Hoax bomb call creates panic in St Peter’s

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 16: Panic gripped the city and adjoining areas as an unknown caller rang up the Police Control Room (PCR) Jammu saying that a bomb has been planted in the premises of St. Peter High School at B C Road.

To make the people and police more panicky the caller even informed the that bomb would explode at any time. Without losing any time, the PCR flashed the messages to the concerned officers and police stations. Though the call turned out to be a hoax, the rumours spread in the entire city and adjoining areas.

Police sources said that at about 10.a m today an unknown person informed the police that militants have planted a powerful bomb at St. Peter School to accomplish their nefarious designs.

The cautions police, within no time, rushed to the spot with bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs to locate the bomb before it could explode. A heavy contingent of police led by senior officers also reached the spot to supervise the search operation.

Panic gripped the entire area as cops cordoned off the school building and stopped traffic on ever busy Jewel Chowk and B C Road area to start operation. Even traffic on Fly-Over was stopped. Bomb disposal squad and sniffer dogs were pressed into service to locate the bomb.

Passers-by, who had witnessed cordoned off of the school building and deployment of heavy police force in the entire area, started spreading rumours without even confirming what was really happening in the premises of the school. Some anti-social elements even spread rumours that a powerful bomb has exploded in the premises of school.

The rumours spread like wild fire in the city and adjoining areas. As parents of the children of the school listened about the rumours they too rushed to the school.

A large number of people gathered out-side St. Peter School and there was a virtual chaos and confusion. People thought that some militants have taken shelter in the school while some others were seen saying that their children have been kept hostages by the militants.

Though the senior police officers were trying to pacifying them, the parents of the children were seen wailing and crying. Wife of a teacher fainted after seeing heavy police presence in the school premises.

Worried about their wards, parents were trying to enter into the premises of the school but they were handled properly by the senior police officers and management of the school.

The police men, who were conducting search exercise alongwith the school management, didn’t allow the students to get panicky. Though the situation out-side the school was tense but in side the premises every thing was normal.

Only after conducting searches of all classes, students were allowed to come out of their classes in a peaceful manner. Though fear was lurking on the faces of the children but they were not panicky like those who were standing out-side the premises of the school.

After about two hours exercise it was found that the bomb call was nothing but a hoax.

Police sources said that call about plantation of bomb in the school premises was made by some anti-social elements to create panic in the school.

Sources did not rule out that hoax calls could be the part of a game plan of the militants to divert attention of the forces.

Improve power position or face massive agitation:MLA

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 16: Senior BJP leader and MLA Gandhinagar Ch Piara Singh has alleged that state government is exercising total discrimination with the people of Jammu in all fields.

In a statement issued here today he reminded the State Government that people from Jammu pay all Government dues as loyal citizens of the country regularly and yet they do not find place in the list of beneficiaries as is the case with people of Kashmir Valley.

The MLA made particular reference to the unscheduled and erratic electricity curtailment which is causing untold miseries to the people in Jammu in this hot spell. The commercial establishments and the industrial units have become the worst victim of the electricity failure which is a matter of grave concern, although they pay the electricity charges regularly.

Mr Choudhary has drawn attention of the State Government to the fact that population and the Habitats have considerably increased but no effort has been made to provide additional transformers. They have become very old and because of over loading these get damaged generally. In large number of such cases the transformers were not replaced repaired for a number of days and thus the agony of the people can well be imagined rather than explained.

He pointed out that street lights have also got worst affected and the field is quite open for the militants to strike anywhere. The Chief Minister had announced provision of Rs 9 crores for the new transformers but nothing is visible as yet. He said that power position be improved otherwise the people Jammu would launch intensified struggle against the Government.

Alarming upsurge in diabetes among Kashmiri
migrants: Research

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 16: There has been an alarming upsurge in diabetes among Kashmiri Pandits after their mass exodus from the Valley in the year of 1989-90. According to a research conducted by Dr Jitendera Singh a renowned Diabetologist and a researcher, every fourth or fifth KP is the victim of diabetes.

