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From Ahmed Ali Fayyaz SRINAGAR, Oct 5: With 10 fatal casualties---5 J&K Police personnel, 2 CRPF soldiers, 2 militants and one civilian---the overnight gunbattle between militants and security forces has ended in the business hub of Budshah Chowk in this capital city this afternoon. About 30 people---half of them Police and paramilitary personnel---have sustained injuries in the suicide attack that returned to the Valley after a pause of four-and-a-half months. Director General of J&K Police, Gopal Sharma, said that the 27-hour-long operation, that had begun at 1125 hours on Wednesday, ended with the toll of 10 human lives. He elaborated that 5 J&K Police personnel, 2 CRPF men and a civilian got killed while both of the fidayeen, who occupied second floor of New Standard Hotel for about 20 hours, were gunned down by Police and CRPF. He said that it took the authorities a long time to flush out the militants as their first priority was to evacuate over 200 civilians who had got trapped at New Standard and adjoining buildings with the militants' suicide strike on Wednesday. He said that it was because of this strategy that only one civilian casualty took place in the whole operation at this crowded business hub. He asserted that as many as 7 fatal casualties in J&K Police and CRPF were largely the result of accomplishing the task of evacuation. Those killed in the militant strike, followed by the gunbattle, have been identified as ASI Nazir Ahmed, Head Constable Showkat Ahmed, Constable Mohammad Amin, Selection Grade Constable Randhir Singh alias Jimmy, Constable Bashir Ahmed (All J&K Police), Constable Jaswant Singh of 131 Bn CRPF, Constable Jatender Singh of 01 Bn CRPF and a hotel employee, namely Fayaz Ahmed Parray of Tangmarg. Officials said that 4 J&K Police personnel, 8 CRPF men and 6 civilians sustained injuries. However, unofficial reports put this number at 30. DGP expressed satisfaction over the fact that the hotel building as well as adjoining commercial establishments remained intact though the New Standard interior suffered extensive damage. He said that before making an attempt to escape, the militants had planted considerable quantities of explosive material to detonate the structure and cause maximum damage to Police, CRPF and the civilian concentration. However, the militants' designs failed as Police and security forces took every step with utmost care and caution. He said that two of Policemen died in the initial round of firing while three more got killed while evacuating the civilians trapped at Hotel New Standard. He revealed to this correspondent that it was for the first time that Police shot the entire operation on a sophisticated camera and the 8-hour-long exclusive footage was being examined to learn more about the behaviour of the suicide militants and forces in action. According to Police sources, one of the militants was gunned down as soon as he was spotted at the hotel this morning. He had once or twice appeared on a window but forces did not target him for fear of civilian casualties inside. Another militant jumped out of the hotel building and scampered towards the nearby marketplace of Koker Bazar. He too was gunned down while he was crossing the main road leading to Civil Secretariat. Yards away from JKLF chairman Yasin Malik's residence-cum-office at Maisuma, Dashnami Akhara and Hotel New Standard have been witness to scores of militant strikes on Police and security forces in the last 17 years of armed insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir. Spokesman of the militant outfit Al-Mansoorain, Aamir Mir, told the EXCELSIOR over telephone that two of the fidayeen group died while their commander, Abu Hamza, managed to escape and reach back to his hideout in Srinagar. He identified the two militants killed in the gunbattle as Tariq Ahmed Bhat and Mohammad Mushtaq. Asked about their places of residence, Aamir Mir said that both of them were "local Kashmiris". He said that their commander, Abu Hamza, is a "guest militant" (a term used for militants from Pakistan and other countries). He said that 11 people died and 20 were left wounded in the 24-hour-long gunbattle. As already reported, militant outfit Al-Mansoorain had claimed on Wednesday that three of its fidayeen had attacked a paramilitary encampment at Dashnami Akhara at Budshah Chowk and later occupied the nearby New Standard hotel building. Officials, who insist that Al-Mansoorain is the front name of Pakistan-based Jihadi organisation Lashkar-e-Toiba, maintained that only two militants had been spotted and it was being ascertained whether the third militant had escaped at the start of the suicide strike or he was not part of the group at all. The DGP, however, asserted