held for murdering 61-yr-old woman
BDO, sarpanch among 5 booked for misusing MGNREGA funds
Bar condemns hanging of Bangladesh Jamaat leader
Phase II of Aadhaar card survey begins
Fire at Srinagar hospital
Man held for rape bid
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Principal players roll up their sleeves for poll harvest in Poonch, Rajouri
Jammu, December 14 The ruling National Conference, its coalition partner Congress and main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have devised strategies to make inroads into the hilly belt, comprising seven Assembly segments. Although for the last couple of years, the ruling National Conference and opposition PDP have been concentrating on this belt, the Congress has now jumped into the fray to explore more possibilities in this region, which was once considered to be the citadel of the National Conference. With two prominent leaders of the PDP, Master Tassadiq Hussain and Murtaza Khan, joining the Congress, the party leadership is hoping to reap political benefit from these two districts, known for ethnic divisions. First time after his appointment as Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief, Saifuddin Soz conducted an extensive tour of the all the Assembly segments of this belt in the last week of November this year. Soz visited interiors of Poonch and Rajouri and tried to iron out differences among some senior party leaders. After the visit of Soz, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also visited Rajouri district and addressed an impressive public meeting in the Darhal Assembly segment, which is considered to be the citadel of the opposition PDP, because the sitting MLA of this segment belongs to the PDP. Provincial
president of the National Conference Devender Singh Rana along with Minister for Planning Ajay Sadhotra also visited Rajouri a couple of
days back. President of the PDP Mehbooba Mufti is also visiting Rajouri district from December 17. During her three-day visit, she would address series of public meetings in different Assembly
segments of Rajouri districts in support of party candidate for the
Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat Yash Pal Sharma. In the Poonch-Rajouri belt, which was once plagued with militacy, the NC, Congress and PDP have equal stakes as out of the total seven Assembly segments in the two
districts, these parties won three, two and two seats, respectively, in the last Assembly elections held in 2008.
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Death
of patient
Srinagar, December 14 The J&K High Court and state government are holding separate probes into the allegation that Traffic Mobile Magistrate Manzoor Ahmed Khan on December 10 stopped an ambulance for nearly half an hour on the Handwara-Sopore road in north Kashmir, which led to the death of an 80-year-old Abdul Rahman Dar, a resident of Yansoo Handwara. Dar was being shifted to a super specialty hospital in Srinagar from Handwara on Tuesday in an ambulance when traffic policemen, led by Traffic Mobile Magistrate Manzoor Ahmed Khan allegedly stopped the ambulance at Selu, 50 km from here, on the Handwara-Sopore highway for using siren. “We have registered a case against the Mobile Magistrate and the traffic policemen under Section 341(wrongful restraint) of the RPC,” said a police official. “Independent MLA Abdul Rashid Sheikh had lodged a complaint at the Sopore police station against the Mobile Magistrate and policemen and demanded registration of an FIR against them,” he added. After the registration of an FIR, the police also visited the spot and recorded the statements of the ambulance driver and family of the deceased. “As the two inquiries are being conducted on the issue by the high court and Deputy Commissioner, Baramulla, we will wait for the outcome of the inquiries,” the police official said. The family of the deceased has alleged that the traffic police on the duty also broke the siren of the ambulance and refused to let it go for nearly 30 minutes and this delay led to his death. Law Secretary, J&K, Mohammad Ashraf Mir said they had written to the Registrar-General over the issue. “We have requested that the issue be placed before the Chief Justice,” Mir said. |
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Protesters block highway after two youths slap girl
Jammu, December 14 The protesters raised slogans against the police and demanded immediate arrest of the accused. Eyewitnesses said a student of SVS Degree College, Chann Rorarian, was forcibly stopped and slapped by two youths in full public view near Rajbagh. “The youths, who were wearing helmets, managed to flee thereafter. Students and other locals held a demonstration and blocked the highway to register their resentment against the incident. They alleged that the girls were not safe in the area and the police had failed to take action against
the accused,” said an eyewitness. A police team led by the Rajbagh police station SHO rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the protesters. The dharna was lifted after the policemen assured the agitators that they would take strict action against the accused. However, the police later said the girl was yet to register a formal complaint in this regard. They said action against the accused could be taken only after they received a complaint. Sources said the girl and the accused youths belonged to the same village (Bakral) and they had some “personal dispute”. |
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Governor inaugurates Red Cross Mela