Dr Jitendera Singh has dwelt on the subject of diabetes among the K P Community in his recently book "Diabetes Made Easay" and his earlier book "Insight into Diabetes". Having postulated stress as the main contributory factor for high incidence of Diabetes among the KPs soon after the migration, Dr Singh has further followed his research by postulating "ethnic dilution" as the contributory factor in the younger generation of the displaced community who have given up their traditional eating habits and life style to adopt to the culture of other communities.

For example, the traditional habits of the KP community include consumption of large quantities of green leafy vegetables, high fiber diet and less sweets. But after migration, said Dr Singh, a whole new generation of KPs has grown up in their new home towns like Jammu or Delhi and they are getting hooked to fast foods, ice cream parlours and non Kashmiri dishes like "Chana-Bhathura" and "Alu-Tikki".

Dr Singh also observed in his research that K P community, after being displaced from the Valley, faced much more hectic life style with additional hassles over insurance claims, loss of property and anxiety regarding disturbed education of children. All these problems also added to the shock and stress thus further adding to the rise in Diabetes.

Making a cryptic reference to the so called human rights activists , Dr Jitendera Singh uses the expression "violation of biological human rights" while describing the diabetes related health problems caused to the KP community as a result of militancy and migration.

He warns that the rise of diabetes among the KPs has also as a consequence led to high incidence of heart attacks and other diseases among them.

Considering the diverse proportions of the problem, he called for joint efforts by Diabetologists, psycho-analysts and social scientists to rescue the displaced community from the menace of Diabetes which affects not only the individual but the entire family as well as future generation.

It may be recalled that nobody had actually imagined the amount of havoc that the mental stress of migration was playing on the health of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community till about five years back Dr Jitendera Singh who is also a recipient of distinguished Chennai Alumni award and Jamna Devi Gian Devi Journalism Award came out with his startling revelations regarding sudden upsurge of Diabetes among the K P community ever since it was forced out of Valley due to militancy.

Dr Jitendera Singh said incidentally the Diabetes was not at all common among the KP community when it lived in the Valley. The common diseases among the community in the Valley was Acidity, Ulcers, Bronchitis, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Dr Jitendera Singh’s pioneering postulations were published in the International journal of Diabetes and he was invited to deliver a lecture on the subject "Diabetes in Asia"meet which was attended by leading Diabetologists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as well as by leading WHO experts like Dr Hillary King who offered to take up Dr Singh’s findings for perusal by the WHO.

Dr Singh said stress of migration can in itself serve as a crucial factor in inducing, evoking and unmasking Diabetes in a susceptible population. Possibly this is t he one of the major factors responsible for a spurt in diabetes observed among the Kashmir migrants who were constrained to leave their homes and hearths during the turmoil.

He said while a rise in Diabetes incidence among Kashmiri migrants living in Jammu, Delhi and elsewhere is a general observation, the compilation of definite datas underway to work out the precise figures among them.

He said in addition to stress the lack of resources for medical help and self negligence of health due to overwhelming day to day problems of survival in alien environs may be some of the other reasons for emergence of diabetes in such Kashmiri migrant households which had hitherto never heard of the disease nor gave any family history of diabetes.

Incidentally, the upsurge of Diabetes among Kashmiri migrants living in different parts of the country is matched by an upsurge of disease also among Indian migrants living abroad, said Dr Singh,a adding in the latter case, in addition to stressful lifestyle the other factors probably responsible include greater affluence, over nutrition, more sedentary routine and obesity.

Survivor of Mahore killings plans to migrate
Majority community too scared of militants
in Udhampur-Doda

By Mohinder Verma

JAMMU, Aug 16: Not only that the minority community is scared of the Pakistan-sponsored militants’ attack in the upper reaches of Doda and Udhampur districts even a large number of members of majority community are feeling panicky and planning to migrate from their respective areas.

This is evident from the statement of Mohd Yaseen, son of Abdul Jabbar, who was rendered critically injured in grenade blast in Sahar Badoli village in Thanda Top area of Mahore on the morning of August 14.

Mohd Yaseen told this EXCELSIOR correspondent that not only minority community but even the majority community members are also being targeted by the so-called ‘Jehadis’. "Minority and majority are just words for the perpetrators of blood-shed and mayhem", he said, adding the terrorists only speak and understand the language of guns.