that only two militants were involved in the attack. No militant escaped from the beseiged area, he said. Unlike on many occasions in the past, Police and CRPF observed restraint and did not destroy the hotel building by setting it on fire. Over a dozen historic and ordinary buildings in Civil Lines had been razed to rubble in such clashes in the last few years. Destruction is still telltale at Tourist Reception Centre complex, Greenway Hotel, PIB complex, Palladium Cinema and Lalchowk. Income Tax office complex and Passport Office complex, which were destroyed in fidayeen attacks two years ago, have been partly reconstructed. Authoritative sources said that Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who also happens to be the head of Unified Headquarters, had issued strict instructions to Police and CRPF that the holed up militants be liquidated without burning the hotel building. "He had made it clear that the first priority should be evacuation of over 200 civilians trapped in different buildings. His second priority was killing all the militants without burning or letting them burn the hotel complex", said a senior Police official. About a year ago, nearby structures of Auqaf Complex and Gujarat Hotel had been similarly protected as the fidayeen had been eliminated in the gunbattle. Militants, mostly Pakistani cadres of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, have carried out nearly a hundred suicide strikes on different military, paramilitary, non-military and public facilities in Jammu and Kashmir since July 1999 when this kind of offensive was introduced at a BSF formation in Bandipore. A number of soldiers, including a DIG of BSF, had died in the militants' maiden suicide attack. Frequency of suicide strikes has remarkably reduced in the last two years though high profile attacks were made at TRC, Prime Minister's venue of public rally at Sonwar, Chief Minister's residence on Maulana Azad Road and several CRPF formations. Today's suicide attack came after the militants' strike on Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's public rally at Sher-e-Kashmir Park on May 21 this year when a number of casualties had taken place. It was in this attack that IGP of Kashmir, K Rajendra Kumar, who remains unmatched in his profile of counter-insurgency operations, got critically injured. Meanwhile, one more militant got killed in an encounter with troops of RR 19 Bn and SOG Sogam at Surigam in Lolab valley of Kupwara district late last night. Official sources said that he was a member of Al-Badar Mujahideen. An identity card recovered from his pocket was found to be in the name of Mushtaq Ahmed Lone of Shopian. Sources said that yet another militant, still unidentified, was killed in an encounter with troops of RR 13 Bn at Bazipora, Ajas, in Bandipore area last night. He has been identified as Abu Hamza of Lashkar-e-Toiba. |
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‘Martyrs deserve highest
honour’ Excelsior Correspondent KATHUA, Oct 5: Reiterating his Government’s commitment to wipe out terrorism from the State, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today regretted that despite assurances Pakistan has miserably failed to contain activities of terrorists from its land. Addressing a rally in connection with annual Shaheedi Divas in this town, Mr Azad lambasted Pakistan for abetting terrorism in the State but asserted that anti-national forces will not be allowed to fulfill their nefarious designs. "Those indulging in killings of innocent people will be dealt with iron hands’’, Mr Azad asserted and called upon people to remain vigilant against evil designs of anti-national forces. Paying tributes to the security personnel, who laid down their lives while protecting sovereignty and integrity of the country, he said that it was all due to the martyrs that common man has been living peacefully. "They bled every drop of their blood for the cause of nation and made us breath in an atmosphere of freedom and democracy’’, he asserted. "We have to give full honour and respect to the martyrs and their families’’, he said and announced that list of all martyrs’ families will be prepared to provide them all kind of help. "It is the duty of every citizen to protect dignity and honour of martyrs’ families’’, he said and added that the Government will take every possible step for the welfare and upliftment of these families. Mr Azad reminded the people of the challenges, the country has been facing internally and externally since independence. He lavished all praise on jawans of security forces who laid down their lives and scuttled designs of the enemy. The Chief Minister, while cautioning the people against elements, who were bent upon creating a wedge between various sections of