Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 17: The State High Court today directed the State Government to file its response in the context of `assailant’s’ identity in the Janglat Mandi encounter case involving Army Chief designate General Bikram Singh.
Justice Hasnain Masoodi directed the State Government to file its response in two weeks to the plea made by the petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Zaffar Ahmad Qureshi, in which he questioned the identity of the ‘assailant’ and not the genuineness of the 2001 Janglat Mandi encounter.
Advocate Qureshi in his argument told the court that he didn’t doubt the genuineness of the Janglat Mandi encounter but questioned the identity of the ‘assailant’ whom police and army described as Hizbul Mujahideen militant, Mateen Chaha, of Pakistan while petitioner claimed that he was Abdullah Bhat of Kalaroos, Kupwara.
Justice Masoodi adjourned the hearing of the case as Additional Advocate General Ali Mohammad Magray informed the court that Advocate General Mohammad Ishaq Qadri was not available to argue the case.
The judge directed that the case be listed after two weeks for hearing, subject to availability of the bench, when the State Government and the Union of India will argue the case. Senior advocate and counsel for the Union of India, K S Johal, who had come from Jammu to argue the case, left for Jammu soon after the case was adjourned.
Advocate Qureshi today reiterated his plea for carrying out a DNA test on the body of the man claimed to be Pakistani militant Mateen Chacha. He said that in case the DNA test proved that he was not Abdullah Bhat of Kalaroos, Kupwara, then they have no issues. If the DNA test proved that he is Abdullah Bhat then elaborate investigations needed to be conducted, Advocate Qureshi told the Court.
Advocate Qureshi said that whereabouts of Abdullah Bhat were not known since the encounter took place and he fell in the category of missing persons.
Today’s direction by the court to the State to file response in context of identity of the assailant was a breather for Gen Singh, who is due to take over as Chief of Army staff on May 31.
It may be mentioned here that a woman, Zaituna Begam, from Kalaroos in district Kupwara, has filed a petition before the High Court claiming that the slain person dubbed as Hizbul Mujahideen militant Mateen Chacha was her son Abdullah Bhat. But Army said he was a militant disguised as a beggar who opened fire on Army at Janglat Mandi in Anantnag on March 1, 2001.
One Army officer, an Army jawan and two civilians were also killed in the incident, in which General Singh who was then commanding 1 Sector Rashtriya Rifles was injured and flown to Delhi.
Gen Singh gets further breather
Ramdev gets Rs 580 cr IT notice
NEW DELHI, May 17: Yoga guru Ramdev’s trusts have lost their exemption from payment of Income Tax and have been slapped a notice of Rs 58 crore demand on the sale of their ayurvedic medicines.
The IT notice, for the assessment year 2009-10, on Haridwar-based Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust, Divya Yoga Mandir Trust and Bharat Swabhiman Trust have been slapped on the income of Rs 120 crore which the department has held as “commercial activities”, sources said.
Ramdev, who is leading a campaign against black money in the country, heads an organisation that runs the trusts which manages the manufacture and sale of ayurvedic medicines in India and abroad.
His trusts have been enjoying tax exemption under the provisions realting to charitable organisations for the last few years.
The IT department, which conducted a “special audit” of all the businesses related to Ramdev has found that the sale of these medicines and other ayurvedic concoctions are a commercial venture and they should not be enjoying any tax exemption, the sources said.
Repeated attempts to obtain a response from Ramdev’s spokesperson S K Tijarawala failed.
Sources said the IT assessment will strengthen another probe into alleged foreign exchange violations against Ramdev’s trusts being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The IT department has conducted the audit after getting the financial documents of investments and transactions from various banks in the country which operate the accounts of Ramdev’s trusts.
Sources said another regular audit of the income of his trusts and collection of Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) is underway.
The ED, meanwhile, has detected a Rs 7 crore alleged contravention under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in the remittances made by Ramdev’s trusts and it is currently scrutinising documents in this regard.
Ramdev had last year declared his business empire to be worth more than Rs 1,100 crore. The capital involving the four trusts run by him totalled Rs 426.19 crore while the expenditure incurred on them amounted to Rs 751.02 crore.
While the Divya Yoga Mandir trust has a capital of Rs 249.63 crore, Patanjali Yoga Peeth trust has Rs 164.80 crore, Bharat Swabhiman trust Rs 9.97 crore and Acharyakul Shiksha Sansthan Rs 1.79 crore — all totalling Rs 426.19 crore. (PTI)
Akhnoor girls display skill, class
Jammu District Inter-Zonal Tournaments
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, May 17: The girls of Akhnoor zone displayed talent, skill and class and clinched triple title by winning kho-kho under-14 and 17 years tournaments, besides lifting volleyball under-17 years title in the Jammu District Inter-Zonal Tournament, which concluded at Government Higher Secondary School Domana, here today.
