Operation
at Gulgam area Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, Dec 11: While as the security forces have eliminated two unidentified militants in an operation at Gulgam forest area in Kupwara district, one Army jawan has got killed in mysterious circumstances near Sopore. In other militancy-related incidents in Kashmir valley since last evening, unidentified gun men have fired upon and left wounded a released militant at Batmaloo in the capital city and a civilian in Anantnag. Official sources told EXCELSIOR that late last night troops at BSF 129 Bn and Special Operations Group (SOG) Kupwara police exchanged fire with militants in Gulgam forest cover of Kupwara. Two unidentified militants got killed in the encounter. One AK-56 rifle, one pistol and 2 hand grenades were recovered from the spot. Since nobody came forward to claim the dead bodies till late this evening, authorities believed that the two militants were either the residents of PoK or Pakistani nationals. Their identities were being ascertained. Sources said that a soldier, identified as Roshan Lal of 13 JAK Rifles, got killed in a mysterious fire at the security forces camp at Ningli near Sopore at around last midnight. Posted as a sentry at the formation, he was a resident of Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh. While as the official version was that he got killed in an attack by militants, informed sources maintained that the jawan died due to a misfire. At 1800 hours this evening, unidentified gunmen fired upon a released militant namely Abdul Hameed at Batmaloo. He sustained critical injuries and was rushed to SMHS Hospital where he was battling for life late tonight. Similarly during last night, unidentified gunmen appeared at Bongita, Dantar near Anantnag. They intruded into the house of one Ghulam Qadir Dar and shot at his guest namely Sajad Ahmed Wani son of Ghulam Jeelani Wani, resident of Kara-tara. He sustained critical injuries and was later rushed to a hospital. Sources said that in Thursday’s IED blast at Nadihal, Bandipora, two civilians namely Hilal Ahmed Ganai and Saja wife of Mohammad Ramzan of Chitibandi had also got injured. According to preliminary reports, one security forces jawan had got injured and a parked vehicle damaged in the blast. At 1100 hours, security forces today spotted and defused an IED which had been planted by militants at Mominabad, Ashajipora, in Anantnag town. Last evening, a live grenade was seized and defused by security forces at Lachmanpora, Batmaloo. Sources said that one militant surrendered before security forces and another was apprehended at Wagat in Kupwara district. Two AK-56 rifles and 4 grenades were recovered from them. Leopard kills woman Reports from Kupwara said that a leopard attacked and devoured a woman, namely Sara wife of Mohammad Yunis of Gonipora, Kupwara, when she was collecting firewood in a jungle. She died on spot. About a dozen persons, mostly females, have been killed by predators in Kupwara forests this year. |
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Another
IED blast Excelsior Correspondent UDHAMPUR, Dec 11: Army eliminated two hard-core militants in a continued successful operation launched against the later in militancy dominated Mahore area in Udhampur district today. Both the slain militants owe their allegiance to the pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen. Large quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site. Giving details of the operation,a spokesman of the Defence said that on an intelligence tip off, Army conducted combat operations in Khore area located 5 Km Southeast of Gulabgarh in Mahore tehsil. The offensive was launched under " seek and destroy" operation.During the apportion, the troops noticed the suspicious movement in the area and as they were positioning themselves, were attacked by some hiding militants who resorted to unprovoked firing. The fire was effectively retaliated by jawans, the spokesman said, adding that the encounter continued for quite some time. In the encounter,two militants were gunned down. During the preliminary findings, the names of the two militants couldn’t be ascertained. It was, however, established that both of them were hardcores and owed allegiance to pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen. The spokesman, said that the troops didn’t suffer any casualty in the encounter. He however, said that the troops recovered large quantity of arms and ammunition from the encounter site. The recovery included two AK - 47, four filled magazines, two empty magazines and other arms, two grenades, radio sets one audio cassette, some explosives and ammunition besides incriminating documents. The spokesman said that it was from the seized documents established that they belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen. Sources said that the seek and destroy operations was still in progress till the latest reports pouring in. The entire area has been cordoned off and efforts were being made to apprehend some of the militants who might have been possibly escaped after the encounter. The spokesman said that with today’s encounter, the morale of Army was boosted as today’s encounter was considered a great success in the militancy dominated Mahore area. The spokesman further said that every effort will be taken to make Mahore militancy-free zone. Meanwhile,in another militancy related incident, militants made a vain bid to blow up a culvert by using an IED device in the same tehsil.. The blast took place 2 Km Southeast of Mahore. Sources said that the device went - off causing some damage to the culvert. There was no reports of loss of life or property. Civilian killed in
