Srinagar: Two persons arrested in case of Ashmipora Shopian fake encounter were produced in District Court Shopian by police on Tuesday and has been sent for eight days judicial remand.
Reports reaching to Kashmir News Service said that two persons has been sent for judicial remand in connection with the Ashmipora Shopian encounter in which three labourers from Rajouri were killed.
Earlier army admitted that powers vested under AFSAPA had been exceeded. Police also said that DNA tests of the trio has been matched with slain Rajouri youths.
Director General of Police (DGP) on Monday said that the investigations into the case of Amshipora Shopian encounter has entered in final stage.
As per sources the two arrested persons connected to the case are local collaborators who have been detained by the police on the charges of “criminal conspiracy” under relevant sections in an FIR Number 42/2020. Both the arrested persons are going through further questioning to reveal the chain of events that led to cold-blooded murder of three missing labourers who were later dubed as militants. (KNS)
Srinagar: In a unique incident Police booked a bridegroom for using firecrackers in Reck chowk area of Batamalo in Central Kashmir’s Srinagar district.
A statement issued to GNS, the police said that today Police Station Batmaloo booked a Bridegroom for using Firecrackers during his marriage ceremony last night. Its worth mentioning here that it is prohibited to use Firecrackers within the territorial jurisdiction of District Srinagar. An order in this regard stands promulgated by the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar.
During last night sound of Firecrackers was heard in Batmaloo. On inquiry it was found that the Firecrackers were being used during the marriage ceremony of Bilal Ahmad Shah son of Gh Mohiuddin Shah resident of Reck Chowk Batmaloo by his family and friends.
The statement further states that In this regard case FIR 138/2020 u/s 188 IPC stands registered in the matter. Investigation of the case is in progress.
Police urges people not to use firecrackers anywhere within the territorial jurisdiction of District Srinagar, reads the statement.(GNS)
“How long can Mehbooba Mufti be kept in custody”, the Supreme Court asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration.
New Delhi: “How long can Mehbooba Mufti be kept in custody”, the Supreme Court asked the centre and the Jammu and Kashmir administration today as it heard her daughter’s petition challenging the former Chief Minister’s detention under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA).
Mehbooba Mufti, the chief of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been in detention for over a year after was arrested on the eve of the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and its bifurcation into two Union Territories on August 5 last year.
The top court today gave two weeks’ time to the Jammu and Kashmir administration to give its stand on how long Ms Mufti can be kept in custody and whether her custody can be extended beyond one year.
“What is the proposal of Jammu and Kashmir administration on her detention,” a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said during the hearing through video-conferencing.
In July, Ms Mufti’s detention under the Public Safety Act was extended for another three months.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represents the government, asked judges not to make any observation and said Jammu and Kashmir has had a history of violence.
“The history of the state is wonderful, but what one can one say. Prima facie you have exceeded the maximum period of detention,” Justice Kaul said.
Iltija Mufti had approached the Supreme Court seeking her mother’s release. She also sought permission from the court for filing a habeas corpus, to produce Mehbooba Mufti in court. In her plea, Iltija Mufti says her mother’s detention is illegal and that the Jammu and Kashmir administration is yet to file its reply to her earlier petition despite a notice and this, she said, shows the respect the authorities have for the court.
Former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, who too were detained under the Public Safety Act, have already been released.
The Pakistan army violated ceasefire by resorting to heavy firing and mortar shelling in forward areas along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Tuesday, a defence spokesman said.
The Indian Army retaliated befittingly, he said.
“At about 0430 hours today, the Pakistan army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and intense shelling with mortars along LoC in Mankote sector,” the spokesman said.
The Pakistan army has violated the ceasefire 45 times this month.
An Army personnel was killed and two others, including an officer, injured, as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire by using heavy fire and mortar shells along the Line of Control in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district a fortnight ago, officials said.