"For them their job is to shed the blood of innocents, whichever community they belonged to", he said, adding the militants in upper reaches of Udhampur are not only shedding blood of minority community but also not sparing majority community members.

Mohd Yaseen, who very closely saw two persons dying in grenade blast, said that what terrorists are doing is not Jehad as Jehad never asks for shedding blood of innocent people. "During the last so many years of militancy in the Udhampur and Doda districts it is for the first time that I saw naked dance of death", he stated adding that he will never forget the incident wherein he saw bodies of two of his neighbours, Ghulam Din and Fateh Mohd, blown into pieces when they tried to lift the bodies of massacre victims.

The survivor of grenade blast said that he along with his two brothers and father have been planing to migrate from their native village Bal. "We have made up mind not to stay there anymore as threats of militants was mouting by every passing day and it was very difficult for us to live there anymore", he informed and asserted that earlier they had also planned to migrate but could not do the same with the hope that normalcy would be restored.

"After my discharge from the hospital I will, alongwith my two brothers, sell our 40 kanal of land and migrate to safer place", he stated and said that he never wanted his children would grow up under the shadow of guns. "I want my children would remain out of the fear of gun and grow up in peace", he showed his mind but apprehended that his family may become cannon fodder of the militants’ guns one day if he stays there anymore.

Pointing towards the kidnapping of one Mohd Sharif by militants, he apprehended that his children could also be lured by the militants one day and forced to join militancy. "I want my children to become noble citizen and for this I have to migrate from the militancy-plagued area", he further said, adding delay in this regard would prove costly for him and spoil career of his children.

He disclosed that there are many such families which want to live in peace and not under the threat of terrorists. "Around eight to ten families of Bal village are planning to migrate to safer places", he further disclosed and said that most of them have already sold their lands and many families of adjoining places are about to follow the suit.

"Though a large number of security personnel have been deployed in the upper reaches of Udhampur and Doda districts yet threats of militants loom large over us", he said, adding even the Village Defence Committees (VDCs) are not proving helpful in containing militancy.

He further said that for their and their cattle livelihood they have to go to Dhoks after regular intervals of time but it has now become difficult for them to do so. "Most of the people were massacred in Dhoks as militants find it very easy to quench their thirst of blood by killing innocent people in the absence of security personnel and VDC members there", he mentioned.

"The militancy has landed us in very difficult situation because if we stay there we will be eliminated by the terrorists and if we migrate our already bad economic condition would become worse", said Mohd Yaseen with anger in his eyes for the militants.

He, with misty eyes, said that Gulab Din and Fateh Mohd were not only his neighbours but his close friends. "We used to sit together regularly and share our grievances", he disclosed and said that he was not aware of the fact that militants would snatch his friends forever.

"I along with my friends have gone there for noble cause of shifting the bodies of massacre victim but militants even not allowed us to do so", he said, adding "I am very unlucky that I could not attend the funeral of my close friends with whom I had been sharing all my woes".

Protesting against non-availability of exam forms,
students gherao JU official

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 16: A high voltage drama was witnessed at the Jammu University Campus when a number of students protesting against the non availability of examination forms at the sale counter, gheroed the Director Information in his office premises.

The agitating students raised slogans against the University authorities and continued the gherao for more than half an hour.

They were demanding that examination forms should be immediately made available at the sale counters as tomorrow is the last date for filling of these forms.

Despite repeated requests made by Director Information Dr Pritam Singh to the Registrar JU and Assistant Registrar Forms and Stationary, for immediate dispatching examination forms at the sale counter, the concerned JU official did not take any action with the result that the drama continued for more than one and half hour.

The trouble erupted this morning at around 11 am when despite the heavy rush of forms seekers, the sale counters, located in the premises of JU Directorate of Information, were closed with the announcement that no more examination forms were available there.

This act of University employees at the sale counters, agitated the students, particularly those who had come from distant areas to purchase the forms for the forthcoming bi-annual examinations.

To lodge their protest against the closure of sale counters one and half hours earlier before the scheduled time, the agitated students held a demonstration inside the premises and raised slogans against the University authorities.

