Dar admits role in hawala

NEW DELHI, Nov 25: In a boost to the Delhi Police in the serial blasts case probe, accused and Lashkar-e-Toiba militant Tariq Ahmed Dar today admitted before a Delhi court that he was associated with ultras and transferred hawala money on commission basis but denied any role in the explosions.

He also admitted that it was he who had called up a news agency to deny Lashkar’s role in the blasts, which killed 60 people and injured 200 others, on being asked by a friend who was an activist of the outfit.

Following the revelations, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Madhu Jain asked him whether he would like to turn an approver in the case and gave the police 14 more days time to interrogate him.

"I swear by god I played no role (in the blasts)...If there is an iota of evidence against me you may hang me.. My only guilt is that it was I who issued the message denying Lashker’s role in the blasts", Dar said in an unexpected 45-minute admission to the court during which he occasionally broke down.

Dar, an official with an MNC pharmaceutical firm, told the court that a friend of his, associated with Lashker, had gifted him a cell phone in August 2005 after he provided him medicines for hernia.

After the blasts, the same friend approached and asked him to call the media and deny Lashkar’s role in the blasts.

"I shouldnt have done that. I had committed a blunder and I was caught just because of this", he said.

Dar said he "was a part of the on-line hawala transaction for which he took ten per cent commission for each transfer" but did not know the source of the money and for who and what purpose it was meant for.

Apart from his relations with the LeT sympathiser which "put him in trouble", Dar said he had developed "intimate relations" with some members of other extremist outfits earlier without knowing "its consequences".

He said in 2003, he was associated with a JKLF activist who had tried to "brainwash" him with some secessionist ideas and also worked closely with a Hizbul Mujahideen activist for trading in shawls.

Police also told the court that there was sufficient proof that immediately after the blasts he had "informed his masters" in Pakistan that the "boys had done their work and were capable of carrying out another round of blasts".

As Dar urged the court to allow him to meet his family back in Srinagar, the ACMM asked "do you know what happened to the families who lost their loved ones in the blasts? I ask the police to take you to one such family".

Dar was arrested on November 9 from Srinagar and has been accused of coordinating and financing the blasts in Paharganj, Sarojini Nagar markets and inside a bus in Govindpuri on the eve of Diwali.

He allegedly hatched the plot along with two Lashker commanders of Jammu and Kashmir Abu Al Gama and Abu Huzefa.

Police said just before the blasts Rs 4.86 lakhs had been deposited to Dar’s HDFC Bank account in Srinagar from a Middle East country.

Police maintain that though Dar himself was not in Delhi at the time of the blasts, he was the financier, coordinator, spokesperson and frontman of the Lashker.

Two more Lashker-e-Toiba activists Ghulam Ahmed Khan and Rafiq have been arrested in connection with the Delhi serial blasts, raising the number of persons apprehended in the case to three.(PTI)

Two ex-CEOs, businessman sent to 5 days lock-up

Excelsior Special Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 25: Two senior officers of Education Department and a prominent businessman were today sent to five days custody—three days police remand and two days judicial remand—in connection with microscopes purchase scam in Education Department.

The officers and businessman were sent on remand by Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Jammu J R Kotwal. They include PP Verma, the then Chief Education Officer (CEO), Kathua, presently posted as Joint Director School Education, Kashmir and attached with the office of Commissioner/Secretary Education, Thakur Dass Sharma, the then CEO Poonch, presently posted as Principal DIET Doda and Jaswinder Manocha of Cosmopolitan Traders, Residency Road and a resident of Gandhi Nagar.

Earlier, the Vigilance Organisation had arrested an Accounts Officer and two lecturers, who were experts for the purchases. They were later bailed out and suspended by the Education Department.

Sources said the two former CEOs and businessman had applied for anticipatory bail before Anti-Corruption Judge, Jammu, which was rejected by the Court. Later, they approached the High Court for anticipatory bail. The High Court gave them interim bail, which was also cancelled today during arguments by the Vigilance.

The High Court directed them to either surrender before the Vigilance Organisation or approach trial court for bail. The trio approached Anti-Corruption Judge J R Kotwal, who sent them to three days police custody followed by two days judicial custody. Presently, they have been lodged in Pacca Danga police station.

Vigilance sources said PP Verma and Thakur Dass Sharma had been suspended by the Education Department during investigations of the case by the Vigilance Organisation. However, they were re-instated later. Now, they will have to face suspension again following their five days remand.

