Defeat nefarious designs sponsored from
across border: Vajpayee

NEW DELHI, Nov 5: Asserting that maintainence of law and order was essential for political and economic stability, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today asked intelligence agencies and security forces to keep round-the-clock vigil to defeat nefarious designs sponsored from across the border.

"We can acquire weapons and wealth. But what we really need is to maintain continuous vigil and alertness to meet the challenges posed to India’s security," he said while addressing the country’s top police brass at a three-day conference organised by the Intelligence Bureau.

Lauding the security forces for their supreme sacrifice in defending the nation’s unity and integrity, Vajpayee said "we are fully capable of defending ourselves...Police is there but there is no police raj (rule). The raj is that of the people."

Observing that he felt reassured about the country’s internal security situation in view of the contribution being made by the security agencies, he said "new threats and challenges were being thrown up and we have to successfully meet them. There is a need for 24 hours alertness."

The Prime Minister said criminals were using all modern technology for their benefit. "Therefore, it is necessary that we should be better equipped scientifically to counter all their nefarious designs," he added.

Vajpayee said small incidents did take place here or there and the administration should be determined to deal with them effectively. "Efforts should be made to nip the evil in the bud itself," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, who inaugurated the Director Generals of Police Conference yesterday, National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra, three Minister of State for Home I D Swami, Haren Pathak and Swami Chinmayanand, Cabinet Secretary Kamal Pande, Home Secretary N Gopalaswami and Director of Intelligence Bureau K P Singh were among those who attended the meeting.

Earlier the Prime Minister presented Presidents’ Police Medal for distinguished services and meritorious services to 17 officials of the Intelligence Bureau. (PTI)

Wildlife officer shot dead

Excelsior Special Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Nov 5: Militants have gunned down a Range Officer of the Department of Wildlife Preservation in front of the Corporate Headquarters of Jammu & Kashmir Bank Ltd near Tourist Reception Centre in broad daylight today. Once again, militants have struck in a high security zone, which is yards away from the Chief Minister’s official residence on Maulana Azad Road.

An unidentified militant, who was carrying a loaded pistol, fired several shots on Ghulam Ahmed Rishi of Tral Payeen in front of the Corporate Headquarters of J&K Bank Ltd near Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) at 1230 hours today. Rishi sustained critical injuries and collapsed. After some time, he was rushed to SMHS Hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

SP East Anand Kumar Jain told EXCELSIOR that the hitman has struck on his target with a pistol. He said that Police has launched a manhunt to apprehend the militant.

42-year-old Rishi was a Range Officer in the Department of Wildlife Preservation. Hailing from Tral, Rishi was an active member of National Conference (NC). For years, he was known for his proximity to the former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah and the NC general secretary Sheikh Nazir Ahmed. According to sources, Sheikh Nazir had played a key role in Rishi’s out-of-turn promotion as a Range Officer (RO) and getting him an important posting in Wildlife Department last year.

Due to his active political connections, Rishi was a protected person who had been officially allotted accommodation in Hotel Sunshine, situated on the Boulevard. Sources said that Rishi was targeted when he was returning to his protected accommodation on foot from his office situated in the CRPF-guarded TRC complex. Officials believe that Rishi had been followed by the hitman from outside his office. He was attacked when he had walked just a distance of 120 yards. It was not immediately clear why Rishi was walking towards his home in absence of his PSO.

However, sources in the NC insisted that Rishi’s vehicle and security had since been withdrawn by the coalition Government. They said that Rishi’s threat perception had increased significantly after his name had been mentioned as the NC candidate from Tral when Naib Tehsildar Fayaz Ahmed Bhat had been killed by militants in Tral town last year. Rishi failed to get the party’s ticket as Fayaz Ahmed Bhat’s brother and the slain NC leader Mohammad Subhan Bhat’s son, Dr Ghulam Nabi Bhat, agreed to contest the Assembly elections.

Today’s militant strike occurred in a high security zone in Civil Lines. Again, it was carried out in a dare-devil fashion. The spot is barely 300 yards from the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s official residence on Maulana Azad Road.

