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Jammu residents stay indoors as mercury touches 41°C
Private schoolteachers ‘poorly’ paid
Dilapidated roads pose threat to commuters, damage vehicles
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MC launches drive against smoking, adulteration
Congress faces stiff challenge from party rebel in Ladakh
PDP a tentacle of BJP, says Omar
PDP not contesting LS polls for power, says Mufti
Curfew continues in Srinagar
Employees review voter list at the District Election Office in Baramulla. Tribune photo: Yawar Kabli
BSF finds caved-in portion of Chilyari tunnel along border
Soz skips campaigning to review party functioning in Jammu
Jammu-Udhampur 4-lane project
to be completed by October
Work on the Jammu-Udhampur national highway is in full swing. Tribune photo: Inderjeet Singh
BSF DG visits forward posts in Samba sector
Landslide blocks Doda-Kishtwar highway
Scenic Saterseeran village cries for govt attention
Cop dies after rifle goes off accidentally
Train services resume in Valley
SHRC terms youth’s death as extra judicial killing
Mirwaiz criticises authorities for imposing restrictions
Five Srinagar segments register lower turnout than 2009 Lok Sabha elections
CRPF men thrash minors at Batamaloo
Photojournalists threatened, chased away by police
Cop, cook injured in fire at Baramulla
KV-Miran Sahib celebrates annual day
Dogri folk singer’s death mourned
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Jammu residents stay indoors as mercury touches 41°C
Jammu, May 2 Temperatures in the region, which have been rising steadily for the last week, hit the 41°C mark, the highest this season, on Friday pushing people to stay indoors. In the city the sizzling conditions were made worse by hot winds blowing. Residents preferred to spend time in the comfort of their coolers and air-conditioners. "The temperature will rise further in the coming days. The next five months will be quite hot," said a college student, Suraksha Sharma. Meanwhile, certain areas of the city started facing the scarcity of water and power cuts. Many areas have not got regular supply of water and electricity for the last three days. Meanwhile, weathermen say that the unusually high temperatures in the northern region at this time of the year is due to the absence of any western disturbances, which could bring showers to North India. Wheat harvesting is in full swing in the entire region, despite the heatwave. In most of the wheat-growing belts, farmers are trying their best to quickly harvest their crop in view of threat of fire, which destroyed hundreds of acres of land in the past two weeks.
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Private schoolteachers ‘poorly’ paid
Jammu, May 2 Under the Minimum Wages Act, the state government guarantees Rs 225, Rs 200, Rs 175 and Rs 150 per day for skilled, accounts, semi-skilled and un-skilled workers, respectively, while the teachers of private schools in Jammu, who play an important role in shaping the future of the nation, get not even Rs 100 per day. These teachers are being exploited by the highly influential owners of private schools, who charge thousands of rupees from students in the name of luxurious classroom environment, extracurricular activities and importantly highly qualified teachers, but when it comes to paying the salary to the teachers, they start negotiating like in "vegetable markets". A biology teacher in a reputed private school in Jammu said, "I have done master's in botany and MEd, but my school gives me only Rs 4,000 for teaching the students of Class XI and XII." "Some of the teachers are working for Rs 2,000 per month after doing graduation and master's degree. The main problem is unemployment," she added. Another teacher of a private school said, "I am feeding the family of five with the salary of Rs 3,000 per month. If I ask for a raise, the school owner will get another teacher on my post at Rs 2,500." "The problem is not with the owners, the problem is with us, we are not united. Because of the increasing rate of unemployment they are exploiting us,"
he added. Mortaza Ahmed Sheikh, Under Secretary, Labour & Employment Department, said, "We cannot check wage rate individually, but whenever we get complaint, we take strict action against the violator." He said private schoolteachers should make a union, so that they could complain against the violators without hesitation. Because of the fear of losing the job, teachers did not complain against
the employers.
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Dilapidated roads pose threat to commuters, damage vehicles
Jammu, May 2 For the last over six months, the Roads and Building (R&B) Department has not carried out any major repair of the damaged stretches and only done patching of potholes, which has resulted in the dilapidated condition of all the
major roads in the winter capital. Apart from disrupting the smooth flow of traffic, it has put financial burden on commuters, as they have to spend more on the maintenance of vehicles, which get damaged while plying on these bad roads. At times, cars and mini-buses drivers suffer major damages to their vehicles and receive injuries as they get struck on the road, which are today a pile of dust and stones. "We are paying road tax for the vehicles so that the government should provide us smooth roads, but if it cannot provide smooth roads in the winter capital, what kind of roads we expect in other districts," said Som Nath Sharma, a daily commuter from Talab Tillo. On the Bantalab-Amphalla road, potholes, some measuring about 2 ft in diameter, can be found, which makes it near impossible for the vehicles to pass and two-wheeler riders are scared to use the road to reach their destination. "Heavy vehicles pass through the area with much difficulty. Travelling in Matadoors is like a roller-coaster ride for villagers, but no step has been taken to ensure repair of the roads," said Roshan Lal, a villager in the RS Pura
tehsil.