Chatroo Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 11: Militants gunned down a civilian at village Batwari in Chatroo area while a dreaded militant was killed in an encounter with Special Task Force (STF) in Gandoh area of Doda district in two separate incidents last night. According to a police spokesman, a group of unidentified militants forced their entry into house of Mohammad Shafi son of Ghulam Hassan at village Batwari under the jurisdiction of Chatroo police station. Sensing the situation, Mohammad Shafi jumped boundary wall of the house and tried to escape, the spokesman said, adding that militants chased Mohammad Shafi and shot him dead. Militants fled from the spot. Local people informed the nearby security picket and a police and security team rushed to the spot immediately. Security personnel alongwith a police team of Chatroo police station have launched a search operation in Batwari and adjoining villages to apprehend the militants responsible for the killing of the civilian. Few suspects have been rounded up by the Police but no arrest has been made so far. Chatroo police have registered a case in the killing of Mohammad Shafi. However, reasons behind the killing had not been ascertained so far. Meanwhile, a fierce encounter took place between Special Task Force and militants at village Chinyas in Gandoh area of Doda district this morning. The encounter ensued when STF jawans raided a militant hide-out on a tip off given by local people about the presence of a notorious militant in the area. The spokesman said the militant identified as Abdul Latif alias Nikka resorted to heavy firing on the STF jawans, who retaliated. During the exchange of firing STF jawans gunned down the militant inside his house. His dead body has been handed over to the police. One AK-47 rifle with three magazines and 60 rounds besides a large quantity of explosives and incriminating documents have been recovered from the scene of encounter. There was no casualty on STF side during the encounter. The spokesman said the encounter was still going on, as a report said that associates of slain militant were still hiding in the area. The slain militant Nikka was a hard-core ultra operating in Gandoh area for the past quite sometime. He was involved in a series of killings and kidnappings. His killing was stated to be a big achievement of STF. India can withstand sanctions: Kalam From B L Kak NEW DELHI: Dec. 11: Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, Dr APJ Kalam, does not foresee any trouble for India’s self-reliance mission in the field of defence. Taking a dig at the nations that have imposed sanctions, Dr Kalam has let it be known that India had emerged unscathed whenever embargoes were imposed on it by developing a cost-effective technology in a big way. Stating that the concept of global village was a myth in the environment of sanctions, Dr Kalam argued that technology and commerce had become tools in the name of sanctions and embargoes in the contemporary world of politics. Hence,all the more reason for him to urge the scientific and technological community to prevent technology from becoming a pawn in the hands of geo-politics. Dr Kalam made it public that the Defence Ministry had a self-reliance mission of realising 70 per cent indigenous defence systems by 2005 AD from the present 30 per cent. He claimed that the defence research and development and production infrastructure were already geared up and the partnership of the Indian corporate sector had been sought in this direction. Technological strength alone would provide security to a nation, he said and called for strengthening India’s power by expanding and creating major industries in aerospace, advanced electronics, advanced sensors and advanced materials. Considered as father of the Indian missile programme, Dr Kalam has given a clarion call to the people to launch the "second national movement" to transform India into a developed nation in the next millennium. The strategy suggested by the nation’s top scientist is to launch five mega-missions covering core areas such as agriculture and flood processing, reliable and quality electric power, education and health care, Information Technology and strategic sectors. These five sectors are closely inter-related and lead to