people in the name of religion, caste and creed, observed that such elements were more dangerous as they live within the society but play anti-people role. He said that unified approach to fight terrorism was imperative under the present scenario. He further said that people of Jammu and Kashmir have faced many onslaughts since 1947 but they faced every threat with courage and bravery. Pointing towards on-going proxy war in the State, the Chief Minister said that many precious lives have been lost in the militancy. "Jawans of security forces including Army, CRPF, BSF, local police and other forces have sacrificed lives while protecting civilians and providing security to the people ’’, he said, adding, "they fought militancy bravely and deserve honour and remembrance’’. Referring to sacrifices made by the Congress leaders, Mr Azad said that history was witness to the sacrifices made by great leaders including Mahatama Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and other martyrs for upholding the freedom and people’s cause. Speaking on the occasion, Lok Sabha member Ch. Lal Singh called upon the people to give honour and respect to the martyrs and their families. He said that it was all due to the sacrifices of the martyrs that the common man has been living peacefully despite on-going militancy. "They (security personnel) have been fighting with the militants to make our lives peaceful’’, he said and expressed his gratitude towards the Chief Minister for making it a point to participate in the Shaheedi Diwas at Kathua. MLA Hiranagar, Girdhari Lal and DCC president, Subash Gupta also addressed the function in which MLA Basohli, Kanta Andotra, Naresh Sharma, Pankaj Dogra and other senior leaders were present., Earlier, a rousing reception was accorded to Mr Azad on his arrival in the town. He was taken in a big procession from Hatli Morh to venue of the rally. |
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PDP leader's son comes under cloud
at sunrise From Ahmed Ali Fayyaz SRINAGAR, Oct 5: Chief Justice, Mr Justice Bashir Ahmed Khan, has taken strong exception to a Munsiff Afroz Ahmed Mir's appointment by the State Government as Director of Defence Labour Procurement (DDLP) without seeking clearance from Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Even as Afroz Mir, son of former Minister and senior PDP leader Ghulam Hassan Mir, was on temporary deputation with the State Government and was holding the post of an Assistant Legal Remembrancer (ALR) in the Law Department, Government has lately appointed him DDLP without taking his employer into confidence. Highly placed sources in the State Government told the EXCELSIOR that on the directions of the Chief Justice, Registrar General has written a letter to Chief Secretary C Phunsog asking him how an officer of the junior judicial service, who was on deputation with the Law Department on temporary basis, has been picked up for a far superior deputation and appointed as DDLP, albeit in his own pay and grade. Chief Justice is said to have learned about the Munsiff's decorated deputation and backdoor appointment only through newspapers. Late last month, in an administrative reshuffle, Government had surreptitiously appointed Mr Afroz Mir against a post in the State General Service which is classified as Class-1 and Major Head of Department in the CSR classification. Sources said that immediately after receiving the CJ's snub, Government has decided to revoke its own order and restore status quo ante which means Afroz Mir's return to the post of ALR in the Law Department. Orders to this effect are likely to be issued on Friday or Saturday. After passing a judicial service examination, Afroz Mir had been appointed as a Munsiff in the year 2003. In 2005, when his father was a Minister in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's Cabinet, General Administration Department (GAD) moved a suo moto proposal for his deputation as ALR in Law Department. However, High Court took exception to the wording of the Government Order which had not mentioned that it was a deputation. Consequently, Government modified its own order to satisfy Afroz Mir's employer. While a Munsiff's pay scale is Rs 8,000--Rs 13,000, ALR is equivalent to an Under Secretary to Government in the pay scale of Rs 7,500--Rs 12,000. DDLP is a senior KAS cadre post, basically that of a Deputy Secretary to Government. However, most of the times, this post has been held by either the KAS officers of the rank of Special Secretary or Additional Secretary. Mir's appointment as DDLP has not only caused considerable heartburn in the State services, dogged by decades of so-called stagnation, but also put a question mark on the Azad Government's claims of transparency and accountability in governance. "This