Punjabi to be included in schools : Mehbooba
Sangat for political reservation to PoK refugees

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 19: Seeking peoples’ cooperation for providing healing touch to the wounds of the masses, vice-president of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti today said that restoration of peace was the first and foremost priority of the coalition Government headed by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.

Addressing a gathering at Gurdwara Yadgar Maharani Chand Kour in connection with the celebrations of the 533rd birth anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Ms Mufti said, "peace must be prevailed upon in the prevailing bloodshed and destruction so that carnages like Chattisinghpora and Chapnari are not repeated". "Government alone cannot do any miracle. Peoples’ involvement is must to change the prevailing situation", she said while seeking cooperation of the masses, adding, "one thing I want to make clear from this religious stage that this Government will strive hard to mitigate miseries of the masses".

Pointing towards composition of the ruling partners, PDP leader said that new Government was a coalition of different parties and independents-propagating different ideologies, so wishes and aspirations of different sections of the society will be accommodated in future programmes and policies. She further said that new Government was committed to remove discrimination with any region of the State.

Highlighting other programmes of the new Government, she assured that justice will be done with every section of the society. "Unlike previous regimes, we will not allow any backdoor appointments nor make any promise which cannot be fulfilled", she said, adding "new Government will take every step for the betterment and upliftment of the downtrodden and neglected lot of the society".

Responding to the demands listed in the resolution , Ms Mehbooba assured the people that new Government will consider their demands sympathetically. "As we are heading a coalition Government, it is not wise to make any promise without consultation of our partners", she said but assured that Punjabi will be introduced at school level.

Earlier, a resolution, highlighting demands was passed amidst chanting of ‘Jo Boley So Nehal-Satya Shree Akal’. President of the Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Mr Surinder Singh moved the resolution which was seconded by senior Congress leader Mr Pradhuman Singh. Sangat present there passed the resolution with one voice.

In the resolution, gathering expressed gratitude and heart felt thanks to the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed for nominating and getting elected un opposed Mr Trilok Singh Bajwa as Rajya Sabha Member.

It was demanded that reservation should be provided to Sikh community both in educational institutions and employment. "Sikh community living in the State is a minority community and like any other minority community in the State, they should be given reservation quota for admission in educational institution and for the purpose of employment. Even people living within five kilometer from the Line of Control have been provided reservation whereas Sikh who got displaced from the part of the State which is presently occupied part of Kashmir have been deprived of this privilege. Our community has given great sacrifice to save the State from foreign aggression in 1947 by way of losing precious lives, homes and hearths", the resolution said.

"Punjabi language which is mother tongue of Sikhs, should form part of school curriculum. Though Punjabi subject is taught at University/College level but unless it is taught at school level, language will remain neglected and our children will be deprived of learning their mother tongue. No doubt previous Government had issued SRO for teaching of Punjabi but for want of posting of staff and providing other facilities, the implementation of the said SRO has not been possible. This is our just and long pending demand, as such request that immediate steps be taken to ensure implementation of said SRO in letter and spirit", resolution demanded.

It was demanded in the resolution that compensation will be given to the people who were forced to leave their homes and hearths during partition in 1947 and migrated from PoK. "There is a provision in State constitution that one fourth of Legislative Assembly seats are kept reserved for people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Government is fully aware that we are displaced persons from that area. We demand that some Legislative seats be allotted to the displaced persons". Amendment in the J&K Sikh Gurdwara Religious Endowment Act of the year 1973 was also demanded.

It was alleged in the resolution that discrimination has been meted out to Sikh community in appointment and postings in Government services.

It was also demanded in the resolution that a member of Sikh community with minority status be inducted in the State Cabinet in the ensuing Cabinet expansion to provide healing touch to the community.

The 533rd birth anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji was also celebrated at Calliope College of Education, Akhnoor Road. A function was organised in the college which was presided over by Principal of the College, Prof M K Raina and compared by Sewa Singh.

Our correspondent from Poonch adds that birth anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji was celebrated with great devotion, dedication and brotherhood from all walks of life here at Poonch. In this connection a Nagar Kirtan was taken out which passed through different bazars of Poonch and culminated at Gurdwara Singh Sabha. Main langer was arranged at Gurdwara Singh Sabha.

Six finance companies were run by same persons
Another fraud worth Rs 200 crores detected
*Crime Branch writes to Govt, seeks CBI powers

By Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Nov 19: Investigations in the private finance companies scam being carried out by a Special Investigating Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch, Jammu have unearthed another fraud worth over Rs 200 crores by some private persons in collusion with Punjab and Haryana based businessmen. Majority of the persons, duped by these scamsters, happened to be the poor people of the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri besides other parts of Jammu region.