The tournament in the disciplines of kho-kho, kabaddi and volleyball in the age group of under-14 and under-17 years girls, was organized by the Department of Youth Services and Sports, under the overall supervision of Tirath Ram, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Jammu.
Earlier, in kho-kho under-14 years girls, Akhnoor trounced Miran Sahib by 3 points in the summit clash and lifted the title, while the kho-kho under-17 years girls title also went to Akhnoor, which defeated Khour in the finals by 3 points. In the semifinal clashes of under-17 years girls, Akhnoor outplayed Miran Sahib by 2 points and Khour outclassed Bhalwal by 3 points.
Akhnoor zone also lifted volleyball girls under-17 years title by drubbing Gandhinagar zone in two straight sets by (25-13) and (25-22).
Meanwhile, in kabaddi girls under-14 years, RS Pura zone got better of Arnia zone in the finals by a margin of 6 points to win the title, while in kabaddi under-17 years, Miran Sahib zone scripted a narrow win by one point over Akhnoor and won the trophy.
This 4-days tournament of boys and girls witnessed a record participation of 1338 players, with 773 boys and 565 girls.
Later-on, in a simple valedictory function, certificates were distributed among the winners by the District Youth Services and Sports Officer Jammu along with Senior Citizen Shifat Singh, Member School Development Committee, HSS Domana.
Meanwhile Inter-Zonal Tournament was held in Samba district also, wherein Samba zone lifted a twin kabaddi title, winning against Purmandal both in under-17 years boys and girls sections. The tournament is being organized by the Department of Youth Services and Sports, under the overall supervision of Jarpal Singh, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Samba and the matches were held at Kehli Mandi ground, here.
In girls under-14 kabaddi Purmandal defeated Samba, while in boys under-14 kabaddi, Vijaypur toppled Ramgarh. Samba also clinched under-14 years kho-kho boys and girls titles by beating Vijaypur and Ramgarh by 4 points and 9 points respectively. In kho-kho under-17 years boys and girls tourney, Samba drubbed Vijapur to win the titles.
Prominent among others present on the occasion were Mohan Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Bopinder Singh, Vijay Singh, Deep Kumar, Jagdish Raj, Roopa Kumari, Sudesh Kumari, Shashi Sambyal and Sushma Devi.
Meanwhile, 3-day Udhampur District Inter-Zonal Tournament in the disciplines of volleyball, kabaddi, kho-kho and wrestling under-14 and under-17 years boys and girls got underway at Sports Stadium, Udhampur.
The tournament was declared open by Ashkoor Wani, SSP Udhampur in a well attended function. The tournament is being organised by the Department of Youth Services and Sports, under the supervision of Sukhdev Singh, District Youth Services and Sports Officer Udhampur. Zonal Physical Education Officers namely Kulwant Singh, Bhushan Sethi and Champa Devi were present on the occasion. 
HSS Batote claims U-17 boys kabaddi title
Zonal Level Inter-School Tournament
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
BATOTE, May 17: Government Higher Secondary School (HSS) Batote defeated Higher Secondary School Chanderkote in kabaddi under-17 years boys final and claimed the title trophy in the Zonal-Level Inter-School Tournaments of Batote zone in the disciplines of kabaddi, kho-kho and volleyball under-14 and under-17 years boys and girls, which concluded at Boys High School Batote, here.
Vimal Raj, Principal Higher Secondary School Batote was the chief guest on the occasion, who later-on distributed trophies among the winners and runners-up teams.
The tournament was organized by the Department of Youth Services and Sports, under the supervision of Usha Bhat, Zonal Physical Education Officer Batote and under the overall supervision of Dewan Chand, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Ramban.
Meanwhile, in kabaddi under-14 boys, MS Karma trounced MS Batote, while in kabaddi girls under-14 years, GGHS Batote drubbed GMS Karma. The under-17 girls kabaddi title went to HS Chanderkote, which drubbed GHSS Batote in the title clash.
Meanwhile, under-17 boys volleyball title went to GHSS Batote, which defeated GHS Chanderkote.
