Category: Union Territory

Says Who Will Stoop Low To Play Politics Over Children

Srinagar: PDP’s senior leader and education minister Syed Altaf Bukhari on Saturday said that the party will quit if the government failed to provide justice to Asifa Banu, the 8-year-old girl who was brutally raped and murdered in Kathua district of Jammu in January this year.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, the minister also ruled out demand for CBI probe by some groups including BJP, the alliance partner of PDP in ruling coalition in the state.
“As far as the incident is concerned, it is a highly shameful. Children have no religious and it can happen to anyone. It is highly unfortunate that such an incident took place. We will take it to the logical end, let me assure you,” Bukhari said.
“We will not spare anybody no matter who stands by somebody or who does not by somebody. This is a humanitarian issue and the day we feel that we cannot provide justice to the girl, you will not see any of us, you won’t see my Chief Minister here,” Bukhari said in a reassuring tone. He was responding to the questions on open challenge thrown to the Chief Minister’s writ by two cabinet ministers– Chander Prakash Ganga, and Chowdary Lal Singh. One of them, Ganga even went on to call ongoing probe by crime branch as ‘Jugle Raj’.
To other question, Bukhari said the case was handed over to crime branch by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. “Our police are professional one. We are not divided (PDP and BJP). Who will play politics on children? Who will stoop so low? They are also seeking investigation. The investigation is being carried by CB and it will be taken to the logical conclusion,” he added.
Attending an event organised by the Hindu Ekta Manch, a right wing group that opposes the crime branch probe into the brutal rape and murder of Asifa, the two BJP ministers reportedly asked the crime branch of police “not to arrest anyone”.
Asifa Banu was found dead near her native village Rassana in Hiranagar on January 17 after being missing for a week. Later medical reports confirmed she was raped before murder.

Kathua Shuts Down For CBI Probe

With two BJP ministers in the state cabinet having thrown their weight behind it, the campaign to transfer the Kathua rape-and-murder case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has gathered new strength as the town witnessed several protest demonstrations and a shutdown on Saturday against what the organizers termed as “harassment” from state authorities.
The Kathua Bar Association and the newly-formed Hindu Ekta Manch held a sit-in along with various other groups, expressing loss of faith in the Crime Branch investigations which they said had taken the shape of harassment of the local people, reports from Kathua said.
Groups of youth had made rounds of marketplaces and commercial areas the previous evening asking traders to keep their shops and businesses closed on Saturday to support the campaign.
“We are here to press for a CBI probe…We have lost faith in the crime branch investigation as politics is being played under the garb of probe,” Hindu Ekta Manch president Vijay Sharma said at the sit-in, alleging that the investigators were harassing a particular community.
Bar Association president Anil Andotra stressed that a fair investigation would restore people’s faith in the system.
Two Special Police Officers, Deepak Khajuria and Surinder Kumar, and a 15-year-old boy are in custody in the case involving the abduction, rape and murder of an eight-year-old Bakarwal girl in the Kathua district of the Jammu region in mid-January.
At a rally this Thursday, commerce minister Chander Prakash Ganga and forest minister Lal Singh had openly likened the Crime Branch (CB) investigations to “jungle raj” and declared their support to the campaign to take the case out of the CB’s hands.

The Hindu Ekta Manch, which came into being around the time the police and the CB made its arrests, has so far taken out several rallies, some of them brandishing the national tricolour to denounce the investigations by state authorities.
The use of the flag had prompted a severe reaction from Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who tweeted that it amounted to an insult to the tricolor and its desecration.
Both the state’s opposition parties, the National Conference and the Congress, however, have called upon the CM to take action against two of her cabinet colleagues who, they said, were working to polarize the district on communal lines by questioning the impartiality of the Crime Branch and accusing it of succumbing to “pressure from the other community.”
Asifa Banu, an eight-year-old Bakarwal girl had gone missing on January 10 from her home in the Rassana village in the Hira Nagar area of the Kathua district, and her body had been found on January 17, after which the police arrested one minor boy.
Two Special Police Officers, Deepak Khajuria and Surinder Kumar, were taken into custody subsequently when with mounting Bakarwal protests over the slow pace of the police investigation, the government first ordered a magisterial probe and later handed the case to the Crime Branch.
According to police authorities, the medical examination of the victim has confirmed that the child had been subjected to rape, and even drugged so as to prevent her from calling for help.(with PTI inputs)

‘People must limit consumption of roasted meat, dried vegetables’