Surprisingly, some of the accused were very ‘closely related’ to police and prosecuting officers in the Police Department. And instead of helping the Crime Branch in the investigations, these police officers were trying to shield the accused, reliable sources in the Crime Branch told EXCELSIOR today.

They said the racketeers, one of whom had since died a natural death, floated six private finance companies—one after the other—and simply cheated the poor people by promising them 18 per cent interest rate on their fixed deposits for four years besides other benefits. Before completion of four years, they wound up their business, leaving the depositors high and dry.

The first company floated by the accused was Endowment Plantations Ltd, an agro based company, with head office at Chandigarh and sub offices all over the Jammu region. It’s main office in the City was located at Canal Road. Company’s Managing Director Parbhakar Pillai, who belonged to Kerala, died a couple of years back while its Chandigarh based Director Varinder Kumar Kainsal was languishing in Kapurthala (Haryana) jail for last two and a half years.

Liabilities of this Company alone had been worked out between Rs 70 crores to Rs 80 crores. Amount collected by the Company from the individuals included Rs 10,000 to Rs 10 lakh, the sources said, adding the ‘real amount’ embezzled by the Company partners could be much higher as many people didn’t mention the exact amount in their complaints for the fear of Income Tax clarifications.

In Jammu, the Company’s representatives were Bashir Manhas and Romesh Kumar Sharma while in Kashmir valley, the Company was represented by G M Bhat and Nazir Bhat, both Directors.

According to sources, Bashir Manhas was related to some high ranking police and prosecuting officers in the State, who were making all out efforts to help him in the case but the Crime Branch was determined to ensure that the poor people get their money back and the accused are prosecuted.

Sources said that wife of one of the officers, who was a Government teacher, was also shown as an employee and subsequently as Director in one of the Companies. After her name was traced by the investigators during scrutiny of seized record of the Companies, she was summoned by the Crime Branch but she was yet to respond to the summons, they added. Wife of another accused was posted as a Principal in a Government school in Surankote and the property on her name had also been disposed off by the accused.

Earlier, the same bunch of people had floated a non-banking finance company United Endowment India Ltd in which they committed similar bunglings. However, some of the liabilities of the influential persons were met by them from Endowment Plantations Ltd while the common people had to lose their money.

After defrauding the people worth crores, the accused floated two more Companies under the name and style of Endowment Forests Project India Ltd and Endowment Investments India Ltd. Again, they collected an amount ranging between Rs 50 crores to Rs 60 crores from different areas of Jammu region and shut down their business.

Continuing their ‘Operation Cheating’, the racketeers further changed the names of their Companies as United Capital Services India Ltd with offices not only in Jammu but also in Himachal Pardesh and Pathankote and United Fiscal Corporation of India Ltd. In all these Companies, the cheaters showed their relatives and even some of the employees as their Directors.

In these Companies too, the owners robbed the people worth Rs 10 to Rs 15 crores.

Sources said most of the property purchased by the accused using the hard earned money of the depositors was ‘benami’. However, the property, which was on the name of the accused, has been sealed by the Crime Branch which included two offices in KC Plaza complex and a palatial house in posh Gandhi Nagar.

Much to the surprise of the investigating team, the accused managed to dispose of their palatial bungalow despite the fact that the Crime Branch had made an entry in Revenue Department record showing the property as ‘disputed’. Sources said the sale deed executed in a Court by the accused showed that the house was sold for Rs 4.5 lakh while, unofficially, the price of the bungalow was estimated around Rs one crore.

"We have initiated proceedings to get the bungalow back on the name of Crime Branch paying Rs 4.50 lakh (the amount shown in the Court deed) to the purchaser so that the house could be auctioned again for Rs one crore and the amount disbursed among the investors, whose lists had been prepared by us", an official of the investigating team said on the condition of anonymity.

According to him, the Crime Branch was deliberately delaying production of challan in the case to get maximum details of property and other assets of the scamsters to dispose them off and return the money to the poor depositors.

Meanwhile, the Crime Branch authorities have written to the Government (through state police chief) demanding that a new legislation should be enacted to deal with the cheating cases of the private finance companies.

A communique of the Crime Branch to the Government observed that the premier investigating agency was required to be equipped with the powers enjoyed by the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) under which the agency could seize both ‘nami’ and ‘benami’ property of the accused and freeze their all assets as well as their bank accounts to benefit the depositors.