According to sources, the Education Department had purchased a total of 325 microscopes at a cost of Rs 1800 per microscopes. Investigations by the Vigilance, however, revealed that cost of a microscopes was only Rs 650.

Moreover, there was no letter of requisition from any educational institution for purchase of microscopes, the sources said, adding Geology subject is taught only in five Higher Secondary Schools in Jammu province. For them, only 10 microscopes would have been required but even these institutions hadn’t given any requirement for them.

Further investigations in the case are being conducted by the Vigilance Organisation, the sources said.

NDA may not stall Parliament proceedings

NEW DELHI, Nov 25: Reshaping its strategy, opposition NDA today said it will not stall Parliament proceedings from Monday if its notice on Adjournment Motion on Volcker issue was accepted on that day.

The BJP-led alliance, which had given an adjournment notice on Volcker Committee findings along with the issues of Mitrokhin Archives and Daniel Patrick Moynihan allegations about pay-offs to Congress, decided to separate the last two matters and take them up later in the session.

The decision was taken at a meeting of NDA leaders, chaired by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, after Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee conveyed that he could consider a fresh Adjournment Motion if only one issue was mentioned in it, deputy leader of opposition in Lok Sabha V K Malhotra told reporters.

"We have decided that if on Monday our Adjournment Motion is accepted for discussion, we will end disruption of the House and proceedings can take place smoothly," he said. "We hope our motion will be accepted."

The BJP leader said the Government has already expressed readiness to discuss the Volcker issue under Rule 184 which entails voting.

The opposition alliance has been stalling the proceedings of Parliament for last two days over Volcker, Mitrokhin and Moynihan issues.

Insisting that it was "improper" for Sonia Gandhi to remain Congress president and for Natwar Singh to continue as a Minister in the wake of Volcker Committee findings, he said the opposition will continue to press for their resignation.

Malhotra noted that the Government had itself, while replying to a written question in Rajya Sabha yesterday, accepted that the names of Natwar Singh and Congress party figured in the UN Committee’s report.

On Congress statement that it was preparing for a reply to the opposition allegations and was taking a legal view, Malhotra said "you need preparations when your case is bad."

To a question, the deputy leader of opposition said ensuring proper functioning of Parliament was the responsibility of the Government.

"With regard to about 6-7 hours wasted due to stalling of proceedings, we have told the Government that we are ready for extra sittings to make up for it," he said.

The BJP leader said the opposition had given 20 more notices on developmental issues like suicide of farmers, unemployment, price rise and internal security.(PTI)

Bihar Minister quits over graft charges

PATNA, Nov 25: Hours after being sworn in as Cabinet minister, dalit JD (U) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi resigned late last night on the directive of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the wake of graft charges against him.

Manjhi, who claimed he had stepped down "voluntarily", is facing charges in the fake BEd degree racket in the 1990’s.

"On coming to know about a vigilance case pending against the Minister I summoned him and apprised him of my resolve not to have any tainted ministers in my Government and he immediately put in his papers," Kumar told reporters here before leaving for his home at Bakhtiyarpur, about 55 km from here.

"His (Manjhi’s) resignation has been received and forwarded to Governor Buta Singh for acceptance," he said.

Addressing his maiden press conference yesterday, the Chief Minister faced some embarrassing moments when reporters asked him about Manjhi’s induction despite Kumar’s resolve to have "a clean Government".

Kumar hurriedly called Chief Secretary G S Kang and Director General of Police Ashis Ranjan Sinha and asked them to go into the veracity of allegations of Manjhi’s involvement in the case being probed by the State Vigilance Bureau.

Nitish thanked Manjhi for his "gesture" but said that distinction should be made between people involved in corruption cases and those charged for various offences for political reasons.

Earlier, speaking to reporters before leaving for Gaya, Manjhi said he had tendered his resignation following a "conspiracy" against him within the party though he was "not even remotely" connected to the scam.

"I have resigned voluntarily and the Chief Minister did not ask me to quit ... I have no grievance against the Chief Minister. I have quit as I want the NDA Government to have a clean image."

Asked why he joined the Cabinet in the first place, Manjhi said "I had not thought the matter will become so serious despite my innocence."

According to the FIR registered by the State Vigilance Department in 1999, the fraud involved senior officials of the National Council for Teachers’ Education (NCTE), a Government body formed in 1995, to grant recognition to teachers’ training institutes, senior bureaucrats in the education department and politicians, including Manjhi, who was Minister of State for Education at that time.

Besides Manjhi, the then Cabinet Minister for Education Jaiprakash Narain Yadav was also made accused in the case.