has never happened in the last 58 years. It is exactly like appointing or deputing DGP as Chief Secretary or Chief Secretary as Chief Justice", simplified an officer whose induction into KAS has happened after a delay of 16 years. "Every time, Government says that it has no slots. Those promoted in KAS hold inferior positions for years. See, how the blue-eyed boys of politicians and senior bureaucrats are adjusted into superior civil services through backdoor", pointed out another KAS officer. He claimed that a way had been created by the politicians whose sons and daughters enter the services through backdoor and reach the top position of Director, DC or MD in a short span of 5 to 10 years. According to Recruitment Rules, any officer of 15 continuous years of gazetted service in Labour Department, subject to his or her APRs, can be appointed as DDLP. In absence of such officers, Government can resort to deputation of KAS officers, normally those holding the rank of an Additional Secretary or Special Secretary to Government. After the Labour Department's last qualified officer, Bashir Ahmed Shah, retired in 2002, Government appointed a Deputy Secretary rank officer as DDLP. He was succeeded by Muzaffar Iqbal, holding the rank of a Special Secretary to Government. Thereafter, Labour Commissioner Charanjit Singh (IAS) held it as an additional charge. He was succeeded by three Additional Secretaries to Government, namely Gulzar Qureshi, Showkat Ahmed Mir and Ali Mohammad Dar. Dar, presently Additional DC Srinagar, was stripped of his additional charge last month which was given to the green hand Afroz Mir. Interestingly, Afroz Mir's order of appointment as DDLP was issued at a time when Financial Secretary B R Kundal had written to GAD that one Bilal Amin Bhat of Labour Department had become qualified for his appointment as DDLP five months ago by virtue of his 15 years of gazetted service in the Department. Mr Kundal had recommended Bilal Amin Bhat's case and urged GAD to clear it in a meeting of the Selection Committee. Sources said that the Selection Committee convened a meeting but kept Mr Bhat's case pending to pave way for a stranger's backdoor appointment as DDLP. Asked how a Munsiff, holding a rank equivalent to that of an Under Secretary to Government and belonging to junior judicial service had been appointed as DDLP without any clearance from his employer, Principal Secretary GAD Khursheed Ahmed Ganai said that this development had taken place in his absence as he was in London in connection with a training course. Chief Secretary C Phunsog was not available for comments. |
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‘Migration not due to
ultras’ threat but fear of arrest’ By Sanjeev Pargal JAMMU, Oct 5: Authorities in Doda today established a contact with their counterparts in Chamba seeking return of 64 "migrants" from Sawara, Gandoh saying they had not crossed over to Himachal Pradesh due to threats by the militants but some of them were wanted in a murder case. Official sources told the Excelsior that senior police officers of Doda district today got in touch with SSP and Deputy Commissioner, Chamba seeking immediate return of all 64 villagers of Sawara on the ground that some of them were wanted in a murder case registered at Gandoh police station. "There is no need to run relief camps for the so-called migrants. There is no threat of militants in Sawara and adjoining areas where there is a police picket and 16 VDC members with an equal number of rifles", a senior police officer from Doda told the SSP and DC Chamba this afternoon as the villagers told media persons in Chamba that they had fled their houses due to militant threats. "Majority of 64 persons, who have crossed over to Chamba in Himachal Pradesh, are five Village Defence Committee (VDC) members and their families, who were wanted in a murder case. They have deserted their houses and gone across Chamba only to avoid their arrest", the sources said. They added that administration in Chamba was not aware of the facts. They had set up tents and started running langars for the villagers treating them as migrants from the neighbouring State. "After being apprised of the facts, they have assured us that they will act accordingly", they revealed. A small team of police officers has also been deputed to Chamba from Doda district to brief the administration there about the factual position. SSP Doda Manohar Singh, when approached, confirmed that majority of the people, who have crossed over to Chamba from Sawara, were family members of five VDC members, who were wanted to police in alleged murder of Farooq Ahmed of Sawara. According to him, about four months back, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activist Mela Ram R/o Sawara, Gandoh