Srinagar, Feb 24: Kashmir’s leading cancer specialist and senior consultant Surgical Oncology at Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, Dr Sameer Kaul on Saturday said that people in Kashmir must limit consumption of roasted red meat and dried vegetables to prevent an alarming rise in Upper Respiratory Tract Cancers.
Speaking on the sidelines of the cancer clinic, Dr Sameer Kaul said that the Upper Respiratory Tract cancers especially Gastro Intestinal cancers are the most common cancers in J&K and there has been an alarming rise in the incidences during last decade.
“The most common reasons for these kinds of cancers are unregulated consumption of pickled & dried vegetables, and red meat in roasted and grilled form. People must limit this kind of food to prevent the alarming increase in these cancers,” he told media during an awareness program at Kashmir Clinic here.
The program was organised by Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi following the increase in cancer patients at the health institution over the years.
He said the lack of awareness was also a major factor in the increase of cancer in Kashmir.
“There is no authentic scientific research done in J&K on the incidences of cancer so far because there was no cancer registry in tertiary care hospitals in the state. Whatever is available is based on clinical experience and observational studies by doctors. So, we can’t really aware people fully with authenticity about cancer treatment, its prevention, and other things,” Dr Kaul said.
According to him, the treatment facilities available for cancer in J&K are largely obsolete.
“Now it’s time for precision oncology where a personalized treatment is given to the patients using genetic mutation at the molecular level. The treatment targets a particular cell without affecting the normal cell unlike chemotherapy and radiotherapy,” the Oncologist said.
He said the cancer treatment facility for J&K patients must be upgraded so that they get benefited and cancer incidents are reduced.
“Government must bring an insurance policy for people so that they can afford expensive treatment for various diseases. It is nearly impossible for low middle-income families to afford modern cancer treatment even if they sell their everything,” he said.
Dr Kaul believes that health insurance will solve the majority of the health-related problems for 80 percent of the population.
“Government should also encourage private partnership in the health sector so that competition increases. This will directly benefit the poor people as they will get affordable treatment,” he said.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Public Works Minister and official spokesman of the J&K government Naeem Akhtar has said that China is on its way to assuming a “much bigger role in Kashmir” and the Jaish-e-Mohammad has been veritably “adopted” by Beijing, said a media report on Tuesday.
“It’s the “growing influence of China” which has made it imperative to engage with Pakistan, ” Akhtar told The Indian Express
“Unlike earlier, the great game is literally being played inside Kashmir,” The Indian Express reported quoting Akhtar. “The Kashmir issue isn’t limited to the fight between India and Pakistan now. There is another major factor involved.”
According to report, Akhtar said,”It isn’t Pakistan alone, it is China too. General (Bipin Rawat) said that the Army is ready to fight on both fronts. But there aren’t two fronts anymore. Now it is one single front, circling around. From Bhutan to Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Valley to Jammu, Sri Lanka and Maldives, it is all one front. Pakistan and China aren’t separate”.
“All the big attacks inside J&K or even outside during last more than three years are attributed to Jaish-e-Mohammad, a group led by Masood Azhar,” said Akhtar. “How can one not see that he (Masood Azhar) has been adopted by China? There are reports of some action taken against Hafiz Saeed. What about Masood Azhar? Even a lesser figure like Salahudin has been listed as a global terrorist in UN but the great wall of China has been erected around Azhar. China has been regularly vetoing attempts to designate him (Azhar) as a terrorist in United Nations. Such things don’t happen without reason. Why only him? Why not others? Why didn’t China block such moves in UN against other people? The China connection needs to be understood”.
“At this point, talking to Pakistan and initiating policies of reconciliation inside Kashmir is in the national interest. It is in our national interest that Pakistan doesn’t get irretrievably sucked up by China,’’ he said. “And when we say talk to Pakistan, we are addressing our own Central government because they have to take that step. We aren’t seeking anything from anybody other than the central government. That’s our right”.

JAMMU: Following the arrests of the accused of kidnapping, raping, murder of eight year old nomadic girl Ashifa bano, Congress leader Salman Nizami demanded strict punishment and immediate hanging of the culprit. He said a nomadic girl, minor kidnapped, raped and killed in Kathua J&K, but there is no outcry. Why are our media & activists quiet? Is it because it has not happened in a big city & therefore won’t make it to Big news? Nizami while appreciating the effort made to nab the culprit said he should be hanged. “Cases of rapes have been increasing in the country. This man getting arrested is a big achievement. Now that he has confessed his crime, he should be given strictest of the punishment. Immediate hearing should be done and he should be hanged,” Nizami said.

Blaming the BJP-PDP government in the state of complete failure in ensuring law and order, Nizami said a few people in the ruling party are trying to communalise the issue by issuing unnecessary statements. He further demanded formulation of a stringent law, under which those found guilty of child rape and murder would be hanged within a month of committing the crime. “The way justice was meted out to the rape accused of 8 year old Zainab in Pakistan, should happen in India in Ashifa’s case as well. Cases relating to rape carry on for years, with the accused getting no punishment for his crime,” Nizami told reporters here. What is necessary is immediate decisions to give justice to the rape victims. I demand the formulation of a law, which will fast-track the rape related cases and the accused, if proven guilty is hanged within a month of committing the crime.

Srinagar, February 18: It has come the notice that Some unscrupulous elements are updating wrong information that internet services will be shut down in South Kashmir which is far from the truth.