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MC launches drive against smoking, adulteration
Jammu, May 2 A team of Health and Sanitation Wing of the Municipal Corporation under the supervision of Dr Muhammad Saleem Khan Health Officer on the directions of Commissioner, MC, Kiran Wattal inspected various areas of the city. The team inspected various food joints at Indira Chowk, BC Road and Jewel Market. Two samples of pineapple fruit drink (Sap brand) and litchi fruit drink (Sap brand) were taken from the Industrial Area, Gangyal, and sent to the food analyst for ascertaining standards of purity. A drive against smoking at public places was also launched in which four persons was booked under the COTP Act-2003 and a fine of Rs 800 was imposed on them. The team also visited many places and polythene carry bags weighing about 8 kg were seized. A fine of Rs 4,200 was imposed on defaulters. During the round, residents were also advised not to smoke at the public places. The Health Officer once again appealed to the food business operators and the residents not to use polythene carry bags. The drive would continue and the general public was requested to cooperate with the Municipal Corporation to make the ongoing drive a success, he said.
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Congress faces stiff challenge from party rebel in Ladakh
Leh, May 2 Raza had recently resigned as president of the Kargil district unit of the Congress after the party high command decided to field a Buddhist from Leh, Tsering Samphel, for the Ladakh seat. Raza maintained that Kargil district, which is predominately inhabited by Shia Muslims, was ignored by the high command while selecting the candidate. There is a massive divide in Ladakh, which is inhabited by Buddhists and Shia Muslims, on the lines of religion and region. Raza enjoys the support of powerful religious body Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust (IKMT), Kargil, and Congress councillors in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil. The Congress has been ruling the LAHDC in both districts, Kargil and Leh, which constitute the Ladakh parliamentary constituency. Interestingly, Samphel and his supporters are busy devising a strategy to defeat the challenge posed by Raza. Samphel has been camping in Kargil and will campaign there for the next two days. “We are not worried about the BJP and the National Conference-supported candidate. It is now virtually a contest between the A and B teams of the Congress. The B team is full of rebels of the Congress. The victory of our party candidate will depend on his performance in Kargil,” a senior Congress leader, who refused to be named, said at the party office here. The NC is tacitly supporting an Independent candidate, Aga Syed Kazim Sabri, who is also backed by a powerful religious group, Islamiya School Kargil (ISK). The Congress leader said although the NC-supported candidate was backed by the ISK, he was a weak candidate as compared to sitting MP Ghulam Hassan Khan. In the 2009 parliamentary elections, Khan contested as an Independent candidate, and was supported by the NC and the ISK. Mohammad Shafi, a nominated councillor of the Congress in the LAHDC, Leh, said the party had been facing a serious challenge from Raza, who had recently resigned from the post of party's district president. "The BJP is non-existent in Leh. In the 30-member LAHDC, Leh, we have 26 councillors, including four who have been nominated, while the BJP has only four elected councillors. Nearly 90 per cent of the panches and sarpanches are affiliated with the Congress. We have been facing a challenge from Kargil but we hope to win the seat this time. The 30-member LAHDC, Kargil, has 10 councillors of the Congress and eight from the NC. Some Independents owe their allegiance to the Congress,” Shafi said. Norboo Gailchan, Congress MLC from Leh, too admitted to the challenge from the rebel leader Raza. “He holds a good base in Kargil district.” "Our workers are doing their best to reach out to the people of Ladakh, who have always supported the policies and programmes of the Congress. This seat has a vast area and the population is scattered.
It is an uphill task to reach out to all in the segment," he said. The Ladakh seat, which has four
Assembly segments, has an electorate of 1,59,949, which includes 81,168 male voters and 78,781 female voters. Leh district, covering over 44,000 sq km, has 80,000 voters. Kargil district has a population of 1,40,802 and is spread over 14,086 square km. Congress team A vs team B *
Ghulam Raza recently resigned as president of the Kargil district unit of the Congress after the party high command decided to field a Buddhist from Leh, Tsering Samphel, for the Ladakh seat. Raza maintained that Kargil district, which is predominately inhabited by Shia Muslims, was ignored by the high command while selecting the candidate. *
A senior Congress leader, who refused to be named, said the party was not worried about the BJP and the National Conference-supported candidate. “It is now virtually a contest between the A and B teams of the Congress. The B team is full of rebels of the Congress.”