Meanwhile, reports from Budgam said that unidentified militants appeared at Chewdara village near Beerwah and kidnapped a released militant, namely Ali Mohammad Khan, from his home late last night. This morning, he was beheaded and his body was recovered from Mirpore village in Soibug-Beerwah belt of Budgam district.

Residents believed that Khan was killed with the label of an informer of security forces. However, no militant outfit had immediately claimed responsibility for Khan’s killing.

Dead comes alive to receive award

NEW DELHI, Nov 5: Eighteen years after being declared "legally" dead, Lal Bihari ‘Mritak’ came alive to receive the IG Nobel Award from the prestigious Harvard University.

Lal Bihari, who has added the word ‘Mritak’ (dead) to his name, is a victim of the dark side of the Indian bureaucracy. In the Government records, he has been declared dead since 1986. And ever since he has been fighting with the system to prove that he is very much alive. However, he is not alone, there are many others who share the same fate, with avaricious relatives conniving with petty officials to declare them as dead to seize the land and other property.

Last evening, Samajwadi Party (SP) general secretary Amar Singh in the presence of actor-director Satish Kaushik, presented Lal Bihari ‘Mritak’ with IG nobel award 2003.

"I was laughed at when I told my story to officials. There are many others like me but they do not go to the authorities due to the fear of being killed," Lal Bihari said.

"I have even committed crimes to prove that I am alive. I once kidnapped my cousin so that a First Information Report (FIR) would be lodged against me and will prove that I am not dead. But the police somehow tricked me and I had to release my cousin. Once I even bribed a ‘Daroga’ (police officer) to file a case against me, but as soon as he found out that I was a ‘Mritak, he chased me away," Lal Bihari told reporters.

"I have staged many dharnas, even fought elections against late Rajiv Gandhi from Amethi, but still I was considered a dead man," he added. "The media has been my best ally till now. It is because of the stories published in some newspapers that the world now knows about my life and me. Now I want to fight for the cause of others like me and will continue to do so till the end," Lal Bihari said.

After reading his story in a national daily, Mr Kaushik decided to make a movie based on Lal Bihari’s life.

"There are so many of us who struggle every day to achieve one thing or the other, and here is a man who is struggling to prove his existence in this world," Mr Kaushik said.

"When I read his story for the first time, I found it humorous, but as I read it further I realised the plight of this man. It moved me and I could not really fathom that some thing like this could also happen in India," he added.

Speaking about his movie, Mr Kaushik said, "I am not making this movie to run down the system. All I want to do as a citizen of this country is to tell the people the story of this unlucky man."

"The movie is still in the scripting stage. I want to investigate this story thoroughly and make a foolproof script. Only then will I begin with the filming of the story," he added.

Presenting the award to Lal Bihari, Mr Amar Singh said, "this is a very old problem in India. To take over somebody’s land or money, people are declared dead".

"It is extremely funny that the US has recognised the work done by Lal Bihari in opening 40 schools for the under-privileged children in his home-town in Uttar Pradesh and our own country does not even recognise him as a living person," he added.

The IG nobel awards, a spoof of the nobel prize, were presented at the Harvard University in early October. The awards are given to real academics and others whose works strike people’s funny bones. Among the winners this year were a university college, London team who showed the brains of London taxi drivers were different from average people because they become enlarged in the zone associated with navigation and a Japanese researcher for his study of a bronze statue that failed to attract pigeons. (UNI)

4 days Assembly session a mockery: Rather

By Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Nov 5: The National Conference has described as "unprecedented" a decision of PDP led coalition Government to convene Legislature session for just four days in December and that too to just fulfill the Constitutional binding that the Assembly must meet once in six months.

"There is no example in history of the State when a session of the Legislative Assembly has been convened for just four days. This shows how serious the Government is in listening to problems of the people", former Finance Minister and veteran NC leader Abdul Rahim Rather told EXCELSIOR today.

Pointing out that convening Legislature session in December was a Constitutional binding on the Government as the House must meet after six months, Rather observed: "had there been no Constitutional crisis, the Government wouldn’t have summoned the session at all".

