Category: Union Territory

Jammu, Sept 9: A Fast Track court here has acquitted two brothers, accused of raping an 18-year-old girl from Chandigarh in September 2010.

According to the prosecution, a complaint was received alleging therein that on the intervening night of 16 and 17 September 2010, the girl, who after having Darshan of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, was sitting at the Bus Stand Jammu waiting for a bus to Chandigarh.

At the same time, two youths— Mukat Singh alias Sunny and his brother Sangeet Singh alias Songi sons of Gian Singh of R. S. Pura Jammu—came toward her and one of them introduced himself as Sub-Inspector of Jammu police, though he was not in uniform, according to the complaint.

The duo then asked the girl, who had come to the shrine alone after a tiff with her family, that it was not “good for her” to stay at the bus stand and instead asked her to stay in a Gurudwara nearby and that she may go to Chandigarh on next day. With one of them having introduced himself as police sub inspector, the youths made her to sit in a vehicle and took her to a house where they allegedly raped her turn by turn, the complaint alleged.

The complaint to the police was made by the girl’s father after 12 days and reason for delay and the complainant said that her daughter was very tense and under tremendous fear and revealed the facts only after great persuasion.

Subsequently, the police filed an FIR and after the investigation, the offences under section 366, 376, 382, 342, 170, 34 RPC were proved against the accused persons and chargesheet was filed which culminated into trial.

After hearing both the prosecution and the counsel for the accused, the presiding officer of the Fast Track Court Jammu (cases against women), Khalil Choudhary, acquitted the brothers, finding the evidence against them not “definite, positive, consistent and coherent.”

“From the evidence ….., it cannot be established that victim of the offence was kidnapped/abducted or confined by the accused. The circumstances in this regard are highly doubtful and improbable,” the court said as per the order, a copy of which lies with GNS.

As regards subjecting the girl to rape, the court said, “It has come in record that the prosecutrix has been produced before Gynecologist and it has been established that the medical examination of the prosecutrix was conducted on 26.09.2010 i.e on the date of registration of FIR and as per the statement of this witness (Gynecologist) neither there was any evidence of recent sexual intercourse nor there was any sign of struggle on the part of the prosecutrix.”

“Even the medical evidence belies the theory of rape as is sought to be alleged by the prosecutrix,” the court said and ultimately acquitted the accused brothers.

“therefore, on cumulative consideration of the matter in its totality having regard to the statements of witnesses would suggest that there is no concrete evidence on record connecting the accused with the commission of offence,” the court added. (GNS)

New Delhi: Constant sense of fear and apprehension among Kashmiri Pandits is why very few of them are willing to return to their homeland in the Valley, veteran politician Karan Singh has said.

Singh, who was speaking at the release of a book, “When the Heart Speaks”, memoirs of well-known cardiologist Dr Upendra Kaul, said most of the Kashmiri Pandits who could afford to go out have gone and “settled for good” — be it abroad or different parts of the country.

However, Kashmir will always remain “incomplete” without Kashmiri Pandits, Singh said.

“Kashmir is beautiful and beguiling and the tragedy that has taken over the Valley since 1947 is heartbreaking,” Singh, whose father Maharaja Hari Singh was the last Dogra ruler of Kashmir, said.

He commended Dr Kaul and other Kashmiri Pandits like him who have returned and built their homes in the Valley but added that “such examples are very rare”.

“Very few Kashmiri Pandits are doing that because there is always a sense of fear and a sense of apprehension and that will take a long time to go because the trauma through which they (Kashmiri Pandits) have been I think they are not just prepared to face that again,” he said.

“As it is, everybody who could get away has gone. Like the people who could settle in other parts of India have settled there. The people who could settle abroad have settled abroad…Now, I think special care needs to be taken of the migrants who are living peacefully in Jammu since they came, and also of Kashmir Pandits who want to go back,” he added.

Singh described the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s as one of the most “terrible and tragic” incidents that took place in Jammu and Kashmir.

He also heaped praises on the community, saying much of what he has learnt in life is through the education given to him by Kashmiri Pandits.