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PDP a tentacle of BJP, says Omar
Srinagar, May 2 Omar made a "fervent appeal" to the electorate of the Baramulla parliamentary constituency to vote for the NC candidate, said a statement issued by the party. Omar urged the people to vote for the NC so that the PDP, “which is acting as the tentacle of the BJP”, is defeated. He said the NC-Congress coalition would safeguard the “secular democratic credentials” of the country. “The Congress-NC alliance is openly supporting Rahul Gandhi in this regard,” he said. Omar also accused BJP prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi of “creating fissures between various sections of society and different regions in the country”.
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PDP not contesting LS polls for power, says Mufti
Kupwara, May 2 He said the party’s sole objective was to seek a bigger platform for securing J&K’s economic interests and its resolution. “Our sole objective is to seek, at a bigger platform, the resolution of the critical political and economic problems confronting J&K,” Mufti said while addressing a rally at Handwara in north Kashmir today. Mufti condemned the killing of a youth in the Nawa Kadal area of Srinagar on Wednesday, saying civilian deaths are a grim reminder of the tragedies Kashmir reels under, which have to end. “We have to use all our resources to put an end to this trail of death and destruction for the sake of our future generations,” said Mufti. Mufti said the PDP’s goal was to ensure inclusive political and economic empowerment of the people of the state in a positively evolving Indo-Pak arrangement. The former chief minister said most of the problems the state was facing today were because of the National Conference’s (NC) lust for power as the party had always used people’s mandate to seek employment for its leaders. “The NC has been using the peoples mandate to seek power instead of working for safeguarding their aspirations. The leadership has served a big blow not just to its own credibility but also to the people’s faith,” he said. The PDP patron accused the NC of failing on the governance front. He NC leaders, in their poll campaign, instead of talking about issues confronting J&K and its people, were harping on obscure and extraneous matters. “That’s why people in south and central Kashmir have rejected this party and it is now for the voters of north Kashmir to take the ongoing movement for change to its logical conclusion,” he said. Mufti said responding to the people’s yearning for peace with dignity, the PDP crusaded the policy of repairing their hurt psyche and salvaging their bruised dignity, thereby kindling a new hope in their hearts. He said if the PDP was today leading the political movement for change in J&K, it was because the party had earned credibility among the masses by not only articulating their aspirations in a responsive and responsible manner, but also delivering on the development front. |
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Curfew continues in Srinagar
Srinagar, May 2 The authorities imposed curfew for the second day on the areas falling under the jurisdiction of five police stations in Srinagar’s downtown area, where residents were barred from moving out of their houses. The state police and Central paramilitary personnel had placed rolls of concertina wires blocking roads to these neighbourhoods. Police and paramilitary personnel were also deployed in large numbers across the city to thwart any protest. A police spokesman said the curfew continued in the areas where it was imposed on Thursday. Protests were held during the day in several parts of the region. There were no reports about injuries. The Friday shutdown was spontaneous as no separatist group, which had appealed for shutdown on Wednesday and Thursday, had called for the bandh. On Wednesday, the Kashmir region had observed the week’s first shutdown, which was called by the separatists to protest against elections in Srinagar constituency and as a “remembrance” for the three militants who were killed last week in a gunbattle in south Kashmir’s Shopian district. The polling day, which recorded a turnout of 26 per cent, passed with few protests. However, a youth was killed in the evening during a demonstration at Nawa Kadal in the old city. Local residents said Bashir Ahmad Bhat was shot when security forces fired during a demonstration on Wednesday evening, an hour after polling ended. The police said the security forces were attacked by some miscreants, who snatched a weapon, and the youth was injured in the “ensuing scuffle” and later succumbed to injuries. The separatist groups had immediately called for a shutdown on Thursday to protest against the killing.