In kho-kho under-17 girls, GHS Chanderkote drubbed GGHS Batote to win the title, while in kho-kho under-17 years boys, GHSS Batote outplayed GHSS Dalwas to lift the trophy. Under-14 boys volleyball title went to GMS Dalwas, which outclassed GMS Batote in the final, while GGHS Batote claimed the volleyball girls under-14 title.
The matches were officiated by Joginder Gupta, Gurjit Singh, Ajay Kumar Tandon, Bharat Singh, Krishan Lal, Farooq Ahamed, Om Raj, Rachna Khajuria and Satya Devi.
The Inter-School Tournament of Ramban zone also concluded at Government Girls Middle School Maitra, here today. The tournament was held under the supervision of Harshi Kesh Koul, Zonal Physical Education Officer Ramban.
Principal HSS Ramban Satya Devi was the chief guest, while Meena Kumari, Headmistress Girls High School Ramban was the guest of honour. HSS Gandhari clinched under-17 volleyball title, while Public School Ramban won under-14 volleyball title. Kabaddi under-14 and under-17 titles went to MS Maitra and HSS Gandhari respectively, while boys under-17 and under-14 titles were claimed by Public School Ramban and CMS Ramban respectively. In girls section, GHS Ramban lifted under-17 kabaddi title, while GMS Maitra won under-14 kabaddi final. Kho-kho under-14 and under-17 years girls trophies again went to GHS Ramban and GMS Maitra respectively.
Meanwhile, two days Zonal level Inter-School Tournament in the disciplines of kabaddi, volleyball and kho-kho, under the age groups of under-14 and under-17 years boys and girls, concluded at Boys Higher Secondary School, Surankote in Poonch.
The tournament was organized under the overall supervision of Hardev Singh Zonal Physical Education Officer, Surankote.
Nazir Hussain Shah, Principal HSS Surankote inaugurated the tournament and interacted with the players on the occasion.
HSS Surankote won under-17 boys kho-kho title, while HS Sanai claimed the under-17 years girls kho-kho title. Volleyball under-17 boys title went to HSS Surankote, while HS Sanai clinched volleyball under-17 girls title. Kho-kho under-14 boys and girls trophies went to HS Sanai and Army Goodwill School respectively, while HS Sanai also claimed kabaddi under-14 boys title.
The Inter-School Tournament in kabaddi, kho-kho and volleyball commenced in Mandi and Sathra zones of district Poonch, which was participated by 262 players drawn from various schools of the two zones.
The tournament was declared open by Kirat Singh, Principal Government Higher School, Chandak. The matches were held under the supervision of Mohd Qasim, Zonal Physical Education Officer, Mandi.
The two days Inter-School Tournament in kabaddi, kho-kho and volleyball was also held in Bufliaz zone, under the supervision of ZPEO, Hardev Singh, which were declared open by Dy SP Girdhari Lal and Dy SP Vijay Kumar.
HSS Bafliaz defeated HS Murrah by 21 points in under-17 years kabaddi, while HS Sangla claimed under-17 years volleyball trophy. The under-17 kho-kho boys and girls titles went to HS Bufliaz by defeating HS Sangla and HS Daraba respectively.
Delhi wrestler Vikrant lifts Bhamag Kesari Dangal
Excelsior Special Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, May 17: National champion Vikarant (Vicky) of Guru Hanuman Akhara Delhi lifted 14th Annual Bhamag Kesari Dangal Title 2012 by defeating wrestler Jagdev of Ludhiana in a tough bout at Sardabbar, Kalsote, here today.
Vicky was awarded cash prize of Rs 9000 along with traditional silver Gurj (Gadda) and Patta, while cash prize of Rs 6000 was given to runner-up wrestler Jagdev.
The Vishal Dangal was organized by J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association in collaboration with Bamhag Kesari Dangal Committee under the overall supervision of Shiv Kumar Sharma, President J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association and Swantanter Dev Kotwal, Chairman Lord Shiv-Parvati Caves Shrine (Moungri) Development Board.
Second main bout was won by cadet National Gold Medalist 2007 Wrestler Vikas of Khanna in Punjab, defeating Wrestler Sukha of Rajasthan. Rs 6000 was awarded to winner wrestler Vikas while Rs 5000 was awarded to runner-up Sukha. 33 bouts were held on the occasion.
Third bout was won by Rafiq of Ludhina who defeated Burra of Pathankot. Rs 5000 was awarded to winner while Rs 4000 was awarded to runner-up. 4th bout was won by Sagar of Sat Paul Akhara Delhi by defeating wrestler Ranjeet of Ludhiana. Rs 4500 was awarded to wrestler Sagar, while Rs 3500 was awarded to runner up wrestler Ranjeet.