“It is such a brilliant community, all the vidya (education) that I got, whether it is BK Madan, Prof Parmanandna, Prof PN Chaku, Prof JN Bhan, Prof SN Pandit and others, I got from them. I must take this opportunity perhaps to place on record my deep and abiding gratitude to the Kashmiri Pandit community,” he noted.

Singh commended the author, who is a world-renowned cardiologist, for penning down his memoir and said Dr Kaul is not just a great professional but also a great human being and the love that he has for Kashmir and his patients is really moving.

The book launch at the India International Centre (IIC) was also attended by AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria and noted Civil Rights lawyer Prashant Bhushan among others.

“When the Heart Speaks”, currently available offline and online, is the life story of Dr Kaul — beginning from his ancestral village in Kashmir to becoming one of the top cardiologists of the country.

Dr Kaul said his book is primarily about Kashmir, his mother Gauri Kaul and his varied experiences over the last seven decades.

Recollecting his story, he said, “My acceptability and recognition by the people of Kashmir came in the 1990s when I was working with AIIMS. People of both communities were affected. The displaced persons pained me and I did whatever I could. That is how Dr Upendra Kaul became Dr U Kaul.

Speaking on Kashmir, he said, “Kashmir is my soul” and asked Kashmiri Pandits to look forward to returning to the Valley.

“Nobody can snatch your motherland from you,” he added. PTI

Srinagar, Sep 08: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court granted bail to 17 accused in the lynching murder case of a DSP Mohammad Ayub Pandit who was murdered by a mob in 2017 outside the Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta, Srinagar.
Additional Sessions Judge MS Manhas, who was appointed special judge for the NIA court, said in the 81-page order that there is no concrete evidence against the accused so far. “Whatever the charges have been made in the charge sheet, there has been no ground on the part of the prosecution to prove those charges,” he said
“Nor does it appear to the court that the accused committed the crime. Since the trial so far has failed to prove concrete evidence against the accused, orders are issued to release the 17 accused on bail,” he said and directed each accused to appear before the court on every hearing, including to furnish a surety amount of two lakh rupees, to investigate, directly or indirectly, not to attempt to influence the evidence and not to go out of the court’s jurisdiction without permission. ordered.(KNS)

In High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, (Office of Registrar (Recruitment) at Srinagar under Advertisement Notice No. 03 of 2022/RG/NG, Dated: 30-08-2022 for 2 Posts with 10 Vacancies but OM (Open-Merit) Candidates seems Not Eligible to Apply.

Following is the link for the recruitment order Advertisement: Advertisement (File Size:143KB)

Srinagar, Sept 07: The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday filed a charge sheet against 8 accused persons in a case related to hatching conspiracy by JeM militants to carry out attacks in South Kashmir.

In a statement, issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) a spokesperson said that NIA filed charge sheet in NIA Special Court, Jammu in the case pertaining to the conspiracy hatched by local and Pakistani militants of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), alongwith OGWs, to execute militants acts against security forces in South Kashmir.

The statement reads that the case was initially registered as FIR no. 50/2022 dated 11.03.2022 at PS Pulwama and re-registered by NIA on 08.04.2022.

“Investigations have revealed that the accused persons had provided safe shelter, transportation and other logistics support to JeM militant Aquaib Mushtaq Bhat and Kamaal Bhai @ Jatt, who were planning to carry out militant acts against the security forces. Subsequently, security forces had launched a search operation in the area of Chewa Kalan in Pulwama in which both of them were killed,” it reads.

It reads that the chargesheet was filed against Naseer Ahmed Malik, Imtiyaz Ahmed Rather, Rayees Ahmed Sheikh, Yawer Rashid Ganaie, Suhail Ahmed Khan, Shahid Ahmed Shergojri, Anayat Gulzar Bhat and Jahangir Ahmed Dar—all residents of Pulwama.