"The Government has done nothing for people of the State in its one year tenure and that’s why they want to keep Assembly session to minimum time. While we have scores of issues to raise in the House, the Government says it has no business even for fifth day of Assembly session", he noted.

It may be recalled the Government had recently convened the Assembly session from December 10 for five sittings. While the business including private members’ resolutions and private members’ bills have been listed for four sitting, the business for fifth sitting has been listed as "if any".

Already, he regretted, the Government didn’t convene autumn session of the Assembly, a practice going on for years together. "This was also for the first time in history of the State that a session has been called for five days only. This is nothing but a sheer mockery with the people", he said.

Rather said the Government appeared to be concerned with its "own business" and not with problems of the local people which a legislator is supposed to highlight in both Houses of Legislature. "It’s nothing but a mockery that each legislator has been asked to give just five starred questions for Government replies in the session. In one and a half month budget session this year, I had given 20 starred questions and, of them, only two were listed in the business. Now, when we are entitled to give only five questions, how many of them would be listed is any body’s guess", he added.

Asked what would be the issues to be raised by main Opposition in the Assembly, the NC leader quipped: "where is the time for us to highlight the issues? We have numerous issues to be raised concerning woes of the people but we have been deprived by the Government "under a calculated strategy" to highlight them".

The former Finance Minister took strong exception to issuance of ordinances by the Government on take over of Auquaf Trust and Medical Trust instead of going through the normal procedure of legislation. ‘There was neither any urgency nor there was any public interest involved which prompted the Government to issue ordinances", he said and disclosed that the NC would definitely raise this issue in the Assembly by force.

The Government, according to Rather, has created another history by giving Ministerial status to 54 persons. While there are 31 Ministers in the Cabinet, five persons each in Leh and Kargil Council and four others like Speaker, Chairman and their deputies enjoyed Ministerial status. As that was not enough, nine more persons have been made Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of Corporations and Boards with Cabinet and MoS status.

"On one side, the Government has disengaged several doctors working for last six to seven years citing financial implications while on the other it has raised an army of Ministers", he lamented. The Corporations most of which were already running on budgetary support will collapse under the new burden put on them, he said.

Custodial killings in the Kashmir valley have registered a massive increase under Mufti Government’s regime. Barring suspension of a SHO in Nowgam, no action has been initiated in other custodial killings, he said.

Unemployment is also on the rise. There had been no job opportunities for the people other than Rehbar-e-Taleem. "Our Government too had recruited hundreds of youths under Rehbar-e-Taleem but without getting any publicity", he said.

Rather said he was told by a bureaucrat that disbursement of cheques under Indira Awas Yojana has been held up as Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed himself wanted to distribute cheques among the people. "This shows the Chief Minister has no faith even in his Ministers and bureaucrats", he claimed.

Development works in the State have also come to a standstill as plans for the districts hadn’t been finalised yet, he said.

PHE employee among 6 killed

Excelsior Special Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 5: Six persons including a PHE employee, an army jawan and four militants were killed while four others were injured in separate incidents in Poonch, Rajouri and Doda district today.

Official sources said three militants in Khan dress appeared at village Kuiyan Top near Bhainch, about two kms from Poonch town last night and opened firing on two persons including a PHE employee Mohd Azam and a Home Guard jawan Mohd Yaqub. While Azam was killed, Yaqub was shifted to district hospital in Poonch from where he was referred here this morning.

DySP Poonch (Headquarters) Nasir Ahmed and SHO Kamleshwar Hoor visited the site of militant attack for investigations. The militants, however, remained untraced. They were suspected to be locals.

Meanwhile, an encounter took place between army and the militants at Battanwali, Sangla in Surankote tehsil early this morning. A Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant and an army jawan were killed in the encounter while two other jawans and a civilian Ghulam Mustafa R/o Monda Kothal were injured.

All three injured persons have been admitted in Military Hospital at Potha where their condition was stated to be stable. One AK rifle and some ammunition were recovered from the slain militant, the sources said.