Jammu, December 14 Congratulating the Indian Red Cross Society, Jammu region, on the occasion of its golden jubilee celebrations, the Governor observed that such fairs should be a biannual feature in every district of the state. Appreciating the activities carried out by the State Red Cross Society during the last few months, the Governor said much more should be done for mobilising resources so that the whole state could be abuzz with activities of the organisation. The Governor also congratulated Kiran Kumar Sharma, a Red Cross volunteer, whose promptness in providing first aid and shifting of an accident victim to a hospital saved the man’s life. Earlier, Usha Vohra and the Governor visited the stalls put up at the venue by governmental and private organisations. The participating organisations included the main sponsor Jammu and Kashmir Bank and co-sponsor Punjab National Bank, India Air Force, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Jammu and Kashmir Police, government departments of handicrafts, horticulture, Government Degree Colleges and others. Shantmanu, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, delivered the welcome address and said such melas were helpful in fund-raising and for this year a collection of more than Rs 20 lakh was expected. Navin K Choudhary, Principal Secretary to the Governor, Roma Wani, honorary general secretary, Indian Red Cross Society, Jammu and Kashmir, Ajit Sahu, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Atul Goel, SSP, Jammu, and Soujanya Sharma, Director, Information, Jammu, were present on the occasion. |
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International film festival begins in Valley
Srinagar, December 14 Hundreds of people, including Kashmiri filmmakers, students and artistes, attended the event at Sheri-e-Kashmir Convention Centre on the banks of Dal Lake. The event has been organised by Loudbeetle.in and Space Communication, both of which are run by Kashmiri students and film lovers. The festival is aimed at providing a platform for young Kashmiri filmmakers. State Tourism Minister GA Mir, who inaugurated the film festival, appreciated the efforts of youth in making the event possible after a long time. "I am happy that after a gap of 23 years our children are trying to put forth our culture. They are educating us and exploring the hidden talent in the Valley. We have a lot of talent and these children are showing us how things can be done,” the minister said. He added that the Tourism Department would provide them help in promoting tourism-related movies. “The main reason for organising the event is to appreciate how beautifully these pictures have been shot. We wanted to provide a platform to young filmmakers so that they could showcase their creativity and talent," said Ahmer Khan, chief executive officer, Loudbeetle.in. On the first day of the festival, movies such as Kashmir's first feature film “Manzi Raat” (1966) were screened, which evoked a sense of nostalgia among viewers. On the second day, movies and documentaries from around the globe such as Afghanistan - Touch Down in Flight, The Last Day and Habba Khatoon will be screened. At the concluding ceremony of the event, three best movies will be chosen by judges, who
are Kashmir’s famous filmmakers. |
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Ministers, babus refuse to let go of colonial mindset
Jammu, December 14 The term is being used in violation of the General Administration Department’s (GAD) circular issued on October 15, wherein it was impressed upon all the government functionaries, divisional and district administration officials to ensure that the words “public grievances camp” be used in all official communications instead of “public darbar”. The GAD had issued the circular following the directions of Omar, who also heads the department, following a complaint in this regard by a Jammu-based activist Raman Sharma in the Chief Minister Grievance Cell. On Wednesday, too, the state information department in an official statement said the Deputy Chairman Legislative Council, Javaid Ahmed Rana, had organised a “public darbar” at Uchad village of Mendhar tehsil in Poonch district. Similarly, another communiqué on December 10 stated that Minister of State (MoS) for Cooperatives Manohar Lal Sharma convened a “public darbar” to get first-hand information about the problems of people in Bilawar town of Kathua district. Raman has once again submitted a complaint in the Chief Minister’s Grievance Cell seeking Omar’s intervention to stop the use of such terminology in official statements. While speaking to The Tribune, he said, “The use of this objectionable word in press releases and communications is a clear reflection of the colonial mindset of public and government functionaries." A senior officer of the state bureaucracy said the effective implementation of the order was yet to be achieved because of poor monitoring. “The Chief Minister should personally look into this aspect and ensure strict compliance of the decision made by the Grievance Cell,” the
officer said. |
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Relative among two held for murdering 61-yr-old woman