The slogan shouting students later moved to Director Information and Associate Dean Students Welfare Dr Pritam and gheraoed him in his office chamber.

During the gherao, Dr Pritam Singh contacted the Registrar JU Prof Zahur-ud-Din and Assistant Registrar Forms and Stationary Mr Satish Gupta on phone to dispatch more examination forms at the sale counters but no process was initiated by the latter.

The whole drama continued for more than one and half hour and the agitators dispersed only after the assurance by Dr Pritam Singh that he would personally convey their sentiments to JU authorities.

Annoyed over the inaction of other JU officials and non-availability of examination forms at the sale counter, Dr Pritam Singh later sent a written complaint to the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar in this connection and has sought action against the guilty officials.

Meanwhile, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad has expressed its concern over the problems being faced by the students in getting examination forms as well as admission forms from the Jammu University.

According to a press statement, the ABVP has appealed the University authorities to immediately look into the matter and extend the last date for the sale of these forms.

Principal-students meet today
Div Comm’s nod to concede maximum
demands of medicos

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 16: Appreciating the charter containing 15 demands submitted by the agitating medical students and junior doctors of Government Medical College, the Divisional Commissioner Mr Anil Goswami today gave nod to concede almost all the demands of the striking medicos.

A large number of agitating medicos today called on Divisional Commissioner in his office and had thorough discussions on all the 15 demands putforth by the medicos. After hour long discussions, the Divisional Commissioner gave nod to concede all the demands baring three or four for which he had no capacity to concede.

The demands which were pending included, Non-Practice Allowance for periphery doctors, creation of separate posts of Dean and Principal and investigation into occupation of post of Registrars for more than three years by certain favoured persons. "I could not concede these demands as my chair does not allows me to do so", sources said quoting Divisional Commissioner. "I will convey these demands to Health Minister Mian Altaf as he has capacity to concede them", Mr Goswami further said.

Regarding the rustication of 14 medicos and orders of vacation of hostels, the students insisted to talk to Divisional Commissioner infront of Principal Dr H L Goswami, who was later called in the office of Mr Anil Goswami. The students also had discussion with Principal over certain demands.

Sources said that Principal has assured the students to take back these orders after the opening of College and added that Principal is going to convene a meeting of Head-of-the-Departments (HoDs) early in the morning to have discussion on each and every demand of the students.

"The Principal will also meet agitating students at around 11 am", the sources said, adding agitating students have made it clear that their strike is still continue and will end only after their all demands would be conceded. Sources further said that tomorrow’s meeting between students and Principal will decide the fate of the College as well as hospital.

Rural Water Supply being augmented: Sagar

Excelsior Correspondent

Jammu, Aug 16: With a view to supplement water supply to the rural areas of Jammu division, over Rs.20 crores are being spent on execution of various schemes during the current financial year.

This was disclosed by the Works Minister, Mr. Ali Mohd Sagar at an officers meeting held here today to review the pace of development.

Mr.Sagar said that these schemes are being undertaken on priority bases to ensure flittered water supply to the rural masses. He said the Government is committed to provide clean drinking water facilities to the people living in far-flung and backward areas of the State. The Minister was apprised that five more tube wells would be completed at Moola Chack, Khushalpur, Chhatha and Naran-Hiranagar by the end of September this year.

The meeting also discussed in detail the water supply position for the migrants living in different camps at Muthi, Nagrota, Purkhoo and Misherwalla. The Minister exhorted upon the concerned authorities to ensure adequate water supply to these areas and also pay due consideration to the renovation and construction of link roads to these camps. The meeting also discussed speedy completion of link road between Gujjar Nagar and Sher-I-Kashmir Bridge.

The meeting also discussed the development of satellite colonies around Jammu. It was disclosed that on development of Greater Kailash Colony a proposal of Rs.4.50 crores has been submitted to the Union Government for clearance.

The meeting among others was also attended by Chief Engineer, Superintending Engineer R&B, SE Irrigation, SE, PHE (Hydrolic), General Manager, Managing Director JKPCC and XEN Rural.

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