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More polling booths declared hypersensitive in Baramulla
Baramulla, May 2 Last month, only 1,018 booths were declared hypersensitive by officials in the strategic constituency comprising Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipore districts that touch the Line of Control (LoC). However, now 1,091 booths have been declared hypersensitive and 445 sensitive out of 1,616, leaving only 70 normal. A senior official today said more booths were declared hypersensitive by the top brass of the security forces and district administration after the latest review of the situation. “The security-related review of polling stations is being regularly done in the Baramulla constituency,” the official said. In the first round of polls in Anantnag on April 24, a poll official got killed in a militant attack. This was followed by the killing of a youth in Srinagar in protests on April 30 after voting took place. After the killing, most parts of the Valley have been observing a shutdown amid stone-throwing incidents at many places, including those in Baramulla, which is going to the polls on May 7. Meanwhile, talking to The Tribune, Deputy Commissioner, Baramulla, Farooq Ahmad Lone, who is also the Returning Officer for the constituency, said the district administration was working in coordination with the security forces to thwart any attempt to disturb law and order situation in the constituency. Besides tightening security, ensuring polling in far-flung areas of the constituency will also be challenging for the administration as some areas are still cut off due to snowfall. Lone said 21 polling stations were close to the LoC. The polling material had already been airlifted to Gurez that is still cut off while the road to Machil and Keran, close to the LoC, had been cleared. The main battle in Baramulla is between National Conference’s sitting MP Sharifuddin Shariq and People Democratic Party’s Muzaffar
Beigh.
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Lt Gen Chachra gets PVSM
Jammu, May 2 Lt General Chachra took over reins of the Northern Command on July 1 last year and conceptualised a realistic, practical and dynamic joint strategy with the civil administration, state police and paramilitary forces to combat terrorism in J&K, said a press release. As a result of the excellent synergy between the Army, civil administration, security and intelligence agencies, militants attempting to infiltrate have been systematically targeted and their leadership eliminated in the hinterland in the last six months, leaving most of the militant organisations in disarray and reduction in violence. There is also relative calm along the Line of Control and the Line of Actual Control with reduced ceasefire violations, said Lt Col Rajesh Kalia, Defence Ministry’s Northern Command spokesperson. During his command of the Northern Command, there has been a significant improvement in the development of infrastructure for soldiers deployed in challenging and inhospitable terrain and initiation of a number of initiatives for the welfare of veterans (ex-servicemen), veer naris and their dependants, the Northern Command spokesperson said. As part of the Army’s participative contribution, the GOC-in-C has been instrumental in initiating a number of development initiatives for the welfare of the people of J&K, truly reflecting his genuine love and concern for them, he said. Humanitarian assistance to the people living in remote mountainous regions in harsh climatic and topographical conditions was launched as part of this initiative, said the spokesperson. A strong votary of zero-tolerance towards human rights violations, Lt General Chachra has directed commanders at all levels to ensure that troops maintained the highest standards of professionalism by showing restraint and conduct people-friendly operations with no collateral damage and inconvenience to the local population. Under he Northern Command Chief’s leadership, a safe winter and a vibrant transition to a summer of hope in 2014 has been ensured. The award of PVSM by the President is an apt recognition of the valiant efforts of the troops in the Northern Command, led by their illustrious Army Commander, stated the release issued by the spokesperson.
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BSF finds caved-in portion of Chilyari tunnel along border
Samba, May 2 “The new caved-in portion of the tunnel was found by our patrolling party, 20 metres from the international border near the Chilyari post of the Samba sector. Its dimension is 3x3 feet and was dug at a depth of around 6 feet. It is the latest point of the tunnel which was found today along the international border,” said Anil Magotra, Superintendent of Police (SP), Samba. “The Chilyari tunnel was detected on July 28, 2012, after an area caved in at two or three places due to rains near the border fencing in Chachwal village close to the Chilayari border outpost of the BSF along the international border in the Samba sector. The tunnel with a dimension of 3x3 feet was about 400 metres into the Indian side from the international border where pillars of demarcation stand,” the Samba SP said. “We are looking into all aspects. A protest would be lodged with the
Pakistan Rangers in this regard,” a BSF officer said.
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Soz skips campaigning to review party functioning in Jammu
Jammu, May 2 Although party leaders said Soz will join the campaign on Saturday, by taking a break from campaigning at a crucial time has fuelled rumours that “all in not well” in the National Conference-Congress coalition. The Baramulla constituency is going to the polls on May 7 and the campaigning will end on Monday. Soz’s skipping the campaign has raised many eyebrows because he has been the Lok Sabha member from the Baramulla segment in 1984, 1989 and 1998 and has influence in some pockets. National Conference (NC) candidate Sharifuddin Shariq, who won from Baramulla in 2009, is seeking reelection while senior PDP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh is his main challenger. Highly placed sources in the Congress said after the completion of the polling of the two Lok Sabha segments of Kashmir province, party leaders were not showing much enthusiasm to campaign for the NC candidates. Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had addressed rallies in support of NC candidate Mehboob Beg for the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat but after that he did not campaign. Azad has been campaigning for Congress candidates in other parts of the country. Meanwhile, Soz convened a meeting of party leaders at the Congress headquarters in Jammu. Soz sought polling booth-level feedback from the party cadre to assess the party’s performance in the Jammu-Poonch and Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha segments. Soz exuded confidence that the Congress would win all three seats, allotted to the party as per an agreement with coalition partner National Conference.