The communique pointed that similar stringent laws had been enacted by other State Governments to deal with such nature of crimes. They said that one of the Companies Director Varinder Kumar Kainsal of Chandigarh was languishing in Kapurthala jail for last more than one and a half year now while in Jammu the Crime Branch hadn’t been able to do much in the absence of stringent laws. Even a bungalow sealed by it was disposed off by the accused without facing any problem.

The communique pointed out that in Jammu and Kashmir, even the accused who had committed financial irregularities worth several crores had to be booked under Sections 420, 406 and 120-B. The Sections used by the CBI as well as the new laws enacted by Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in 1999 were not applicable in the State in view of Article 370. The laws had to be endorsed by the State Legislature before they become applicable here.

However, there had been no response by the Government so far to the Crime Branch communique. The Crime Branch authorities opined that any delay in enacting a new legislation will help the accused go scot free. They pointed out that scamsters of another private finance company, who had duped the people worth over Rs 300 crores, have also been bailed out.

According to SEBI guidelines, the Section 12 (1B) of SEBI Act 1992 barred the private finance companies from carrying out the business of collecting money from the investors till certified by SEBI in accordance of the regulations. Violation of the offence was punishable under Section 24 SEBI Act, 1992 inviting imprisonment of one year or fine or both.

The SEBI guidelines cautioned the people that shouldn’t invest in the schemes of any entity which had not been granted certificate of registration by SEBI. The guidelines clearly pointed out that agro based companies couldn’t divert their funds to the unrelated works like purchasing of land, property and transport. But here, the companies were making mockery of the SEBI guidelines too, the sources said and the poor people, attracted with higher interest rate, continued to become their victims. The sources admitted that not even a single investor, cheated by these Companies, had managed to get even their principal amount back.

Sources said the accused were not responding to the Crime Branch summons from a long time now and hinted that they could be declared as the absconders. They added that possibility of the accused being shielded by their relatives in the Police Department was not ruled out.

Tohra vows to expose all for police entry in Golden Temple

FATEHGARH SAHIB, Nov 19: Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal (SHSAD) president Gurcharan Singh Tohra today suggested that Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti should summon Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Parkash Singh Badal, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and him to the highest religio-temporal seat of the Sikhs on the controversial issue of alleged police entry into the Golden Temple complex during the last week SGPC presidential election.

Speaking to media persons at Mandi Gobindgarh today, he said he was ready to appear at Akal Takht, adding given an opportunity he would expose all the persons, including Jathedar Vedanti. He sought media support for the exposure.

When asked if he accepted Mr Vedanti as the Jathedar, Mr Tohra said he (Vedanti) is only a care taker Jathedar.... Real Jathedar is Bhai Ranjit Singh.

He denied media reports regarding his rapproachement with Mr Badal in the run-up to the SGPC polls.

He alleged it was Mr Badal as Punjab Chief Minister who had laid precedence of interference in the SGPC elections. Condemning the interference by the Central and State Governments, Mr Tohra alleged that BJP, RSS and Congress were bent upon weaning the Sikhs away from their philosophy "by crushing their religious tenets".

He said he had always opposed policy entry into the Golden Temple complex, adding police did not cross the disputed road, which is a bone of contention between Amritsar Municipal Corporation and the SGPC. He said he had repeatedly urged Mr Badal to transfer the roads title to the Sikh body but he (Badal) never bother about it during his rule.

On reported social boycott of Sant Vir Singh Madoke, who lost the SGPC presidential election, Mr Tohra said people should boycott those who used wrong methods to capture SGPC with tacit help from Congress, BJP and RSS. (UNI)

BSF SI, civilian killed in Bandipore blast

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Nov 19: While as a Sub Inspector (SI) of Border Security Force (BSF) and a 70-year-old civilian have died in a mine blast in Bandipore today, militants shot dead a woman at Barsoo village in Ganderbal.

Informed sources told EXCELSIOR that militants had planted three IEDs near a graveyard at Bandipore. Two of the IEDs were spotted by some people who informed Police. At 1300 hours, Police, BSF and men from bomb disposal squad reached the spot to defuse the two IEDs. Suddenly militants activated the third IED, with a remote control device, which had been planted under the plinth of a shop. A powerful explosion occured, creating panic in the town. SI Shashi Kant of BSF 20 Bn and a 70-year-old civilian, Maulvi Bashir Ahmed Sheikh of Aloosa, died on spot. Five Police personnel and two more civilians, namely Farhatullah Beig and Fahim Ahmed Wani of Ward No:5 Bandipora, sustained injuries.