On September 2, a JCO was killed in ceasefire violation by the Pakistan army along LoC in Keri sector of Rajouri.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
He took part in EDI Pampore attack in which eight CRPF men were killed
A longest surviving wanted militant was among two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants killed in south Kashmir on Sunday, DGP Dilbagh Singh said on Monday.
“The slain militant, Aijaz Ahmed Reshi, was the longest surviving militant commander of the LeT outfit. He was working as an over ground worker in 2015 and joined militancy before [slain militant commander] Burhan Wani,” he said at a press conference at the District Police Lines (DPL) in Awantipora, Pulwama.
Describing Reshi a “dangerous militant”, DGP Singh said he carried out deadly attacks on security forces inflicting heavy casualties.
“He took part in an attack at EDI Pampore in which eight CRPF men were killed. He had transported the Lashkar men to the spot. He had fired at the Army party killing three soldiers at Kadlabal, Pampore,” the DGP said.
The police said Reshi had also recruited many youths into militancy like Towseef Khanday, Rafiq Dar and Adil Ahmed, all killed in separate encounters.
Reshi was killed along with another local militant Sajad Ahmed Sofi. “Sofi was also recruited and trained by Reshi,” DGP Singh said.
The police said the bodies would be sent to Baramulla for burial. “The nearest family members of the killed militants would be allowed to participate in the last rites,” the police said.
DGP Singh said the “unfortunate” murder of advocate and TV analyst Babar Qadri was being investigated “at a very fast pace with good progress so far. The police would be able to crack the case very soon”.
On the alleged staged encounter in south Kashmir’s Shopian on July 18, the DGP said the investigation has been taken up and is in the final stage.
“The SSP, Shopian, is monitoring the investigation process and further details will be shared,” he said.
The J&K police have also apprehended two militants affiliated to the LeT and The Resistance Front in Awantipora and Anantnag.
“One arrested militant, Faisal Ahmad Dar, went missing on September 11 and uploaded his audio on social media on September 13 saying he joined the terrorist ranks. Another arrested militant, Talib Bhat, was recruited by TRF commander Abbas Sheikh of Kulgam and had released a video clip after joining the militant ranks,” the police said.
Officials said unknown gunmen on Saturday evening had fired upon a youth in Shopian district.
The officials identified the youth as Subzar Ahmad Naikoo. “He was seriously wounded in the attack at his home. Bullets hit him in the abdomen and leg,” the officials said.
The injured civilian, an employee in the Rural Development department, died in the hospital in Srinagar, officials said.
The Indian Army is preparing for extended deployment at the LAC through the winter months. This leaves the IAF with a key role in providing support to the troops. What are the challenges to meet in the harsh winter and tough terrain?
With a resolution to the standoff on the LAC still elusive, the Indian Army is preparing for extended deployment of troops in the region through the winter months. This leaves the IAF with a key role in providing support to the troops. What are the challenges to meet in the harsh winter and tough terrain?
A C-17 Globemaster of the Indian Air Force flies over the Ladakh region. (PTI Photo)
Can the IAF support the logistics of such a large force?
One part of the logistics for the Army requires land transportation, which would have been planned for before winter sets in and the passes close. The IAF will be doing very urgent missions, for which it is well prepared with a very good transport fleet consisting of C-17 Globemasters, Il-76s, and many An-32s. If it comes to the crunch, the C-130 Super Hercules can also be used for logistics support, although these are meant for special operations.
We also have Mi-17 helicopters and Cheetal light helicopters to cater to forward posts. In addition, the Chinook heavy-lift helicopters will be used for carrying bulky stores, either within the fuselage, or slung under it.
THE EXPERT
Air Vice Marshal (retired) Manmohan Bahadur is an IAF veteran and currently Additional Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi. Commissioned in the IAF in 1976, he commanded the 114 Helicopter Unit at Leh and Air Force flying bases in Jammu and Guwahati. He was the first pilot to land on the Siachen Glacier in September 1978, six years before Operation Meghdoot was launched. He has been Head of Training at Defence Services Staff College. He served as Assistant Chief of Air Staff in charge of transport and helicopter operations and moved to HQ Integrated Defence Staff before his retirement in May 2011.