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Jammu-Udhampur 4-lane project
to be completed by October
Jammu, May 2 The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is going to charge toll from all types of vehicles in the coming days. The deadline for this project was June 2014 but NHAI officials said due to the delay in clearance from wildlife officials, it will take another few months for the project to be completed. “Except for a little tunnel work, the project has been completed. Due to the delay of around 15 months in getting clearance from wildlife department, the work got delayed by four months,” said RP Singh, project director, NHAI, Jammu region. All types of vehicles are already plying on the newly constructed four-laned road. As the tunnel work is going on, around the Nandni area, vehicles ply on the old stretch of road, causing frequent traffic jams. To collect revenue, the NHAI has constructed a toll plaza in the Ban area, around 20 km from Jammu. “We are ready with our toll plaza and are awaiting the approval from the state government. We are expecting to get the clearance after the model code of conduct is lifted,” the project director said. The four-laning of the 300-km-long Jammu-Srinagar national highway was started in 2011 and it is expected to be completed in 2016. Work on the 65-km-long Jammu-Udhampur stretch was taken up in the first phase. The project has been divided into six sub-projects. These are widening of the Jammu-Udhampur road (65 km), Chenani-Nashri tunnel (9.2 km), Udhampur-Ramban road (43 km), Ramban-Banihal road (36 km), Banihal-Qazigund road (15.25 km) and Qazigund-Srinagar road (67.7 km).
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BSF DG visits forward posts in Samba sector
Jammu, May 2 He also reviewed the Rumsha Way Riverine Integrated Surveillance and Communication System installed over Tarnah Nullah. The system has been indigenously designed by the BSF for guarding river gaps on
the border. “Around 8 am today, the DG left the Jammu Frontier headquarters of the BSF along with Jammu Frontier Inspector General SS Tomar and Deputy Inspector General Dharmender Pareekh and visited Paharpur and Bobbiyan posts in the Hiranagar sub-sector. He also visited Tarnah Nullah and Chhap Nullah, where he reviewed the functioning of Rumsha Way Riverine Integrated Surveillance and Communication System,” said an official source. He said the DG then went to Pansar post in Samba sector. While interacting with BSF men on the borderline, Pathak asked them to maintain extra vigil in the wake of the summer season, when “intrusion attempts from across the border go up”. Pathak would visit forward areas on the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri sector tomorrow. Chhap and Tarnah Nullahs, considered traditional routes of infiltration, were in the news after September 26 last year, when three armed ultras had staged twin terror attacks on Hiranagar police station and an Army camp in Samba, killing ten persons (four policemen, three soldiers and Lt Col Bikramjeet Singh, besides two civilians). This was followed by a twin attack on March 28 this year in Kathua district, which left two civilians and a soldier dead. Disturbed over infiltration of militants into the Jammu region “with ease”, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had on the day of the Kathua terror attack said, “The BSF needs to take stock of |
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Landslide blocks Doda-Kishtwar highway
Doda, May 2 The General Reserve Engineering Force and the traffic police have pressed their men and machinery to clear the road. "The vehicles on way to Doda have got stuck and no new vehicle is being allowed to take the Kishtwar-Doda highway," an official said. "The landslide was very heavy. We have cleared 20 per cent of the road so far. It will take many hours to clear the road for the traffic to start moving. The road will probably be cleared by Saturday afternoon," said an official of the General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF). He added that the landslides were cleared from many places but fresh landslides at Baggar had forced the authorities to keep the highway closed for vehicular movement. “We have pressed two machines into service and more machinery is coming from various places to clear this crucial road link so that people will get some relief,” an official said. Tilak Raj, a local Doda resident, said, “I walked two kilometres to reach my destination, owing to a massive landslide in Baggar. We have requested the authorities to provide some kind of connectivity so that people do not have to suffer in this scorching heat.” The 240-km-long Jammu-Kishtwar national highway continues to give sleepless nights to the police, local administration and commuters as road blockade due to landslides, sinking of road, slips and hanging rocks have become order of the day. This despite the fact that people of Kishtwar and Doda districts have got respite from the continuous rainfall that created havoc in the region.