had gone to another village along with one Personal Security Officer (PSO). His second PSO followed him alone on getting a report of Mela Ram’s visit to another village. Enroute, the PSO was intercepted by the militants, who snatched his AK rifle and fled away. The PSO narrated the incident to the VDC members, five of whom took their weapons and opened firing killing Farooq Ahmed, who was neither a militant nor involved in snatching of the weapon. Farooq’s killing led to resentment among the local people after which police registered a murder case at Gandoh police station. Few days back, all five VDC members involved in firing were disarmed by SP Bhadarwah Ashok Sharma during investigation of the case and in their place five new VDC members were appointed. The disarmed VDC members were directed to appear at Gandoh police station in connection with the murder case. Within a day after police action, five VDC members, their families and some relatives crossed over to Chamba to escape police action, the sources said, adding the VDC members had even refused to record their statements at the police station. Authorities categorically stated that there was no question of any militants’ threat in Sawara as many other villagers are staying there as well as in adjoining villages. They said the Chamba SSP and DC have agreed to examine the request of Doda district administration and take a decision of the migrants shortly. Agencies add from Shimla Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said Jammu and Kashmir officials were in Chamba district to persuade people who had crossed over to Himachal to return to their villages, promising adequate security to them. "The officials are already in Chamba district to persuade these migrants to return to their village in Jammu and Kashmir where the state Government has promised them adequate security," he told reporters on the sidelines of the swearing in ceremony of the HP Public Service Commission Chairman here. Mr Singh was reacting to the crossing over of 64 people from Sawara village of Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir to Himachal late on Tuesday night following threat to their lives from the militants. He said the people who had crossed over to the State were a scared lot due to the threat to their lives from the militants besides being in the minority in the village. Replying to a question, he assured that the state Government would provide all possible help to these people besides providing them temporary shelter if they decide not to return to their native places. The Chief Minister, however, refused to elaborate whether the Government would help their rehabilitation or not. Meanwhile, state ADGP Ashwani Kumar told UNI here that there was no possibility of militants infiltrating into Himachal from the Jammu and Kashmir with the state police continuing to maintain strict vigil along the border. Eight companies of Indian Reserve (IR) Battalion and one Battalion of ITBP were manning the district border to prevent the entry of militants into the State. (HP) |
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IRCON Engineer among 7 killed in two mishaps Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 5: Seven persons including an Engineer of JP Associates and Assistant Manager of IRCON were killed in two separate road accidents at Banihal and Ramban on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway today. Police spokesman said that an Engineer of JP Associates, his Personal Security Officer (PSO) and an Assistant Manager of IRCON were killed when a Tata Safari bearing registration number JK02S-0066 rolled down into a gorge at Nachlana under the jurisdiction of Banihal Police Station this evening. On the receipt of information, a police party rushed to the spot and shifted the critically injured occupants of the vehicle to Emergency Hospital Banihal where Engineer of JP Associates S P Verma, son of K R Verma of Merutt and his PSO Jagdish Raj were pronounced as brought dead. The critically injured Assistant Manager of IRCON Naresh Purnia was referred to Srinagar Hospital for specialised treatment but he succumbed to injuries while being shifted to Srinagar. In another accident, four persons were killed when a truck, they were travelling in, plunged into 700 feet deep gorge at Battery Chashma. The ill-fated vehicle bearing registration number JK01A-3177 was on its way from Jammu to Srinagar when at Battery Chashma it plunged into gorge due to the negligence of driver. Before landing at the bottom of the gorge, the vehicle collided with several rocks thereby killing three persons on the spot and wounding driver severely. On the receipt of information, a police party from Ramban Police Station rushed to the spot and brought out the dead bodies and critically injured driver from badly damaged truck. Driver of the vehicle was immediately rushed to Emergency Hospital Ramban where he succumbed to injuries. The deceased have been identified as Abdul Rashid Hakim, son of Mohd Ibrahim of Dagpura Anantnag, Gohar Ali Sheikh (driver), son of Ghulam Hassan, Ishfaq Ahmed, son of Mohd Aslam Hassan of Neeru Kokernag and Javed Ahmed Ganai, son of Abdul Rashid Ganai of Khannabal. |