Another militant Atta Mohd alias Abu Hamza, an activist of Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen outfit was gunned down by the troops of 23 Rashtriya Rifles and police in an encounter at Kundar Khari in Banihal tehsil of Ramban police district this morning.

One AK-47 rifle and three hand grenades were recovered from the slain militant. Police party in the operation was headed by DySP (Operations) Banihal Yogeshwar Sharma.

An army handout said two militants were killed in Rajouri district today. It, however, gave no further details including site of the encounter.

Talks only after formal invitation: Hurriyat

SRINAGAR, Nov 5: Hurriyat Conference today said that a final decision on talks with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani would be taken only after a formal invitation, spelling out the agenda of parleys, was recieved from the Centre.

"We will have to wait for the invitation and see what is the agenda for the talks proposed by New Delhi before we take a final decision," Hurriyat Conference chairman Maulana Abbas Ansari told PTI commenting on Advani’s statement asking the amalgam to respond positively to the Centre’s offer.

Ansari said "what do we talk about? Talks cannot be held in vacuum. There has to be a medium, an agenda. He (Advani) has been shifting from one extreme to other."

He said that the amalgam had made it clear on several ocassions that it was not going to enter a dialogue for devolution of powers, subsidy or concessions to the State.

Stating that Hurriyat would be ready for any such dialogue that was aimed at resolving the Kashmir issue, Ansari said the executive of the Hurriyat would meet again once a proposal from the Centre was received.

About the reports that talks were likely to begin after the holy month of Ramzan, Ansari said "it is not a small issue...We have to talk about something as serious as Kashmir issue.." (PTI)

Shun extreme position: Jethmalani

NEW DELHI, Nov 5: Critical of Government’s assertion that talks with Hurriyat Conference would be held on devolution of powers only, Kashmir Committee chairman Ram Jethmalani today said extreme positions should be given up for the dialogue to be successful.

"Dialogue cannot be started with a predetermined mindset," the noted lawyer said commenting on Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani’s statement that Government would hold talks with Hurriyat on devolution of powers.

After being named to hold talks with Hurriyat, Advani had stated that Government was willing to hold talks on "decentralisation" of powers but would not compromise with unity and integrity of the country.

"This is not the way a dialogue is conducted. It indicates the Government is not serious," Jethmalani told reporters here.

Dubbing Advani’s remarks as "unnecessary pin-pricks" that could "scuttle the dialogue process", he said "talks should start with open minds and issues can be sorted out on the table."

He said "everyone" had agreed that dialogue should be held by shunning extreme positions.

Suggesting that talks could be held on autonomy, Jethmalani said he was helping in his own way to facilitate the dialogue.

Earlier, Jethmalani presented the Mahatma Gandhi Award for international understanding to senior vice president of the world Jewish Congress Isi Leibler on behalf of the Sanskrit-Hebrew society. (PTI)

BJP conspired to finish me: Maya

BHOPAL, Nov 5: Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati today alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders had hatched a "conspiracy" to finish the BSP by cornering her on various fronts and forcing her to join their party.

Addressing party workers here in a highly-emotional speech, Ms Mayawati declared that she would never quit her party and would not be sold to ‘manuwadi’ outfits. All her property would go to the BSP and not her family members, she added.

"The BJP couldn’t succeed as a Union Minister of State, in the National Democratic Alliance Government, confided in me about this plan five months before my resignation from Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Ministership," she claimed and refused to identify either the politician or the State he hailed from.

"The same person recently told me that the Madhya Pradesh BSP’s former supremo Phool Singh Baraiya was inching closer to the BJP and wanted to play his cards only when he had powers to distribute authority letters to candidates," Ms Mayawati added.

"I came to know about this plan when I distributed the letters to candidates from this state, thereby cornering Mr Haraiya who finally floated a separate outfit to help the BJP," she said.

Ms Mayawati said several senior leaders, including former state unit presidents, had deserted the BSP but none could survive and "went into oblivion."

"Baraiya will meet the same fate as the other quislings," she added.