Jammu, December 14 The accused have been identified as Rahat Hafiz of Trikuta Nagar, Jammu - who is also a relative of the deceased - and Mian Sohail of Rajbagh, Kathua. “Nargis had given Rs 18 lakh to Rahat to buy a plot for her as she wanted to dispose of her house at Gali Jeevan Shah Mohalla, Shaheedi Chowk. When Rahat failed to do so, she started demanding her money back. In order to hush up the matter, Hafiz hatched a plan to murder her,” Atul Goel, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, told reporters here. The SSP said Rahat, on the pretext of taking Nargis for a medical check-up, picked her up from her house on December 11. “Once Nargis was in his car, he along with his servant coaxed her into consuming sleeping pills, which apparently resulted in her death. The exact cause of death can be ascertained only after
the result of autopsy is obtained,” the police officer said. He said the deceased’s son and husband worked in Dubai and they regularly sent her large amounts of money. “The accused carried the body to Dayalachak in Kathua district in the boot of his car and kept the car in the house of Mian Sohail for a night. He disposed of the body on December 12 with the help of Sohail and two other associates,” the SSP said. “Prima-facie, the motive of the crime appears to be greed for money,” he added. A complaint that Nargis was missing since the afternoon of December 11 was lodged at the police station, Peermitha, on December 12. “During the investigation, it came to light that the woman was kidnapped by Rahat Hafiz and his associates, who had taken her to some unknown place,” the police officer said. He said Rahat was arrested and subjected to sustained interrogation and questioning, during which he disclosed that he along with his three associates had dumped her body after murdering her at a place near
Dayalachak. |
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BDO, sarpanch among 5 booked for misusing MGNREGA funds
Jammu, December 14 Anil Kumar, former Block Development Officer (BDO), Gandoh, Baldev Singh, former panchayat secretary, Gurrehrah, Mohammad Aslam, former technical assistant, panchayat, Gurrehrah, Punjab Singh, former Gram Sewak, panchayat, Gurrehrah, and Mohd Ayaz, former sarpanch, Gurrehrah, were booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the RPC for misusing the MGNREGA funds. Sources said during 2011-12, Rs 19.50 lakh was sanctioned for work in the Gurrehrah panchayat area. However, payments for partially and unexecuted works were released in the name of job card holders which included ineligible and dead persons and those with more than one job card.
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Bar condemns hanging of Bangladesh Jamaat leader
Srinagar, December 14 Mollah was hanged on Thursday by the Bangladeshi authorities for his involvement in the 1971 war. “The Bar Association strongly condemns the execution of Moulana Abdul Quader Mollah, who was hanged on Thursday in Bangladesh, for siding with Pakistan in 1971. The Bar feels his execution was politically motivated and was carried into effect with the active aid and assistance of those who have all along been suppressing Islamists in Bangladesh,” a Bar spokesman said in a statement here. Condoling his demise, the spokesman said the Bar had decided to offer funeral prayers in absentia (special prayers) for the departed soul on December 16 at the High Court complex in Srinagar. Meanwhile, the University of Kashmir today witnessed protests by students against the hanging of the Jamaat-e-Islami leader. The students assembled near the Allama Iqbal library of the varsity and held special prayers for the Islamist leader. They condemned the hanging and raised slogans, terming the execution as “unjustified”. |
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Phase II of Aadhaar card survey begins
Jammu, December 14 The work on the NPR Census has started in Kathua, Samba, Udhampur, Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban and Reasi districts. In Jammu district, work has already started in the Municipal Committee, Arnia, and the Municipal Committee, Bishnah. The NPR Census will start in rural areas of Bishnah from Monday. A training programme for enumerators and supervisors, deployed for conducting the second phase of the NPR Census in rural areas of Bishnah, was organised by the Directorate of Census Operations (DCO) and the district administration, Jammu, in collaboration with the Electronics Corporation of India Limited and Comtech Info Solutions Pvt Ltd on Friday. VK Moza and Nimrat Kour, district in charge, DCO, Jammu, imparted training on updating layout maps, abridged house list and filling up of NPR schedules.
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Fire at Srinagar hospital
Srinagar, December 14 The Fire and Emergency Service Department launched an operation to douse the flames. The department brought fire tenders from across the city and adjoining Budgam and Pulwama districts, an official of the department said. The fire, which broke out at 12:03pm, caused panic among patients and attendants — all of whom were safely evacuated. The attic of the two-storey OPD block was damaged in the fire. At least 100 firefighters and up to 40 fire tenders doused the fire. Two personnel of the department were injured while dousing the flames, the official said. The cause of the fire could not be ascertained immediately. |
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Man held for rape bid
Srinagar, December 14 A police officer said the accused was a resident of the Old Barzulla locality in the city. "The medical report of the girl has confirmed that there was no rape. However, an attempt was made," the police officer said.
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