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Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 5: R V Raju, Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters), J&K, has been appointed as Joint Director, Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) in New Delhi by the Union Government of India. An order to this effect has been received by the State Government in Srinagar, authoritative sources told the Excelsior. His deputation to the Centre has already been cleared by the State Government. Mr Raju will take up his new assignment next week. He is leaving for Srinagar tomorrow to get relieved of his present posting. Known for his honesty and integrity, Mr Raju had earlier also served in CBI, the premier investigating agency and was part of a Special Investigating Team (SIT) which had investigated the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Former Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed had brought Mr Raju to Jammu and Kashmir from CBI following intervention of the then Prime Minister and appointed him as Vigilance Commissioner of the State. He had served on several important posts in Jammu and Kashmir including IGP Jammu, DIG Anantnag and SSP Jammu. |
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NEW DELHI, Oct 5: The Union Government today constituted the sixth Pay Commission headed by Justice B N Srikrishna that would review wages of its nearly 33 lakh employees, whose salaries were last rejigged a decade ago. The four-member commission, which has a tenure of 18 months and operate from the national capital, would also review the desirability of interim relief for these employees till the final salary structure is announced, an official notification said. Besides Central Government employees, it would also recommend new pay structure for armed forces personnel and employees of the regulatory bodies among others — which is likely to put an additional burden of Rs 20,000 crore on the Central exchequer annually. While the panel’s Chairman Srikrishna is a retired Supreme Court Judge, its three members also have a reputed background. Member Ravindra Dholakia is a former IIM, Ahmedabad Director, while the other member J S Mathur is a former Secretary of the Expenditure Reforms Commission. Sushma Nath, who will be member-secretary, was former Additional Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. A Finance Ministry notification said the Government has been considering for sometime, the changes that have taken place in the structure of emoluments of its employees over the years. Conditions have also changed in several respects since the last Pay Commission submitted its report in 1997. With today’s notification, decks have also been cleared for setting up of the committee to review the pay structure of PSU employees, official sources said. However, any revised pay packet for PSU employees will not put burden on the Government exchequer since only those public sector companies which have the paying capacity will be increasing salaries of its staff, sources added. The commission will also make recommendations for pension, gratuity for those employees appointed before January 1, 2004 as after this date new recruits are under the defined contributory pension scheme instead of defined benefit. The pay panel will also make recommendations on bonus payment and feasibility of introducing productivity-linked incentive scheme. It will also suggest ways to transform the Central Government organisations into modern, professional and citizen friendly entities. The Constitution comes a decade after recommendations of the Fifth Pay Panel were implemented in 1996-97. The decision on the new pay commission also ignores the word of caution from economic survey for 2005-06, which had pointed out that after the previous panel’s recommendations were implemented, the general fiscal deficit increased every year to reach a peak of 9.9 per cent in 2001-02. But the Government has said that all efforts would be made to ensure that the Centre and States are not put to financial difficulty as was the case a decade ago. Efforts would be made this time to see that the increased wage burden was reasonable, appropriate and affordable and in consonance with modern requirements, Finance Secretary Adarsh Kishore said in July after the Cabinet gave its nod to setting up the new pay revision panel.(PTI) |