The strategy to contest 160 seats in this state and 55 seats in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, where the party was strong, and organise a "transfer of votes" to candidates in a position to defeat the BJP at other places, was the same game plan adopted by Mr Kanshiram in 1998, during the Assembly elections within undivided Madhya Pradesh.

"My party should either come to power on its own in this State or at least be in a position to be a balancing force," Ms Mayawati said. The same strategy would be adopted in Delhi and Rajasthan.

In the event of her arrest, she directed that the cadre of four poll-bound states should conduct ‘dharna’ and concentrate on the elections. Once voting was complete, they could get themselves arrested en masse.

However, in other states, the cadre was to court arrest immediately after she was apprehended.

Referring to the Taj corridor issue, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister alleged that the linking of Agra Fort and Taj Mahal was taken up during the regime of her predecessor Rajnath Singh.

"The Central Bureau of Investigation, which is working under the Prime Minister, targeted me," Ms Mayawati alleged.

She said that the ‘Manuwadi press’ continuously highlighted those who quit the BSP.

"I’m being hunted by the CBI but with the general elections still ten months away, the BSP cadre should pay back the BJP in the same coin. I warn the BJP leadership that the same investigating agency could be used against them after the Lok Sabha polls," she added.

"I became Chief Minister thrice, with BJP help, but it was my party that brought down that party’s tally in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly from a premier position in 1993 to third spot in 2002. In 1996, the BJP secured second place while the BSP allied with the Congress," she explained.

"I was unhappy with the decision to tie up with the Congress but accepted the party high command’s decision and didn’t quit the BSP like Mr Baraiya," the politician claimed.

"In 1997, after a six-month tenure as Chief Minister, the BJP began altering my decisions and protesting against the same. As a result, I withdrew support," she added. (UNI)

HC upholds LI for Ikhwani

Excelsior Special Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Nov 5:A divison bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court dismissed an appeal filed by a counter-insurgent Shabir Ahmad Teli against the Anantnag Session Court’s order sentencing him to life imprisonment for killing a civilian in 1997 at Anantnag.

The division bench comprising Mr Justice V K Janji and Mr Justice Bashir Uddin dismissed the appeal filed by the accused and also upheld the order of the Session Court.

According to reports, Shabir, who was working as counter insurgent with security forces, shot dead one Abdul Gani Shah after he refused to marry her daughter to him at gun point.

It said after Mr Shah refused to marry her daughter to him, the accused shot him dead at Achabal on August 6, 1997 when he was coming out from a Mosque.

Later police arrested Shabir and four others for murdering Mr Shah on a compliant filed by his family members.

The Session Court later sentenced Shabir to life imprisonment and acquitted others after hearing the arguments from both the sides and 12 witnesses.

However, Shabir later appealed in the High Court against the order that the weapon used in the crime was not recovered by the police so far.

The division bench dismissed the argument and upheld the sentence awarded to him by the Session Court.

400 Sikh pilgrims arrive in Pak

ISLAMABAD, Nov 5: Over 400 Indian Sikh pilgrims arrived in Pakistan today through Wagah border to attend the 534th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism.

The ‘pardhan’ (chief) of Pakistan Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee Sardar Sham Singh and Additional Secretary Evacuee Trust Property Board Azharul Hassan received the ‘yatrees’, who arrived in two delegations.

One delegation of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee numbering 321 was led by Sardar Balqar Singh while Pram Cheet Singh Sarna lead another team of 82 from Delhi Gurdwara Parbandak Committee.

On arrival at Lahore, Balqar Singh appreciated the facilities extended by Government of Pakistan for Sikh yatrees, official media reports here said.

He said that exchange of delegations of Parliamentarians and other people is a positive initiative which would pave way for bringing both countries closer to each other.

Balqar appreciated the proposal presented by Pakistan Government for starting Lahore-Amritsar bus service and urged the Indian Government to positively respond to the initiative.

The proposal of providing visa for senior citizens at the entry points is also a welcome step, Balqar said.

Sardar Sham Singh offered a warm welcome to the visiting yatrees and assured them all-out cooperation.

Meanwhile another delegation of Sikh yatrees from United Kingdom arrived at Lahore lead by Sardar Monmohan Singh.