What are the topographical challenges of flying into Leh or other advanced landing grounds (ALGs) in Eastern Ladakh?
The biggest challenge is the altitude of the two airfields of Leh and Thoise, but since we have been flying there for decades, the air crew are well aware of the peculiarities of these fields.
The landing grounds at high altitude have their own challenges, which result in reduction of load-bearing capacity of the planes/choppers. Additionally, the air crew have to call upon their skills to navigate the hills and land on the small, matchbox-like helipads — there is just no place on these hills to make bigger ones!
What additional hazards will winter bring?
Bad weather that accompanies the western disturbances that strike northern India in the winter months is a challenge, as it reduces visibility and results in a low cloud base. So the crew have to be on the ball to make sure they can find a way to circumvent bad weather. This is not always possible, and we have long periods when flying has to be curtailed.
And what effect does extreme cold have on weight-carrying aircraft?
The lower the temperature, the better the payload because the higher air density increases the lift-carrying capability of flying machines. So the loads that can be carried during winter are higher than during summer.
This is a big advantage. For instance, an Il-76, which in summer can carry hardly any load from Leh, can fly out around 20 tonnes in the winter. It is the same with helicopters, whose load-carrying ability to extremely high helipads at altitudes of 17,000 to 20,000 feet increases substantially in winter. And it reduces drastically in summer.
An Indian Air Foce Su-30MKI jet flies over Ladakh. (PTI Photo)
Do the high altitude and topography pose a challenge to navigation and night flying?
The modern navigation equipment available now overcome most of the challenges. But mission accomplishment is not merely flying from place A to B. The aircraft has to land to complete a mission. That is where temperature and altitude plus weather become the final arbiters.
Navigation is not a problem, but take-offs and landings are tricky.
As for night flying, it has its own unique challenges because of the shadows cast by hills, as well as the state and position of the moon relative to the hills and the aircraft. A dark, moonless night poses its own challenges, and a full moon has its own. In the hills, air crew are specially cleared to carry out operations at night.
Do the airfields in Ladakh restrict operations to only certain aircraft or can all aircraft be used?
All air fields in the Ladakh area can be used by the transport aircraft we have, although weather requirements will vary from one aircraft to the other. It depends on the navigational aids on board the aircraft, and the competence of the crew. That is why air crews are detailed depending on the mission.
In a long haul, or in the eventuality of a kinetic war, the IAF will also have to transport back and forth mechanised weapons etc for repair, maintenance, etc. Can our aircraft profile cater to it?
Bringing back loads from the forward air fields is not a problem. However, that has to be prioritised vis-à-vis personnel, casualties, and vital equipment such as avionics.
What kind of logistics support in terms of fuel, repair, etc does the IAF require for such an operation?
All the air fields have enough stock of fuel, oil, and lubricants (FOL) for which detailed planning is done around the clock. There is a well-oiled logistics chain that has been fine-tuned by the IAF in the last six-seven decades of operation. The Army Service Corps (ASC) also plays an important part in ground positioning of fuel in forward posts. It places aviation turbine fuel in barrels in advanced fields, while Leh and Thoise have got fuel bowsers.
What is the threat to aircraft when the ground forces are eyeball to eyeball?
The airfields of Leh and Thoise that support fixed wing operations (helicopters are rotary wing aircraft) are relatively in the interiors, hence not vulnerable to any ground action. They can of course be attacked by the Air Force and other aerial assets of the adversary, but there are standard operating protocols in place to deal with such threats.
However, in ALGs such as Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO), where choppers fly close to the LAC, the air crew are well adept at taking tactical action to meet any threat from ground fire or shoulder-fired missiles. In this, the aids on board the helicopters also play an important role.
Are there any special challenges for fighter aircraft?