While Yadav had to resign from the then Rabri Devi ministry after a Special Vigilance Court issued an arrest warrant against him in 2000, Manjhi had gone underground for some time. Yadav surrendered before the court but Manjhi had got anticipatory bail from the Supreme Court.

Altogether 39 people had been made accused in the 6 cases lodged in the scam. The accused were alleged to have conspired with the heads of various teachers’ training institutes, existing only on paper, in selling fake degrees to students from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh for prices ranging between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 2.25 lakh. (PTI)

Civilian killed, 4 militants held

Excelsior Special Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Nov 25 : A civilian was killed while security forces arrested four militants, including a Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) activist in Kashmir overnight, an official spokesman said.

He said militant shot at and wounded one Mohammad Rafiq Khattana at Handwara in the frontier district of Kupwara last night. He was admitted to the hospital where he died.

He said security forces arrested a JeM militant at Pulwama while three other militants were nabbed at Ganderbal and Handwara alongwith some arms and ammunition. In separate operations in Srinagar, security forces arrested two overground workers of militants from Gujjarbal and recovered two AK magazines and 78 rounds from Batmaloo bus stand last night.

Meanwhile, fire broke out in the building housing Kashmir University Convocation Hall this morning. The building was partially damaged. The cause of the fire is reported to be short electric circuit.

6 PoK visitors return on peace bus

JAMMU, Nov 25: Six Pakistani nationals, who had come to Jammu and Kashmir before the October 8 earthquake, today headed back for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir amid tight security on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus.

They left for the Wagah border at around 0730 hrs from the State Guest House in Jammu where they spent the night after coming from Srinagar yesterday, officials said.

The passengers, identified as Shakeela, Nasheen, Naseema, Zeenth, Kashif Khwaja and Khwaja Gulam Mohammad, were among the 31 Pakistani nationals from Muzaffarabad who were stranded due to disruption of the bus service in the aftermath of the quake, they said.

In the meanwhile, they had been staying with their relatives on this side.

The other 25 visitors had already gone back to PoK via different crossing points along the Line of Control, the officials added. (PTI)

DGP's father passes away

Excelsior Special Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 25: Bala Sahai Sharma, father of Director General of Police (DGP) Gopal Sharma passed away today at his residence in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

He was 80. He is survived by five sons.

The DGP flew-in to Jaipur from Srinagar to join last rites of his father, who was cremated in Jaipur this evening.

Bala Sahai Sharma was an IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre.

Wadwan scam accused will be thrown out: Hakim
*Special squads to check K oil, petrol adulteration

By Gopal Sharma

JAMMU, Nov 25: Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, (CAPD) Hakim Mohd Yasin has said that all the employees including two senior officers allegedly involved in Rs seven cr Marwa- Wadwan foodgrain and Rajouri-Poonch BPL ration scams will be shown the doors.

Talking to the Excelsior here today, Mr Yasin said that the cases pertaining to mysterious missing of 24 trucks of ration meant for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families of Rajouri and Poonch districts in last few years is being reviewed. The Commissioner/ Secretary and the Directors CAPD concerned have been directed to initiate a thorough probe and prepare the list of the officers and other employees directly or indirectly connected with the scandal.

He pointed out that 24 trucks of BPL ration meant for poor families of Rajouri and Poonch dispatched from Jammu stores never reached to the destination and were diverted to some mills. It is unfortunate that such elements despite an earlier inquiry remained unharmed. Such blacksheep in the department will be identified and given forced retirement. The list has been asked to be prepared and will be sent for final action by the Government. Similar process has also begun in other departments as decided in a meeting headed by the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad recently, he maintained.

Responding to a question, Mr Yasin said that Vigilance department has taken the cognizance in Rs 7 cr foodgrain scam in Marwa-Wadwan area of Kishtwar. A departmental inquiry was also initiated in that scandal. A few employees were also placed under suspension while forced retirement in some cases was recommended. The status report from the Vigilance is being sought. Some employees of Anantnag district, including a few ADs from CAPD are allegedly involved. The identification exercise has begun and operation cleanliness has been launched. It is the sincere effort of the Azad dispensation to ensure a transparent, accountable and corruption free administration and for this cooperation from the general public is must, Mr Yasin said.

Referring to the establishment of Accountability Commission, the CAPD Minister said that a check will be there on the officers and public has free access to lodge complaints but "we should also be vigilant against the elements adopting blackmailing tactics and implicating officers to settle personal scores". He however, appreciated the bold move of the Government to set up the Commission in the State.