The 3-day birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak begins tomorrow. The pilgrims will also visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib and other sacred places of the Sikh religion. (PTI)

Emergency clamped in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Nov 5: Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga today declared a state of emergency in the country giving the military sweeping powers in the island nation, her office said.

Kumaratunga used her executive powers to impose the emergency which gives sweeping authority to security forces to arrest and detain suspects, it said.

The move followed yesterday’s sacking of Ministers of Defence, Interior and Information as well as the suspension of Parliament till November 19.

The extra ordinary laws would be in force for a period of 10 days, the maximum period allowed without Parliamentary approval, officials said.

Any continuation of the extraordinary laws would require Parliament to be resummoned to ratify her decision, officials said adding that a longer period would mean the automatic reconvening of the assembly.

Sri Lanka was under a state of emergency from March 18, 1983 until October 2001 when it automatically lapsed as Kumaratunga’s then Government lost its majority in the assembly.

At subsequent Parliamentary elections in December 2001, her party lost to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) plunging the country into an uneasy cohabitation arrangement.

Despite the political turmoil in the capital, the streets remained calm today except for a larger than usual presence of troops at state media institutions.

However, police and troops remained on alert and acting Police Chief Indra De Silva asked his men to give him six hourly reports and also keep the President’s office informed of any disturbances.

The moves have caused uncertainty in the country’s fragile peace process which has been spearheaded by Wickremesinghe, who is currently in the US on an official visit. (PTI)

Two women killed in Machil sector

SRINAGAR, Nov 5: Two women were killed and two others were injured, when Pakistani troops fired mortar and artillery shells in the northern sector yesterday, official sources today said.

Pakistani troops fired from across the border in Machil sector yesterday afternoon, targetting security force installations and civilian areas. Two women were killed on the spot in the shelling and two others were injured, sources said.

The troops also resorted to unprovoked shelling in Karnah sector last evening. However, there was no loss of life as the shells exploded in the open field. Intermittent shelling continued throughout the night, the sources added. (UNI)

CRPF to takeover operations from November 15

SRINAGAR, Nov 5: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) today said it will take over counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir from the Border Security Force (BSF) from the middle of this month.

"The process has already been set in motion. Initially, we will be relieving the BSF from downtown areas of the city beginning November 15", Inspector General of CRPF, V B Singh said here.

Singh said the troops for replacing the BSF have been sent into the Valley from other parts of the country and there would be no change in the existing deployment of the force.

"Five additional battalions of CRPF have come in to replace an equal number of BSF battalions. But there will be no change in the existing deployment of CRPF in the State", he said.

"We will take over all the positions held by BSF initially... Later we will decide whether the deployment is sufficient or not", Singh said.

Asked if the force was fully geared up to meet the challenges of combating militancy in the State, Singh said "this is nothing new to us. We have already been involved in the operations".

He said several companies of CRPF were part of the Special Task Force of security forces which are fighting militancy in the State.

On the humanitarian front, Singh said the force was well oriented on how to uphold the human rights of people.

"We are a people-oriented force and upholding human rights is part of the training curriculum of the CRPF", Singh said.

The decision to hand over counter-insurgency operations in the State to CRPF and send the BSF to guard the borders was taken by the Group of Ministers on security earlier this year. (PTI)

Two SPs posted in Vigilance

Excelsior Special Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 5: The Government today ordered posting of two SSPs in Vigilance Organisation and promotion of six DySPs as SPs in their own pay and grade.

Surinder Gupta, SSP Police Headquarters has been transferred and posted as SSP Vigilance Jammu in place of Jagjit Kumar, who has been posted as Commandant 4th Security against an available vacancy.

Satish Khandayray, Commandant 3rd battalion has been posted as AIG (Policy) Vigilance Organisation.

Six DySPs, who have been promoted as SPs, are M L Mathur, Niaz Ahmed, Mukhtiar Ahmed, Wali Mohd Khandey, Afzal Ahmed Kakroo and P Wamchok.
 
 
 

 

 

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