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NEW DELHI, Oct 5: The family of Mohammed Afzal Guru, facing execution for his role in the 2001 attack on Parliament, today met President A P J Abdul Kalam and sought clemency for him. "The President assured us that he will go through our petition seeking clemency for Afzal," Guru’s wife Tabassum told reporters after the 20-minute meeting with Kalam. Tabassum, accompanied by her seven-year-old son Ghalib, mother Ayesha Begum and lawyers Nandita Haksar and N D Panchauli, expressed hope that justice would be done and her husband would be pardoned. "This country claims to be a big democracy but Kashmiris do not get justice," she said but cut short her statement when a battery of media personnel sought clarifications on her remarks. Asked why Guru had not filed a mercy petition himself, she said, "He lost all hope in the system when he did not receive justice either in the sessions court, the High Court or the Supreme Court. "We informed the President that it was one-sided justice and the trial was not fair," she claimed. Haksar, also a social activist, said the President had asked Ghalib about his future plans, to which he responded by saying that he wanted to become a doctor and this would be possible only if his father remained alive. Ghalib showed no hesitation in making his irritation public about the constant media glare when Haksar tried to push him towards the mikes. Guru’s mother spoke to reporters in the Kashmiri language, saying she wanted her son back. The family was forced to make a quick retreat by Haksar and Panchauli when reporters began to ask questions about the status of Jammu and Kashmir. The family had earlier submitted a clemency petition to the President which was forwarded to the Home Ministry for its comments. The Ministry has already taken up the issue with the Delhi Government, which is examining the mercy petition. Until the petition is disposed of, Guru will not be hanged. A court here had set October 20 as the date for his execution. The issue has provoked varying reactions from political parties, with some opposing the execution and others supporting it. The Left parties raised the issue on the sidelines of a Coordination Committee meeting with the UPA to seek clemency and conversion of Guru’s death sentence into life imprisonment. Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir led by the ruling Congress and PDP have favoured clemency for Guru. (PTI) |
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HC seeks details of fake encounter NEW DELHI, Oct 5: The Delhi High Court has directed the Centre and the BSF to file affidavits within a week on the progress of the "court of inquiry" ordered against Commandant Narendra Singh, who allegedly shot dead an innocent Kashmiri youth in a fake encounter purportedly to claim a gallantry medal. A Division Bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar gave the directions following submissions made by Bankim K Kulshrestha, counsel for the petitioner that the authorities had failed to place on record till date any material pertaining to the said inquiry despite the court’s directions on March 24, 2004. The court had earlier directed the BSF and the Centre to place on record details of the "court of inquiry" claimed to have been ordered by the authorities into the allegations levelled against Singh by his subordinate Subhash Rathore, a constable. However, till date the authorities failed to place on record any material on the matter following which the court sought a detailed report on the progress of the said court of inquiry ordered by the BSF. On September 8, 2003, it was alleged that Singh who was a commandant of the BSF 42 Battalion gunned down a Kashmiri youth after labelling him as a Pakistani youth. Rathore had alleged that Singh had conducted the fake encounter in Srinagar for the purpose of claiming the President’s gallantry medal and even got a senior officer to recommend his name. Based on the allegations, the BSF ordered a court of inquiry against Singh and shunted him to Meghalaya. Though the BSF claimed that the inquiry would examine the veracity of the allegations, so far the inquiry report had neither been submitted to the court nor made public, Kulshrestha alleged. However, BSF had earlier claimed that a preliminary inquiry had revealed that Rathore levelled the allegations months after the alleged incident because of a personal tiff with Singh who was his superior officer. Prior to the allegations, Singh, is said to have reprimanded Rathore after the constable allegedly entered into a second wedlock without taking divorce from his first wife. (PTI) |