The statement reads that further investigations in the case are in progress—(KNO)

Srinagar, September 07: Police on Wednesday said that two militants were killed in a chance encounter in Bejbhera area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

The Kashmir Police Zone while tweeting wrote, ” Two militants neutralised in a chance encounter by Anantnag Police in Thajiwara, Bijbehara area of Anantnag. Further details shall follow,”.(GNS)

Eidgah is only meant for prayers. We will vacate the ‘grabbed’ Waqf land around Eidgah and turn it into a playfield for children: Waqf Board chairperson Dr Darakhshan Andrabi

Srinagar Sep 06: In a major concern, the concentration of harmful substances like nitrate, phosphates, and chlorides have increased significantly in Dal lake in the last 25 years.

This has been stated in a recent study titled “The changing water quality of lakes—a case study of Dal Lake, Kashmir Valley,” which was published by environmental monitoring and assessment journal in 2022.

The study has found that the concentration of harmful substances like phosphates, chlorides, and nitrates has increased tremendously over the last 25 years.

“Concentration of total phosphorus has increased from 0.1 to 0.4 mg/l in 1997 to about 6 mg/l in 2017. Similarly, chlorides have shown a steep increase from 2–2.7 mg/l 329 in 2007 to 10.3 mg/l in 2017. Other elements like calcium and magnesium, have also witnessed an increasing trend in the lake,” it says.

The study has found that dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, on the other hand, have shown significant decline.  “Annual DO values of the lake have decreased from 7.4 mg/l in 1997 to 6.9 mg/l in 2017,” it says.

DO is the amount of oxygen present in water. It is essential for the survival of fish and other aquatic organisms.

It has witnessed extreme loss in water quality during the last four decades because of human activities.

Javeed Ahmad, an environment researcher said there are various factors which have affected the lake water quality.

“There is an urgent need to address the problems associated with lake restoration, management, and conservation by both authorities and the local population,” he told news agency KINS.

Srinagar Sep 06: As Jammu and Kashmir is prone to disasters, at least 150 earthquakes have hit the Union Territory in the last 10 years.

There have been frequent earthquakes for the last four days. At least 11 tremors have been felt in Jammu and Kashmir for the last four days which has created a fear among people.

As per official figures, over 150 earthquakes hit Jammu and Kashmir for the last 10 years. However, most of them had been less than 5 magnitude.

Most parts of Jammu and Kashmir come under Seismic Zone V and are prone to earthquakes. Experts give varied reasons for earthquakes in J&K including various faults run through Kashmir and exploding of gases.

Jammu and Kashmir valley is vulnerable to disasters. At least 13 districts out of 100 districts in India have been identified as ‘multi hazard districts’ in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department, most parts of Kashmir covering the districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Budgam, Anantnag and parts of Jammu region, Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar come under Seismic Zone V and are prone to earthquakes. While the rest of the J&K comes under Seismic Zone IV.

A researcher of Earth Sciences Mohammad Shahid said frequent earthquakes have proved that people and the government should be well prepared in dealing with such incidents.

He said most of the earthquakes that hit J&K had their origin in the Hindukush region of Afghanistan. “The aftershocks of big earthquakes are less than 4 magnitude,” he said.

“We need to take some measures like building earthquake resistant constructions,” he told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).

He said people should be well prepared for earthquakes.

Director Meteorological Department Sonam Lotus said J&K falls in the seismic zone of IV and V and people should be well prepared for earthquakes. “We can’t predict the timing, magnitude and place of an earthquake but we should be well prepared in dealing with any such natural disaster,” he added. (KINS)

Sopore, Sept 04: In a first, security forces on Sunday claimed to have recovered magnetic improvised devices in Sopore village in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

In a statement, issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a spokesperson said that a suspect namely Saqib Shakeel Dar was apprehended with war like stores in a joint operation by security forces on Friday based on a specific tip off in Shangargund village of Sopore.

The statement reads that during spot interrogation, he admitted to having hidden Magnetic IEDs in the Chak Barat Orchards, following which forces launched a search in the orchard and recovered three IEDs and seven detonators.

It reads that the magnetic IEDs are small but powerful bombs with high blast impact, affixed to vehicles, capable of causing serious damage and killing passengers.

“Easily portable, they enable specific targeting of VIPs and innocent passengers, avoiding existing detection measures by security forces and have been, of late, employed by militants across the globe,” it added—(KNO)