MLA Udhampur, Balwant Singh Mankotia, was the chief guest on the occasion who gave away cash prizes to the winners, while treasurer Indian style Wrestling Association of India, Shiv Kumar Sharma presided over the function.
BJP senior leader, Prof Nirmal Singh, Additional SP, Binam Tosh, Tehsildar Udhampur (Mela officer), SS Chib, District Information Officer, Dr Jagdish Mehra and Social Worker and Chairman Lord Shiv-Parvati Caves Shrine (Moungri) Development Board were the guests of honour.
Speaking on the occasion, Sharma said that the aim of holding of such events in the state was to spread a message of love, peace, unity and brotherhood.
Army Public School Akhnoor holds Workshop
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
AKHNOOR, May 17: For all the Mathematics teachers of Northern Command, Army Public School Akhnoor organized 2-days Math Workshop, which concluded here today.
Col J Rampal, SOI Education inaugurated the workshop by lightening the traditional lamp.
KCS Mehta, School Principal, while presenting welcome address focused on the importance of Mathematics as a subject.
RK Koul, PGT Mathematics, APS Akhnoor informed about the Vedic maths on the occasion, while the teachers namely Vinay Khajuria, Vinay Lata and Virender Sharma gave presentations on modern techniques used in mathematics.
Rakesh Verma, PGT Maths Presentation Convent School, Jammu was resource person on the occasion, who interacted with the teachers and spoke on the subject and its importance.
Certificates and mementos were distributed among the participants by Principal KCS Mehta and Headmistress Anubha S Rawal.
The workshop concluded with the presentation of vote of thanks by the Principal.
Institution of Engineers, MIET celebrate World Telecom Day
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, May 17: The Institution of Engineers (India), Jammu Local Centre celebrated ‘World Telecommunication and Information Society Day’ at its Institutional Complex, here today.
A seminar on the topic ‘Women and Girls in ICT’ was held on the occasion, which was attended by a large number of engineers from various departments and organizations.
The seminar was chaired by Ashok Angural, General Manager, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Jammu and presided over by Ashok Kumar Gupta, former Chairman of the Institution of Engineers (India), Jammu Local Centre.
Five papers on the theme topic were presented by SC Thukral, FIE, BL Rawal, MIE, SK Pandita, MIE, Seva Ram, MIE and Rajesh Kumar Angural.
All the speakers advocated for ICT to be used in right perspective for socio-economic development of women and girls.
Ashok Angural, chief guest on the occasion deliberated on the theme topic and informed about the National Mission for Education (NME) project.
The proceedings of the programme were conducted by Rabinder Shekher, MIE Honorary Secretary, Institution of Engineers (India).
Meanwhile, Model Institute of Engineering and Technology (MIET), Jammu celebrated the “World Telecommunication and Information Society Day”, here today.
A seminar was organized on the occasion with the underlying theme of “Women and Girls in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)” as per the global theme for the day.
The seminar was conducted by the Student Chapter of Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE). Ashok Angural, General Manager, BSNL, J&K Circle, was the chief guest, who while speaking on the occasion highlighted the importance of telecommunications in the modern era. He elaborated on the Pan-African Project which is being implemented in 53 countries of Africa by BSNL and also on various other initiatives including setting up of the information super-highway across India.
The function began with the welcome address presented by Prof SK Sharma, Principal MIET, which created an impact for the informative session ahead.
Dr Ankur Gupta, Joint Director MIET spoke on the relevance of World Telecom Day and hoped that the students at MIET would acquire the necessary skills to participate in the exponential growth in the telecom sector in the coming years.
Nalin, Samiti, Kadyani and Nirupma of Electronics and Communication Department, gave presentations on various topics related to advances in the domain of telecommunication and were presented certificates. The function was coordinated by the Department of Electronics and Telecommunication, under Dr Parshotam Sharma, Head of the Department.
Jamini Sharma and Richa Vashishtha, Assistant Professors ECE were the faculty coordinators for the function.
HPCC, GDS script resounding victories
All India 8th Gufran Memorial T-20 Cricket Championship
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
DODA, May 17: Hill People College Cricket Club (HPCC) Jammu and Gould Sports Dudwath (GSD), Doda registered convincing victories over their rivals to advance in the ongoing All India 8th Gufran Memorial T-20 Cricket Championship, being organized by Young Star Cricket Club and sponsored by J&K Bank at Sports Stadium, here.