national security, food security and economic security. As the second most populous country in the world after China, India needs to achieve a foodgrains production of 360 million tonnes in the next two decades. This will allow for domestic consumption and still leave sufficient surplus for food exports and aid to other countries. Dr Kalam has suggested creating rural clusters with quality centres of education and health support facilities. Information Technology can be very useful tool for transmission of education to the remotest parts of the country. According to experts,Vision-2020 envisaged for India by Dr APJ Kalam and other top scientists and technocrats in the country can be implemented only when present methods of working and mindsets are changed. This means that many existing Governmental structures need to be drastically reduced. Besides a reduction of monopolies, greater competition is required for implementation of many packages of these mega-missions. Hence, private sector participation would be required along with more liberal and simplified procedures. Over five decades after Independence, India has not only become a nuclear weapons State but also a missile power. It has also joined the select group of space powers and it is on the way to becoming an Information Technology superpower. But two things are crucial, experts point out, to the realisation of the vision for developed India. India has to become an economic power with a gross domestic product growth rate of 7 to 9 per cent. The proportion of people below the poverty should be brought down to 10 per cent from the present 40 per cent. Secondly, besides technological expertise, what is required is good political and managerial leadership all over the country to implement this mission. There is no denying that the country, at present, faces political uncertainty because of the compulsions of coalition politics in the wake of indecisive mandates delivered by the people in the last two Lok Sabha elections in 1996 and 1998. The Indian economy is also passing through a difficult phase, partly due to the global recession and the crisis gripping the Asian tiger economies and partly owing to lameduck Governments that have assumed power in recent years. Laudable, indeed, is the clarion call given by Dr Kalam. However, unless political stability is ensured , the realisation of Vision-2020 for India would remain a distant dream. "To become a developed nation, India has to be economically and commercially powerful, at least one of the few top nations in terms of size of the economy", Dr Kalam has insisted. And he says that near self-reliance in defence needs of weapon, equipment with no umbilical attached to outside world and having a standing in the world affairs are the other aspects that can catapult India into the bracket of developed nations. Traffic disrupted on
Dhar road Excelsior Correspondent UDHAMPUR, Dec 11: The students of Government High School Kathar (Manwal) and Manwal Action Committee lifted their four day old road blockage, after the Chief Education Officer, Udhampur visited the spot and ordered immediate posting of the teachers in the school as only two to three teachers were attending the school as against a strength of 17 teachers. Mr Dhan Raj Bargotra, MLC, who had been camping in the Manwal area for the past four days and leading the dharna told Excelsior that the dharna has been conditionally lifted upto December 23 and if till them the requisite strength of teachers did not reach the school they would resume their strike with intensity. The traffic on the Dhar Road remained disrupted for the fourth consecutive day today as the students assembled in the school premises and later took out a procession upto the Dhar Road highway and scattered on the road thereby disrupting the vehicular movement on the said road. Mr Dhan Raj Bargotra said further that if the Students Action Committee and Manwal Action Committee after the assurances of the Chief Education Officer Udhampur resolved that they would resume their agitation if till December 22 their demands of posting requisite strength of teachers was not conceded. Later Mr Bargotra
congratulated the students and their parents for
launching a successful agitation. It may be recalled that
there were 14 posts of teachers lying vacant in the
Government High School Kathar, as against the strength of
17 posts as only two to three teachers were reporting for
duty while the others have managed to get themselves