Fighters flying in those altitudes have special challenges of their own because of their high speeds, reduced air density, the closeness of the hill tops, and the fact that targets are very small comprising bunkers having limited numbers of troops.
Hitting those targets requires special weapons and air crew capability. Luckily, we have experienced this during Kargil, and I am sure the lessons would have been passed on to the present band of fighter pilots.
Where does Rafale fit in?
The Rafale comes with its unique flying characteristics and weapons delivery payload, but one must remember that present-day combat is between systems, and not generally between one aircraft and the other.
The Rafale would have been dovetailed into the air campaign plan made by the IAF to operate with other systems like Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) and electronic warfare (EW) assets. In the present day, an individual weapon system is only as good as the overall war fighting architecture that the force designs.
Shopian: Unknown gunmen on Saturday shot a youth in Nidoora area of South Kashmir’s Shopian district, leaving him seriously wounded.
A police officer told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that the suspected militants fired upon Subzar Ahmad Naiko son of Abdul Rashid Naikoo this evening.
Subzar, suffered serious bullet wounds and was shifted to a nearby district hospital for treatment.
Soon after the incident, the officer said that security forces launched a hunt to nab the attackers—(KNO)
Srinagar: A soldier was injured in mortar FIRING by Pakistan army along the Line of Control in Machil sector in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, a defence ministry spokesman here said on Monday.
“Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation along LoC in (Machil) Sector, Kupwara today morning by firing Mortars and other weapons,” a the spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said in a statement to GNS.
“Befitting response is being given,” he said, adding, “One soldier was injured and was evacuated to hospital where his condition is stable.” (GNS)
Jammu: Pakistani troops resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling in forward areas along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Monday, officials said here.
The Indian Army mounted a befitting retaliation, they added.
“At about 1550 hours today, Pakistan army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and intense shelling with mortars along LoC in Nowshera sector,” a defence spokesman said.
The Pakistani army has violated the ceasefire 44 times this month.
A soldier was killed and two more, including an officer, were injured last Tuesday as Pakistani troops opened heavy fire and shelled with mortars along the Line of Control in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri, the officials said.
On September 2, a JCO was killed in another ceasefire violation by the Pakistani army along the LoC in Keri sector of Rajouri.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi: Three persons, who are said to have been working as informers for the Army, on Saturday deposed before the Army’s Court of Inquiry, set up to probe the July 18 encounter at Amshipora, Shopian, in which three labourers from Rajouri were killed and declared militants.
Top sources in the administration told The Sunday Express that the three persons are “the last contacts of the three deceased” and are being questioned for their role in the incident.
File Photo
On September 18, the Army had confirmed that identities of the three killed at Amshipora matched that of the missing labourers from Rajouri — Abrar Ahmed (25), Imtiyaz Ahmed (20) and Mohammed Ibrar (16).
“These suspects worked as informers for the Army,” sources said, adding that there are preliminary indications “of their involvement in the encounter. Their initial version was that a group of militants was supposed to come via the Rajouri-Poonch sector and the labourers had agreed to bring them to the civilian Army sources, who would then inform the Army about the infiltrators.” However, the veracity of these claims and whether the three labourers ever agreed to such an arrangement is in question.
The J&K Police had earlier said that “militant links” of the three labourers are under investigation, however, sources said the claims made by the “army sources” will be verified when they are officially handed over to the police.
According to sources, of the three cousins — Abrar, Imtiyaz and Ibrar — from Rajouri who were killed in the July 18 encounter, one had been in Kashmir for a month and the other two joined him later. “The factual position of the claims being made by the sources will be explored by the police,” sources said.
IG (Kashmir Zone) J&K Police, Vijay Kumar had on Friday confirmed that the DNA samples of the three labourers from Rajouri have matched those of their families.
A C-17 Globemaster of the Indian Air Force flies over the Ladakh region. (PTI Photo)
An Indian Air Foce Su-30MKI jet flies over Ladakh. (PTI Photo)