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Excelsior Correspondent Jammu, Oct 6: Registrar General of the State High Court Hasnain Masoodi today suspended Rajeev Gupta, Sub-Judge and Mansoor Ahmed Lone Munsiff, Baramulla pending an enquiry against them. They were attached with the High Court, Srinagar wing. Sunit Gupta, Sub-Judge, Uri and Javed Ahmed Geelani District Mobile Magistrate shall look after routine work of the Court of Sub-Judge Baramulla and Munsiff Baramulla respectively till further orders. The order said Justice Hakim Imtiyaz Hussain of the State High Court, Srinagar wing, in a Civil Transfer Application titled Javaid Ahmed Qazi Vs Sabia Rajab and others after hearing Advocate R A Jan appearing for the respondents had ordered that in view of the plea raised in the petition and submissions made by Mr. Jan, the case was withdrawn from the Munsiff Baramulla and transferred to the Court of Sub-Judge/ CJM Srinagar for disposal under law. The Munsiff Baramulla was present in person. He filed his personal affidavit. Justice Hussain observed that the Court considered the same and heard the Munsiff and also went through the record, found that the reply filed by the Munsiff is not convincing at all. He has not shown a sufficient cause as to why he pronounced the judgment in disobedience to the orders of the Additional District Judge, Baramulla. As such a rule is framed against him for intentionally disobeying the Judicial directions passed by the Additional District Judge Baramulla in the transfer matter. ‘‘Let a proper ROBKAR be framed against the Munsiff and he be asked to file his reply by the next date.’’ Justice Hussain observed that the Registrar General has filed the report in compliance to directions of the Court, submitted that the petitioner has filed a complaint before the Chief Justice, levelling serious allegations against the Munsiff Baramulla, the complaint pursuant to direction of the Chief Justice was registered in the Office of Registrar Vigilance, the Munsiff Baramulla was asked for his comments. The Judicial officer has submitted his comments and the matter was pending before the Registrar Vigilance. Upon this, the Court directed Registrar Vigilance to inform the Court about present status of the complaint and the case was adjourned for two weeks. The Sub-Judge Baramulla was suspended in another complaint in which the enquiry is pending. Militant bid to target Srinagar-Jammu highway foiled SRINAGAR, The Jammu and Kashmir Police today claimed to have foiled a bid by Hizbul Mujahideen militants to target the Srinagar-Jammu national highway by planting deadly explosives at various places along the 300-km road. A police spokesman here said the Anantnag police busted a Hizbul Mujahideen module by arresting two militants who were planning to target the national highway by planting Improvised Explosive devices (IEDs) at various places along the route. On a specific information, he said police arrested two Hizb militants—Yasin Ahmad Dar and Dildar Ahmad—and seized 10 kg IED from them. The spokesman said the two militants along with their other associates were planning to target the national highway. The other two militants of the module—Nazir Ahmad Dar and Mehraj Ahmed Dar—were absconding, he added. The spokesman said this was done at the behest of Hizb Divisional Commander Suhail Faisal and District Commander Tahir Bhat. (UNI) Centre mulling long-term aid package for J-K quake victims SRINAGAR: The Centre is mulling a long-term package to boost the collective efforts by the state and Central governments and NGOs to help the people affected by the killer earthquake that rocked Jammu and Kashmir on October eight last year. "We are not claiming that the miseries and sufferings of the people affected by the quake have been mitigated completely but we have given the best possible support to the people in their time of need," Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad told PTI ahead of the first anniversary of the quake. Azad, who will accompany Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to the frontier regions of Tetwal and Tangdhar on October eight, said the rehabilitation efforts seemed to be long process but the "mission mode" approach of the state government ensured that no one was without shelter before the onset of winter last year. The quake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale struck areas close to Line of Control in the state and left nearly 1,000 people dead, mostly in the Uri and Tangdhar regions in north Kashmir. The Centre provided Rs 467 crore under an interim package, and is now mulling a long-term rehabilitation programme submitted by an inter-ministerial team in consultation with the National Disaster Management Authority, an official in the Union home ministry said in New Delhi. PTI |
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