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Scenic Saterseeran village cries for govt attention
Baramulla, May 2 Situated at a distance of 25 km from the district headquarters, the village falls in the Sangrama Assembly constituency. The village has a population of nearly 500 people based on 40 households. The Shranz waterfall on the banks of Nallah Ningli adds charm to this village. The village is located at a distance of 6 km from the shrine of Baba Reshi in the lap of green forest. The main source of livelihood here is farming with many youths working as labourers at the famous tourist spot, Gulmarg. Many people here earn their livelihood as horsemen. Ironically, this picturesque village is crying for attention. The residents allege that successive regimes have neglected this village and the government seems to have turned its back towards development of the village. The residents said they were suffering a lot in the absence of basic amenities in the village. "We have been totally neglected by the authorities concerned. We have no facility here - be it road, drinking water or hospital. We are facing discrimination in every sphere of life," said Abdul Majeed, a resident of the village. He said water supplied to the village through half inch pipe from the Nagbal water supply scheme was not enough. Therefore, they were forced to drink contaminated water from a nearby stream. "We were promised sadak, bijli and pani by the politicians at the time of the elections, but their promises proved to be a hoax," they said. The village also lacks a dispensary due to which the locals have to visit the sub-district hospital at Kreeri or Tangmarg during emergencies. "We don't even have a dispensary here. In case of an emergency, we have to rush to Kreeri or Tangmarg," he added. Manzoor Ahmad Wani, a college student, said, "The village also lags behind in education. Our schools are in dilapidated condition. We are still living in the dark age. The authorities have failed to mitigate our sufferings." Residents accused the successive regimes of ignoring the village. They urged the NC government to intervene into the matter and provide respite to the people.
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Cop dies after rifle goes off accidentally
Anantnag, May 2 A senior police official from the area said the victim, Abdul Rashid, a resident of the Kokernag area in this south Kashmir district, was posted as security guard at Goswani Gund Ashram Mandir in Dooru. "The guards at the temple have separate rooms. The constable was inside his room, apparently cleaning his service rifle, when the weapon accidentally went off," said the police official. He said the bullet pierced into Rashid's chest on the left side, leaving him dead on the spot. The constable’s body has been handed over to his family in Kokernag after medical and legal formalities. An FIR has also been lodged. Anantnag Senior Superintendent of Police Junaid Sheikh said an investigation has been initiated in this matter. — OC
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Train services resume in Valley
Anantnag, May 2 Reports said the trains plied according to the schedule today even as there was a call for protests after the Friday congregational prayers, extended by separatist groups. A Railways official, confirming the resumption of services, said trains ran according to the schedule without any untoward incident being reported from any place. — OC
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CRPF firing in Nawa Kadal
Srinagar, May 2 The commission further observed that it appears law enforcing agencies have either no knowledge of the SOPs or they are acting on their own wishes and whims. Bashir Ahmad was killed by the security forces in downtown Srinagar on Wednesday evening as the polling ended in the city. These orders were issued today by the rights commission after it took note of various newspaper reports related to the killing of Bashir. “Many daily newspapers of today have carried a news story regarding the alleged killing of a youth in the CRPF firing and four others injured….The news report manifests that the incident is prima facie extra judicial execution and makes out a grave violation and abuse of human rights in which the CRPF personnel resorted to indiscriminate firing upon the youth,” SHRC Acting Chairman Rafiq Fida observed in his orders today. Stating that the incident has evoked a “widespread resentment” across the Kashmir valley where normal life got paralysed due to the strike today, the rights body observed: “It seems the law enforcing agencies have either no knowledge of Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) or are wilfully bent upon to throw the SOPs to winds and follow their own whims and mood.” The commission said even if the police version that the youth resorted to stone throwing before the firing, was believed to be true, still then “restraint” and “adherence to SOPs” was expected from the law enforcing agencies in the given situation. “The security personnel, who belong to a disciplined force, should have maintained extra caution and dealt with the situation strictly observing the Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) as laid down in the rule books,” the SHRC said. It said the commission had been repeatedly recommending to the government in a number of cases that the law enforcing agencies need to be trained and imparted with knowledge, education and awareness regarding the concepts and applications of human rights. “Without which (training and knowledge), these forces have been seen in a habit of taking law into their hands and get involved in violations of human rights in many forms in the state in general and Kashmir in particular,” the commission held. “Notices have been issued to the J&K DGP, Kashmir Divisional Commissioner, IGP, Kashmir Zone, Srinagar, IG, CRPF and the Srinagar DC and directed to submit their respective detailed factual reports in the matter,” the SHRC said in its orders while also asking the Srinagar DC to submit a copy of the findings of the magisterial inquiry, which has already been ordered. It has also asked the father of the deceased youth to file his correct statement of the facts, while posting the matter for May 26. Police version * The J&K Police in its statement on Wednesday evening had sated that the youth was killed after a party of the security forces came under severe attack by some