Most of the injured were rushed to Sub District Hospital of Bandipore for treatment, where all of them were stated to be stable. Later, two Police personnel with grievous injuries were rushed to SKIMS, three Policemen were discharged and two civilians were placed under observation at SDH Bandipore. Sources said that a Maruti car, JK02P-2031, suffered extensive damage in the blast.

Sources said that unidentified gunmen, believed to be militants, appeared at Barsoo village in Ganderbal and opened indiscriminate gunfire upon a woman, namely Rafeeqa wife of Mohammad Ashraf Bhat. With critical injuries, she was rushed to SKIMS, Soura, where she succumbed. Reports from Ganderbal said that residents put up a demonstration in protest against the killing. The slain woman as also her husband had earlier been fired upon and left injured by militants in 1998.

This evening, a speeding truck knocked down constable Hilal Ahmed of Maloora, Patta, who was on his scooter, at Baliheran, on Srinagar-Baramulla road. He sustained critical injuries and was rushed to SMHS Hospital, where he breathed his last.

West must prevail over Pak to close down training camps

LONDON, Nov 19: If Western countries are sincere about the war against terrorism, they must prevail over Pakistan to "close down" training camps for militants in Kashmir, a leading member of the Liberal Democrats Party of Britain has said.

"The West needs to make representations to the newly elected Government of Pakistan that action must be taken to close down the training camps for militants in Kashmir, whether or not the Government is directly responsible for them.

"Not to do so is to live by double standards. It is also to lose the best chance for a long time of peace in what should be a Himalayan paradise," Baroness Shirley Williams, leader of the Liberal democrats in the House of Lords, who was in Jammu and Kashmir last month along with a delegation of Liberal democrat parliamentarians, said.

"Most of the militants cross over from Pakistan, having been trained in the many training camps close to the Line of Control between Pakistan and India. The degree of official involvement by Pakistan’s Government, in particular its powerful intelligence agency, remains in dispute.

"What is undeniable is that the infiltrators obtain money and fairly sophisticated weaponry from some where to sustain their terrorist attacks," she said in a forthright article in the magazine, ‘The Tablet.’

The Liberal Democrat leader said the US and Britain "find the whole Kashmir business embarrassing. Pakistan is a central ally in the global war against terrorism. Al-Qaeda has until recently been most active in Afghanistan, and in the ungoverned and ungovernable tribal lands of Pakistan along those remote mountainous borders. So Pakistani co-operation is vital against Al-Qaeda.

"It is also vital if the terrorist attacks on Kashmir are to stop, and if peace is to be given a chance - a peace which might transform the present Line of Control into a new International Border, leading to a political solution.

"These Governments have been reluctant to insist that Pakistan apprehends and does its best to stop infiltrators into Kashmir. Like President Megawati Sukarnoputri in Indonesia, President Pervez Musharraf’s hold on power depends upon the support of a largely Muslim people, among whom there are unquestionably advocates of violent action against India."

She was all praise for the Election Commission and the National Human Rights Commission. "The Election Commission bent over backwards to ensure the fairness of the procedure. Most impressive of all was the commitment of protesters and the commissioners alike to a clean election. They were rewarded by a 41 per cent turnout, impressive given the level of terrorist activity directed at disrupting the poll."

Following protests by India’s Human Rights Commission, another impressively independent agency, as well as by international observers about human rights abuses in Kashmir, the army has acted to control its soldiers, she said. (PTI)

Shanti, Wakhloo nominated MLAs, Aga, Fareeda MLCs

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 19: Governor Girish Chander Saxena today nominated two women MLAs to the Legislative Assembly and two members to the Upper House.

Shanti Devi and Khem Lata Wakhloo were nominated as members of the Legislative Assembly while Aga Ashraf Ali and Farida Muneer were nominated as members of the Legislative Council, an official spokesman said tonight.

He said nominations to the Upper House were made by the Governor in terms of Sub-section 6 of Section 50 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir while nominations to the Lower House were made in exercise of powers vested in the Governor under proviso to Section 47 (1) of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir to give adequate representation to women in the Assembly.

Aga Ashraf Ali is an academician of international repute while Mrs Wakhloo is a former Minister.

In the recent elections, only two women had made it to the Assembly. They are Mehbooba Mufti (PDP) and Suman Bhagat (Congress-I).

VHP flays Advani's remarks, RSS defends him

NEW DELHI, Nov 19: Sangh Parivar outfits today reacted sharply to Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani’s statement that India can never be a Hindu Rashtra accusing him of appeasing minorities even as RSS sought to defend him saying India will never be a theocratic state politically.