Earlier, in the first match, Kulhand Cricket Club Doda won the toss and opted to bat first. While batting they scored a total of 120 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Abrar was the highest scorer who scored 31 runs while Gh Hassan contributed 18 runs for the team. From GSD, Sajad was the wrecker-in-chief, who took 4 wickets, while Amin captured 2 wickets.
In reply, GSD managed to chase down the target in 19 overs. Khalid and Sanjay scored 27 and 20 runs respectively. From KCC, Doda Javed and Rakesh Kumar shared 3 and 1 wickets each. Khalid of Gould Sports Dudwath (GSD) Doda was awarded as man of the match.
In another match, after winning the toss, HPCC Jammu elected to bat first and scored 168 in the stipulated 20 overs. Sajad and Sunny were the main scorers, who contributed 57 and 27 runs respectively. For SCC, Hukum Chand was the pick of the bowlers, who scalped 4 important wickets, while Grirsh bagged 2 wickets. In reply, SCC bundled out for a paltry total of 114 runs. Maghar Singh and Neeraj scored 17 and 14 runs respectively. For HPCC, Sunny Malik captured 5 wickets, while Bilal took 2. Sunny of HPCC Jammu was adjudged man of the match, which was presented to him by the chief guest, Ishtiaq Ahmed Dev.
The matches were officiated by BCCI Level-II umpires Dharmesh Bhardwaj, Sanjay Singh and Tarun Kapoor, while Dheerand Singh and Mohammad Ayoub acted as scorers.
Tawi Trekkers organizing ‘J&K Himalyan Trekking Prog’ from June 1
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, May 17: After successfully organizing the popular Dalhousie – Chamba, Dharamshalla and Kullu-Manali Himalayan Trekking Programmes in Himachal Pradesh, the Tawi Trekkers J&K, is organizing ‘J&K Himalayan Trekking Programme’ from June 1.
About 1000 boys and girls in the age group of 10 to 14 years are expected to participate in the programme, which will be held under the chairmanship of Anil Goswami, Joint Secretary, Department of Home Affairs, Government of India.
The programme is being organized in the beautiful Moungri area of Udhampur district, north of the Trikuta hills, with the base camp at Youth Hostel Moungri.
The budding trekkers shall trek 5 kilometers to the sacred Shiv Parvati cave, where a fair is organized every year during May. The real trek will begin on the next day when the trekkers would enjoy the 12 km trek through calm and cool pines to reach the elegant undulating Saroli meadow. Situated at an altitude of 8120 ft the place commands a panoramic view of the Pir Panchal range in the North and North-West, Udhampur in the East and Jammu in the South. The trekkers would be imparted training in the art of rock climbing. The trekkers would also have interactions with the people to learn about the local culture and fauna and flora of the area.
The purpose of the programme is to provide a platform for young boys and girls to get a feel of outdoor life by offering them a low budget, besides inculcating spirit of adventure and love of nature in them, apart from promoting tourism. The programme will be organized in cooperation with the J&K Tourism Department, J&K State Sports Council, Mountaineering Association of J&K, Ibex Adventure Club, Samba, J&K Mountaineering & Allied Sports Club and Snow Trail Mountaineers, Jammu.
Everester Ram Singh, would head the Task Force Committee as the Field Director while Shawetica Khajuria, Sonam Sidharth and Nikhil Kumar will be the camp leaders. Ram Khajuria, General Secretary of Tawi Trekkers J&K is the Organising Secretary of the programme.
Indian men crush Yemen, women tamed by China
Zaozhuang (China), May 17:
The Indian men scored a thumping 4-0 victory over Yemen but their women counterparts succumbed to a 1-3 loss against China-2 in the first round of Asian Chess Championship here today.
Captain Krishnan Sasikiran led from the front and scored an easy victory as black against Hatem Ebrahim Ahmed while on the third, national champion Abhijeet Gupta proved too good against Omar Abdulla who also played white.
P Harikrishna got a walkover on the second board and G N Gopal registered an easy victory on the day when the think-tank rested Asian champion Parimarjan Negi.
With full points in the bag, the Indian men will take on Singapore in the second round.
Also scoring a victory with full point was China-1, Vietnam, Singapore and Iran but Mongolia caused a mild flutter holding China-2 to a 2-2 draw. This was also the lone drawn encounter of the day. In the other match, Kazakhstan scored a 3-1 victory over Indonesia.
The 14-teams event will be played over a ‘Swiss’ format with nine rounds in all and Sasikiran provided the perfect start out of a Grunfeld defense game playing black. (PTI)