attached at the places of their 40 killed in Thai air crash, 50 survived BANGKOK, Dec 11: Forty people were killed when a Thai Airways Airbus, with 132 passengers and 14 crew aboard, today crashed in poor weather in Southern Thailand. About 44 people survived the crash after the plane caught fire and burst into flames while trying to make an emergency landing at an airport in Surat Thani, 640 km south of Bangkok. Rescuers, battling through the night to find more survivors from the wreckage of the A-310-200 jet, recovered 40 bodies, a Thai Minister said. They have found no bodies so far. We don’t know how many are foreigners, Transport Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, whose sister died in the crash, told reporters. Among those rescued was the plane’s pilot, television networks said adding one of the dead was a member of parliament belonging to the ruling Democratic Party, Thawat Vichaidith. The rescue work was being hampered as rain was falling over the muddy plantation where the plane broke up into three pieces and caught fire. Flight TG 261 flying from Bangkok to Surat Thani, which services popular tourist spots including the resort island of Koh Samui crashed shortly after 7 p m (1200 gmt) in the poor visibility, the airline said. (PTI) Two arrested Excelsior Correspondent Jammu, Dec 11: Shopkeepers of Shiv Market Association near rail head complex observed a complete bandh today in protest against the alleged attack by some miscreants here today. Police officials said that trouble erupted, when a cluster of persons came to a shop — M/s Naughty Wine Shop at about 6.45 pm, which is owned by president of association, Mr Vishwamittar Gupta. The visitors abused the salesman and tried to ransack the office. Thereafter, vendors of nearby shops also gathered at the site resulting in a scuffle. Meanwhile, some of the shopkeepers informed the Trikuta Nagar police stations. A police party from the station rushed to the site of dispute. The police personnel pounced on two of the miscreants, who started the trouble. They have been taken into custody and a case has been registered against them. Police identified them as Kuldeep Singh and Swarn Jeet Kohli. Subsequently after the incident, shopkeepers downed their shutter in protest against the attack on their president. The vendors, numbering around 50 went to Trikuta Nagar police station and urged them to arrest the absconding culprits. Traffic in the area remained disrupted for quite some time. Meanwhile, as per a release, the members of the Shopkeepers Association have urged the authorities to take prompt action against the miscreants. The association have also demanded proper security arrangements in the area and threatened to resort to other means in case the absconding persons are not arrested. ‘NC fighting
ideological war’ By Neeraj Rohmetra JAMMU, Dec 11: Mr Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, Minister of State for Home has claimed that his party was instrumental in bringing back the "rustic administration of yesteryears" back on the rails with " sincere efforts." "Our most important achievement is that we have been able to restore the confidence of commoner in the administration, which had been shattered during the years of turbulence", he said while talking exclusively to EXCELSIOR. Recalling the past, Mr Lone said that before the popular Government took over, militants were ruling the roost and dominated every sphere of life including the State administration. "It was more or less a parallel administration", he said adding, "while on paper elite officers of the Government machinery issued instructions, but practically speaking militants writ ran large". "Every development works had to be executed only after prior approval of armed ultras and even the law enforcing agencies could do little", he deplored adding promptly, "today, however, things are different. We have been able to restore a sense of security among the people and even the officers are performing their duties without any sort of interference or fear". When told that militants were still finding support from some corners of the administration, he quipped, "but, that percentage is negligible. Overall, there is a metamorphic change in the situation and definitely, we have been able to restore its credibility". Taking a dig at surrendered militants, he said, "during 1995 when the Centre in a bid to combat militants starting using surrendered militants, some of them had developed vested interests. Today, they too have been made accountable and are only operating with the defined area of jurisdiction". Asked the reason behind the spurt in killings of surrendered militants during the past two years, he retorted, "our workers have also been maimed and slaughtered, what about them". "What is the reason that National Conference workers are being targeted by militants ever since the eruption of insurgency", he asked. "Basically, we are fighting a ideological war and this is the prime reason, why no other political party has lost as many workers as we have lost", he said furiously adding, "there is not even a single week when one of our worker has become victim of militants’ bullets". "The militants are perhaps intriguing to erode the base of National Conference, but they have failed to achieve their aim despite these series of killings", he maintained. Dwelling upon the trends of militancy, he claimed, "today, the Kashmiri youth is disenchanted and alienated with militancy. It is for this reason that Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) had been sending foreign mercenaries, who have little affinity with Kashmiri land". "The local participation in this proxy war is negligible now and approximately 80 percent of militants are foreigners. These mercenaries are committing all sorts of atrocities on people and not sparing even women", he continued. Reverting to achievement of the State Government, he said, "we have been able to restore the freedom of speech and that is why today, all opposition political parties have become active in Valley. Earlier, the voice of gun had choked their voice", adding, "it is because of this tranquillity that conglomerates like All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) have been able to roam around and organise agitations". Ridiculing the claims of APHC of being ‘people’s true representatives’, he said, "all these activists had been let free to propagate their anti - elections and boycott policies before the election process was set rolling. It was an opportunity for them, which they have lost". "The champion of human rights should open their eyes how innocent people are being killed here by militants and latest addition is the rein of terror let loose from across the border in areas like Kargil and Uri. Since the past six months, these residents have been living in temporary arrangement", he said in response to a question. Relating his visit to the border town, he said, "I was shocked to see the state of affairs there. In my opinion, it is the biggest human rights violation and ironically, most of them are silent on this front". Urging the leadership of India and Pakistan to find a peaceful solution to the ‘Kashmir imbroglio’, he said, "shedding down their political consideration, both sides should make sincere efforts to find a peaceful solution. Strike hits normal life, industrial activity in states NEW DELHI, Dec 11: The one day nation-wide strike against the economic policies of the BJP-led Government at the Centre today disrupted normal life in several states besides affecting industrial activity, but was peaceful barring stray incidents of stone throwing and a few clashes between supporters and opponents of the strike. The stir, sponsored by the National Platform of Mass Organisations, (NPMO) had a crippling effect in West Bengal and Kerala, where bandh-like atmosphere prevailed during the day, and normal life remained out of gear in Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Assam and Manipur. While, no major incident was reported during the strike, some 300 were arrested in Orissa, 150 in Bihar and 30 in Tamil Nadu for various offences including violation of prohibitory orders. In Delhi, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh where the strike call evoked partial response, working of banks was affected to some extent because of thin attendance. Normal life was not affected in the national capital but workers stayed away in the industrial areas of Okhla, Naraina and Wazipur. The strike, did not have much of an impact on normal life in Mumbai, where the protest was confined to holding of demonstrations and rallies in the industrial belt. Reports from Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Haryana said the strike made little impact on normal life with banks, business establishments and offices functioning as usual. (PTI) Extortionist held in Ganderbal Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, Dec 11: Ganderbal police have arrested an extortionist who was extorting money from the local people at gun-point, He has been identified as Ghulam Ahmed of Ganderbal. A pistol has also been recovered from his possession. Ganderbal police have also arrested two kidnappers and rescued two abductees from their possession. Nineteen persons were also arrested by the Ganderbal police under the Essential Commodities Act. The raids were conducted under the supervision of Superintendent of Police, Mr Jagjit Lal. Excelsior Correspondent Rajouri, Dec 11: A high level meeting of National Conference Minister and senior Army officers was held here today to increase Army - civil liaison in the district. Sources said that the agenda of the meeting was to increase rapport between the duo and provide further support to counter - insurgency operations. The meeting was attended by Minister for Education, Mr M S Tariq; Minister of State for Health, Mr Gobind Ram; Minister for Sheep and Animal Husbandry, Mr S S Slathia; MLA Darhal, Chowdhary Moham-mad Hussain; DIG Rajouri - Poonch, Mr Rajendra, SP Rajouri, Mr Lohia; Mirza Abdul Rashid and senior district vice president, Mr Nirman Singh Chandan. The view points of security forces were put forth by Major General Negi. Both sides also discussed modalities for the forthcoming month of Ramzaan. The delegation of leaders and Ministers later on also called on senior Army officers of Thanamandi. The officials also conferred with each other steps to further curtail militancy in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. |