"There was no need for Advani to say that. It would send a wrong message and cause damage. It smacks of pseudo-secularism and minority appeasement and does not reflect that BJP is a party with a difference," VHP international working president Ashok Singhal told reporters here.

Reminding Advani that the RSS, to which he also belonged, had always believed in Hindu Rashtra, Singhal said, "he is a scholar but has played with words. In the present juncture, the statement would send a wrong message."

Making a scathing attack on Advani, VHP president Vishnu Hari Dalmia said, "Advani does not know about Hindutva. Hindutva itself is synonymous with ‘Sarva Dharma Samabhava’ (equal respect to all religions)."

Taking exception to Advani’s remarks that security of minorities was a key issue in Gujarat polls, he asked "is security of Hindus a non-issue?"

In Kanpur, Bajrang Dal convener Prakash Sharma described Advani’s remarks as an "insult" to the Hindus.

Meanwhile, striking a different note, RSS sought to defend the Deputy Prime Minister saying the RSS concept of Hindu Rashtra is "cultural and not political" and "Advani was perhaps referring to it in the political sense."

RSS joint spokesman Ram Madhav told PTI on phone from Hyderabad that "we believe Bharat is a Hindu Rashtra culturally. There is no need for it to become one. We also believe that India will never become a theocratic state." (PTI)

Civilian kidnapped, released in Billawar

Excelsior Correspondent

KATHUA, Nov 19: In another strike, the terrorists last evening kidnapped a shopkeeper from village Churi in Badrota area of Billawar tehsil.

The shopkeeper Daya Ram was kidnapped by two terrorists after he refused to pay them money and was being taken to a forest area when three VDC members came into action after getting a report of the kidnapping, official reports said.

Sensing trouble due to movement of the VDC members and local police, the terrorists freed the shopkeeper and fled away. Police and VDC have started a search operation for the terrorists but they remained untraced.

Few days back, the terrorists had gunned down two SPO brothers in Phinter area of Billawar.

J&K Govt releasing Indian militants only : Arjun

INDORE, Nov 19: Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh today said the PDP-Congress Government in Jammu and Kashmir was releasing only those militants, who are of Indian origin and not belonging to the neighbouring country.

Speaking to reporters here on his way to New Delhi from Ujjain, Singh dismissed the allegations levelled by BJP and its allied organisations on the issue as ‘baseless’.

Singh said there is no harm in talking to militants and even Prime Minister A B Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani were doing so. "Vajpayee had even gone for truce," he said, adding one should not have any problem on the issue.

Referring to Gujarat polls and VHP’s stand, he said Hindus are not a gift to VHP. "The VHP leaders are not even aware of Hinduism which is thousand year old and people in Gujarat are aware of their designs", he said.

Singh said people of Gujarat were tired of communal atmosphere prevailing in the State which was so charged that Saffron parties were leading in spreading communal agenda.

He claimed that Congress will win in Gujarat in the current situation.

On the Election Commission’s role, he initially denied to comment but later said "it is doing what it is supposed to." (PTI)

KC arriving for talks again

NEW DELHI, Nov 19: In continuity with its efforts to resolve the Kashmir imbroglio, the Kashmir Committee headed by Ram Jethmalani will undertake a visit to Jammu and Kashmir on November 21 for holding talks with separatist leaders, Committee sources said here today.

The Committee met at the residence of the former Union Law Minister here and chalked out the strategy to carry forward its talks with the Hurriyat Conference, they said.

However, the Committee may find a different nature of the Hurriyat team this time as JKLF is expected to be represented by yaseen Malik, who was released from jail last week.

Malik, after his release, has been critical of the Kashmir Committee and in particular Jethmalani.

The Committee is also expected to hold talks with another separatist leader Shabir Shah, they said.

The members of the Committee would later fly to Jammu, the winter capital of the state, and hold talks with the new Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, some MLAs besides calling on the Governor Girish Chander Saxena. (PTI)

‘Doctor Tariq’ eliminated

Excelsior Correspondent

UDHAMPUR, Nov 19: A dreaded terrorist of Al-Badr outfit was eliminated by army and police in an encounter in Mahore this afternoon. He has been identified as Asadullah Badri alias Mohd bin Azam alias Doctor Tariq, a resident of Gujranwala, Pakistan and a ‘district commander’ of Al-Badr outfit.

‘Doctor Tariq’, was operating in Mahore for the past quite sometime. He was instrumental in recruiting some local youths in the militancy and sending them to Pakistan for arms training.

Police party in the operation was led by SDPO Mahore Dr A Z Salaria.

Official sources said Tariq was shot dead in an hour long encounter by army. One AK rifle with ammunition and two grenades were recovered from him.

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