miscreants in the Nawa Kadal area falling under the Safakadal police station in Old City *
The police had claimed that Bashir was killed during the scuffle when some miscreants snatched the weapon of a security force personnel. The J&K Police, however, had not stated whether the security force personnel whose weapon was snatched was from the J&K Police or the CRPF |
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Mirwaiz criticises authorities for imposing restrictions
Srinagar, May 2 In a statement issued here, the moderate separatist said there was no justification for continuously keeping people under strict curfew and restrictions. People were also deprived of basic necessities by these actions of the government. Soon after the killing of a youth in Nawa Kadal area of Srinagar on Wednesday evening by the law enforcing agencies, the separatists had called for a complete shutdown in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir on Thursday. The authorities responded by imposing restrictions in Old City areas on Thursday, which were continued for the second consecutive day on Friday. Though there were no restrictions imposed in the uptown and civil lines areas of Srinagar, people in these areas also preferred to remain indoors, with shops and businesses closed for the day. Traffic was also very thin in these areas. Curfew to continue in downtown today srinagar: A Curfew will continue for the third day on Saturday in areas falling under five police stations in Srinagar’s downtown. The curfew was imposed on Thursday morning as the authorities concerned feared protests in the area following the killing of a youth in Nawa Kadal area on Wednesday evening that sparked fresh wave of anger across the Valley. “The curfew will continue on Saturday in all five police stations,” said Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Farooq Shah said. He said the situation would be reviewed on Saturday evening to determine whether the curfew would continue or lifted on Sunday. The areas where the curfew would remain fall under the jurisdiction of Safa Kadal, Nawhatta, Mahraj Gunj, Rainawari and the Khanyar police stations. —
TNS
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Five Srinagar segments register lower turnout than 2009 Lok Sabha elections
Srinagar, May 2 The voter turnout in the Srinagar constituency, which was marred by a poll boycott and the killing of a youth, was 26 per cent. In the Assembly segment of Ganderbal, which is considered as the National Conference (NC) headquarters, the poll percentage was 30.5 as compared to 34 in the last elections. NC founder Sheikh Mohmmad Abdullah, his son Farooq Abdullah and grandson Omar Abdullah have been fighting elections from the Ganderbal constituency for the past many decades. Omar won the Assembly elections from Ganderbal in 2008 after defeating former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) minister Qazi Mohammad Afzal. The Gujjar-dominated Kangan constituency in the Ganderbal district recorded a voter turnout of 60.05 per cent as compared to 44 per cent in the last elections. In eight Assembly segments of Srinagar district, the voter turnout in the three Assembly segments remained less than 10 per cent. The Habbakadal - a constituency which was once the home of Kashmiri Pandits - witnessed the lowest voter turnout of 4.3 per cent. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the poll percentage here was 1.75. There was a drastic decline in the voter turnout in Shia-dominated Zadibal Assembly segment. The Assembly segment recorded a voter turnout of 5.59 per cent as compared to 12.84 in the 2009 elections. The other Assembly segment to witness lower polling in Srinagar district was Sonwar. The Assembly segments of Amira Kadal, Khanyar, Eidgah, Hazratbal and Batamaloo witnessed a higher voter turnout than the last elections. In central Kashmir’s Budgam district, except the Khansahib and Beerwah Assembly segments, all the other three segments recorded a higher voter turnout. The highest voter turnout in Budgam district was recorded in Chrar-e-Sharief, the constituency represented by NC stalwart and state Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather. Charar-e-Sharief recorded a voter turnout of 65 per cent. The poll percentage in the last Lok Sabha elections was 56. Budgam recorded a poll percentage of 36.67 in comparison to 29 in the last parliamentary polls. The Chadroo segment recorded a poll percentage of 35.38 as compared to 33 in 2009. Beerwah and Khan Sahib recorded a poll percentage of 32.64 and 28.83 as compared to 35 and 33 in 2009. |
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Gul Javid is medical faculty dean at SKIMS
Srinagar, May 2 Gul, who is also the head of the gastroenterologist department at the medical institute, took over the charge from Kahlil Mohammad Baba, PRO, SKIMS, a statement issued here said. Director, SKIMS, Dr Showkat Zargar congratulated Gul on assuming the charge and hoped that he would maintain the academic culture at SKIMS. Dr Javid has served at SKIMS in various capacities and has many awards and publications to his credit. — TNS
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CRPF men thrash minors at Batamaloo