In response to yet another question he said, "we have taken a decision to keep a check on the pilferage of kerosene oil from CAPD depots and save the vehicles being damaged due to use of adulterated petrol and diesel. He said a nexus is operating in the State with the active connivance of some insiders and depot owners. Special squads including the officials from CAPD, Weights & Measures, Drug Controllers office and Police have been formulated in Jammu, Srinagar and all the district headquarters. They will be raiding the depots and other installations and take samples of the fuel. The depot owners if found in the offence will lose their license. Several license have already been cancelled, he maintained.

When asked about the shortage of sugar for the last one year in the State, Mr Yasin quipped, " there is no shortage of sugar at present. All the consumers will be getting full allotted quota of sugar now. We have lifted full quota of 700 tons meant for J&K and the State have sufficient foodgrain stocks. The winter stocking to the Ladakh has already completed. Earthquake- hit areas have plenty of foodgrains and the Centre and the FCI were fully cooperating with the State for supplies and credit as well," he added.

Mr Yasin pointed out that CAPD has become the department of scandals and in order to keep a check on the distribution of BPL ration and the foodgrains supplies under centrally sponsored Annpurna and Antodya schemes for the destitutes and poorest of the poorer, special committees involving district, block level officers from at least three departments and public representatives including legislators and Panchayat members are being formulated. They will ensure the proper distribution. The ration depot owners will display the lists of this category rationees and separate/ coloured ration cards will be prepared for them, Mr Yasin maintained.

Fake certificates racket busted

Excelsior Special Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 25: The Crime Branch, Jammu today unearthed a racket engaged in selling fake certificates of middle and lower classes to boys in rural areas.

A number of students had got admissions in upper classes on the basis of fake certificates. So far, the Crime Branch has detained eight boys who had procured fake certificates by paying Rs 5,000 to scamsters.

The agency was hopeful of effecting more arrests in the racket shortly.

Sources said during investigations identity of the accused including kingpin was established. However, all of them had gone underground. Searches are being conducted to apprehend them.

In another case, the Crime Branch today converted a case of an accidental death of a Gujjar into a murder case. The Gujjar had died in June near cremation ground. Pir Mitha police had launched proceedings in the case under Section 174 RPC.

The victim party approached the Court which directed the Crime Branch to register a murder case.

Consider demilitarisation: Hurriyat

SRINAGAR, Nov 25: The moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq today said India should consider with "seriousness" the suggestion of demilitarisation and self-rule for Kashmir put forth by Pakistan for a lasting solution to the issue.

"India should consider with seriousness the suggestion of demilitarisation and self-governance in Kashmir put forth by Pakistan," moderate faction chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq told a Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid here.

He said making a "forward movement" on the suggestions of Islamabad would help the basic parties to the Kashmir issue work out a lasting and acceptable solution to the vexed problem.

The Mirwaiz said the "awareness campaign on the diplomatic front" launched by the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference had yielded positive results.

He said this was not only appreciated from the viewpoint of Kashmiris globally, but by India and Pakistan as well.

Hardline faction leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, however, said implementing the suggestions would not help since "the ground realities have to be understood and taken into account for establishing peace".

In an oblique reference to the moderates, Geelani said "the excitement of some so-called leaders on the talks issue is useless as the dialogue process is not going to yield any results". (PTI)

Kalam asks quake-hit to `master the problem'

TANGDHAR (J&K), Saluting courage in the face of calamity, President A P J Abdul Kalam today encouraged the people of this border area battered by the October 8 quake to "master their problems" and not be cowed down.

"I laud the courage of the people of Tangdhar in defeating their problems. I would suggest that you master the problem rather than the problems being your masters," Kalam told people of the quake-hit areas here.

To the demand of the locals for construction of a tunnel across Sadana Pass for better connectivity, the President said "when your intentions are good, nothing can stop you. When God is with you, nobody can be against you. The Governor (S K Sinha) and Chief Minister (Ghulam Nabi Azad) are here with me and they will see what do you all require".

MLA Kafil-ur-Rehman presented a memorandum on behalf of the people of Tangdhar for the tunnel, schedule tribe status for the local populace and connecting the landlocked area via BSNL cellular phone service.

Kalam said he would take up the matter with the Centre.

He also addressed an army gathering at Tangdhar Brigade and lauded the jawans for guarding the borders of the nation and assisting the civilians in times of need.

Despite heavy damage to their own bunkers and buildings, army personnel went to the affected villages and helped the locals pull out the dead from under rubble and take the injured to hospitals. (PTI)

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