These reports are highly mischievous and misleading. Hence refuted. Action will be taken against such elements Said Police in a Statement To Kashmir Today

Srinagar, Feb 12 : As the Valley including higher reaches as well as plains received a fresh snowfall, the weatherman on Monday predicted wet spell till next 12 hours in the Valley.
Director Meteorological (MeT) department, Sonum Lotus told KNS that the snowfall or rainfall would continue till next 12 hours.
However, the MeT director further said that the weather conditions would improve from Tuesday morning. “The overall weather conditions would improve from Tuesday but light snowfall or rains would occur at isolated places on Tuesday,” he said.
According to the KNS correspondent, Syed Adil, following the snowfall in the Valley, the authorities have closed the Kupwara-Karnah and other vital roads in the district.
The roads including Karnah-Kupwara, Keran, Tharkiya, Machil road were closed after the fresh snowfall in the Valley, officials said.
Meanwhile, the residents of Keran and Tangdarh areas here have complained of erratic power supply. “We are being forced to face hardships in these harsh days. The authorities have failed to provide electricity to the areas from past two days,” they said.
The residents here have demanded immediate redressal of their genuine grievances. (KNS)

Srinagar: Swayam Prakash Pani, a 2000-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, took over as the new inspector general of police (IGP) Kashmir Range on 12 February, making him the youngest ever officer to hold the post.

Pani (41), an IPS officer of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre, took over the charge of the IGP Kashmir on 12 February, a police official said. His appointment was confirmed on 8 February.

The police official said Pani is the youngest ever officer to hold the post of the IGP Kashmir and his name was cleared in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti last week.

Pani replaces Munir Ahmad Khan, who was holding the charge of the IGP Kashmir range, and has been appointed as the additional director general of police (ADGP) security and home guards, the official said.

Pani has served in key positions, including Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police, south Kashmir range, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Kulgam and Kathua. He has also served in the Intelligence Bureau and National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Pani, who was serving as the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, South Kashmir Range, is a 2000 batch IPS officer.

During his tenure as DIG, south Kashmir, many militant commanders were killed in encounters, officials said. All operations that Pani headed were meticulously planned, they said.

While focusing on anti-militancy operations, Pani also relentlessly worked to bring misguided youths to the mainstream and succeeded in bringing seven youths back to normal life.

Pani also ensured securing arrests of militants from encounter sites. As many as four militants were arrested from encounter sites during his tenure as DIG.

He was appointed SSP Kulgam in 2001 when militancy was at its peak in the region.
Amit Kumar has replaced Pani as DIG, south Kashmir, according to the official order released on 8 February.

At least 10 persons, including soldiers, women and children, were injured.

Jammu: Government forces on Sunday killed one more militant who had taken cover inside an army camp in Jammu after a group of militants attacked the military station, killing five soldiers and a civilian on Saturday.
With this, the number of militants killed in the attack has risen to four, defence officials said. At least 10 persons, including soldiers, women and children, were injured.

The officials said the operation was still on even as no more gun shots were fired at the shootout site after the death of the fourth militant. Searches are now going on to sanitise the camp.

A group of heavily armed Jaish-e-Muhammad militants entered the Sunjuwan army base station around 4.45 a.m. on Saturday.
The militants managed to enter the Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) quarters inside the camp.

Para commandos from the Army’s Udhampur-headquartered Northern Command were airlifted to tackle the militants. The Air Force provided aerial surveillance.

Indian Army chief Bipin Rawat arrived here on Sunday to review the operation that lasted for nearly 30 hours.

Srinagar: Rain or snowfall is likely to occur over the next few days in Kashmir Valley, an official of Meteorological Department said Saturday.
While there are chances of rain or snow at isolated places in the valley today, there is the likelihood of fairly widespread rain or snowfall in the state tomorrow, he said.
The state may witness scattered to widespread rain or snowfall on February 12, the official said.
He said owing to a cloudy sky, the minimum temperature at most places in the valley rose last night, providing some relief from the cold conditions to the residents, while the minimum temperature dropped in Ladakh region.
Srinagar the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir – recorded an increase of 3.5 degrees Celsius last night and the mercury at a low of zero degrees Celsius, the official said.
He said Qazigund the gateway town of the valley – in south Kashmir registered a low of minus 1.8 degrees Celsius.
The official said the night temperature in Kokernag, in south Kashmir, settled at a low of 0.3 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara town in north recorded a low of minus 2.3 degrees Celsius.
Pahalgam – the south Kashmir health resort which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra – recorded a low of minus 3 degrees Celsius last night, while the mercury at the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 6 degrees Celsius.
Gulmarg was the only place in the valley where the night temperature dropped last night.
Kargil was the coldest recorded place in the state as the mercury there settled at a low of minus 16 degrees Celsius, the official said.
He said the night temperature in the nearby Leh town settled at a low of minus 12.3 degrees Celsius last night.