Srinagar, May 2 The incident happened this afternoon when the paramilitary personnel from CRPF’s 73 Battalion led by their Deputy Commandant “caught hold” of minor boys who were playing cricket on the roadside in the deserted city, where shutdown had entered the third day, local residents and official sources said. The boys were accused of making a “plan” to create disturbances and thrashed by the CRPF personnel, the sources said. A police patrol, which was moving through the area, objected to the action of the paramilitary personnel, which angered the CRPF officer. The witnesses said the police intervention enraged the paramilitary personnel and the Deputy Commandant of the CRPF battalion “even aimed his pistol” at the policemen. “The Deputy Commandant also accused the police of working with militants and stone-throwers,” the witnesses said. Sources said the police had also received a complaint filed by locals against the CRPF personnel of the 73 Battalion. CRPF spokesman Kishor Prasad said the paramilitary personnel had objected to the boys playing cricket because of the possibility of stone-throwing in the area, but downplayed the incident was “serious”. “There was some issue, but it was only a verbal exchange. There was nothing serious,” the official said. |
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Photojournalists threatened, chased away by police
Srinagar, May 2 The journalists alleged that the police threatened and chasing them when they were at a protest site at Hyderpora on the city outskirts. “We were near Galwanpora-Hyderpora to cover a protest when a policeman abused at us. He later asked his other colleagues to chase us away, following which we ran for our lives,” a senior photojournalist said. Another photojournalist said the policemen in armoured vehicles and on foot chased the group of photojournalists and videographers. “We were given refuge by some residents inside their houses and we had to escape the area by jumping over walls to reach a safer place,” he said. The journalists who had to escape from the spot include Amin War of The Tribune, Farooq Javed of European Pressphoto Agency (EPA), Yasin Dar of the Associated Press (AP), Touseef Mustafa of Agence France-Presse (AFP), Danish Ismail of Reuters, Umar Mehraj of APTN, Zubair Ahmad of Press TV, Zahoor Gulzar of Kashmir Reader and freelance photographer Syed Shehriyar. The Kashmir Press Photographers Association condemned the incident saying that the threatening behaviour of the police was unacceptable. A police official said a verbal duel took place, but there were no physical abuses.
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Cop, cook injured in fire at Baramulla
Srinagar, May 2 The fire broke out in the general mess of ‘F’ company of IRP-8th Battalion at the old residence of Sub-District Magistrate (SDM) adjacent to the Sopore police station, 55 km from here, last night, a police spokesman said. Constable Showkat Ahmad and cook Tawseef Ahmad suffered injuries in the fire, which damaged the kitchen, the spokesman said, adding that the cause of the fire was being ascertained. Meanwhile, the two factories were damaged in separate fire incidents here. The fire broke out in an embroidery unit and a metal factory at Baghi Ali Mardan Khan and Rangreth in the outskirts of the city, resulting in damage to the factories, the spokesman said. He said police was investigating the cause behind the fire. — PTI
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KV-Miran Sahib celebrates annual day
Jammu, May 2 AVLJ Rao, Deputy Commissioner, KVS Regional Office, was the chief guest. Principals of neighbouring Kendriya Vidyalayas, members of sponsoring agency, faculty members, students and parents were present. Principal of the school, Sushma Jain, welcomed the chief guest and presented the annual report of the school highlighting the achievements of students in various academic and co-curricular activities. The chief guest inaugurated the function by lighting the traditional lamp. Students presented a colourful cultural programme, including "Saraswati vandana", welcome song, Dogri folk song, animal dance, Hindi skit, action song, "nritya natika", Rajasthani dance and patriotic songs. Rao in his speech congratulated the principal and staff and appreciated the students for their performance in curricular and co-curricular activities. Samrita Charak delivered vote of thanks. Dr Sugandha Pandey and Shreyashi Pandey coordinated the function.
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Dogri folk singer’s death mourned
Jammu, May 2 The Indian Council for Cultural Relation (ICCR), Union Ministry of External Affairs, condoled the family of the legendary singer and poet. Jandrahia had been the honorable member of the Regional Advisory Committee of the ICCR, Jammu, for last two years. — TNS
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The Congress faces a major challenge from the party’s rebel candidate Ghulam
Raza, a former MLA from the Zanskar Assembly segment in Kargil, who is contesting as an Independent candidate. The snow-capped Ladakh — the northernmost parliamentary segment of the country — will go to the polls on May 7.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said his party was not contesting the parliamentary polls for making alliances for power but for securing and safeguarding the interests of the people of the state.
The BSF today detected a caved-in area of the Chilyari tunnel about 20 metres into the Indian side near the Chilyari border outpost along the international border in the Samba sector.
The four-laning of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway up to Udhampur is expected to be completed by October this year as around 75 per cent of the work has already been completed.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is going to charge toll from all types of vehicles in the coming days.
According to the official figures, the voter turnout declined in Ganderbal, Sonwar, Zadibal, Beerwah and Khan Sahib Assembly segments of the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat as compared to the last parliamentary elections. 