Category: Union Territory

Srinagar: Despite mobile internet ban for the past seven days, rumour mongers are still active in the Kashmir valley, where police rejected the reports that a girl injured in stone pelting in down town city has succumbed.

The authorities had banned mobile internet service of all Cellular companies, including Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for the past seven days in the Kashmir valley, where there was sudden spurt in the protests and violence after over 60 students of a college in Pulwama were injured in security force and police action last Saturday.

However, broadband internet service of BSNL and other local point to point service providers were functioning normally though with very low speed.

The authorities banned mobile internet immediately after the incident to as precautionary measure prevent any rumours.

However, despite internet ban rumours were spread yesterday about Irqa’s health.

A police spokesman immediately reacted and said that some miscreants floated rumours regarding Ms Iqra, daughter of Mohammad Sidiq Misger, resident of Hawal, who was hit by a stone on April 17 at Sakedafar Safakadal during a stone pelting incident.

Iqra who is under treatment in SMHS Hospital is recovering fast. The rumours spread are baseless and are as such refuted, spokesman said.

To curb spread of rumours through social networking sites, the authorities had directed all cellular companies, including BSNL to suspend mobile internet service in the valley. People were posting pictures of alleged security forces atrocities on youth in the valley.

However, suspension of the facility hit professionals, media persons, students and others.  Many students said that their studies had affected badly due to ban on mobile internet.

Mobile internet was suspended on April 8 to prevent any rumours during bypoll in Srinagar parliamentary constituency and resumed on April 13.  However, after Pulwama incident the service was again suspended from April 16.

Jammu: Gulmarg has been voted the best mountain destination in the country on the basis of an online survey conducted by a leading media group.Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma gave away the award at a function organised in New Delhi.Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh were also awarded in other categories.The award for Jammu and Kashmir was received by Shahnawaz A Shah, Officer on Special Duty (Publicity) in the Tourism Department; Galib Shah, secretary, Royal Springs Golf Course, Srinagar; and Manav Gupta, secretary, Jammu Tawi golf course.Speaking on the occasion, Mahesh Sharma talked about the plans of the government to increase the facilities at the tourist destination so that more employment opportunities were generated for people of the state.

Srinagar: Taking a strong exception to the ‘War and Love’ statement made by Ram Madhav, Minister for Education Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari said the statement seems to be a move aimed at legitimizing a crime that is internationally abhorred under covenants of human rights. The education minister also strongly condemned the remarks made by BJP minister Chander Prakash Ganga saying that ‘bullets can’t win the battle of ideas’.

“One fails to understand against whom Mr. Madhav has declared war! Is it a war declared against Kashmiris who despite all odds casted their votes reaffirming their belief in democracy? Or it is a war declared to satiate the sanguine electoral interests of a particular political party in the country,” Bukhari questioned.

He said modern nations operate under the presumption that in the case of armed conflict, the State must do everything to ensure civilians are not hurt. “However, Mr. Madhav seems to be justifying what is unjustifiable under law. Almost all general legal approaches consider human shields illegal both in domestic circumstances and international conflicts,” the minister for education remarked.

Bukhari said some people in the country have unfortunately started arguing that using humans as shields in military operations is justified response to Kashmiri protesters who hurl stones to give vent to their political aspirations. “These statements smack of a hyper-nationalist environment in the country. Unfortunately, people with right-wing approach consider any support for human rights in Kashmir to be anti-national. Let Mr. Madhav be reminded that no civilized society can afford to use its’ citizens as shields for military operations,” Bukhari observed.

On the statement of Mr. Ganga, the minster for education said that his remarks speak volumes about intellectual bankruptcy of a person who is holding the responsibility of a public office. He said that bullets have only created havoc in the world and have brought an enforced thus temporary peace in certain regions. “Bullets can’t win you a battle of ideas. PDP believes that dialogue is the only way out. Unfortunately instead of initiating dialogue as a confidence building measure to re-instill a sense of belonging among bruised Kashmiris, some BJP insiders are trying to sabotage the whole peace process initiated under Mr. Vajpayee regime,” Bukhari regretted.

“Even army generals who deal with bullets are not supposed to give sweeping statements like Mr. Ganga has made. The BJP minister has exposed himself for his venomous and biased approach against Kashmiris who believe a person holding a chair of responsibility behaves and acts in an impartial manner,” Bukhari said and asked Mr Ganga not only to withdraw his remarks but extend an unconditional apology to citizens of the State.

The minister for education said that Agenda of Alliance reached between PDP-BJP coalition Government was supposed to offer confidence building measures for the conflict torn Kashmiris as the same is a concise document of all major reports and working group recommendations made on Jammu and Kashmir.

“If Kashmiris are perceived as ‘enemies and anti nationals’ why BJP agreed in principle for the agenda of alliance calling for dialogue with all stakeholders… good relations between India and Pakistan… maintaining status quo on Article 370…steps for revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) …opening of new cross-LoC routes…settlement of issues of refugees etc,” Bukhari asked.

Instead of sitting together to help in implementation of the Agenda of Alliance which was perceived as a key to bring Kashmiris out of political quagmire, the BJP unfortunately seems shying away from its responsibilities as a coalition partner on the ground.

“On the one hand Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr Naredra Modi compliments our chief minister Ms Mehbooba Mufti and on the other BJP ministers and leaders act in contradiction to those compliments. It seems a difficult and vitiating scenario is being created to hamper her performance on the ground,” Bukhari observed.

The minister for education said that Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed could have stitched an alliance within few hours to be in power but he always treaded the tough path and took bold decisions to get Kashmir out of the political instability and its consequences.

“PDP did not form this coalition for power or any privileges but this government was formed to restart and resume a halfway left reconciliatory process to heal the wounds of conflict hit Kashmiris. Unfortunately, the BJP seems to be moving towards the opposite direction,” Bukhari remarked.

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Salman Nizami today challenged the UP Navnirman Sena leader Amit Jani, in a tweet “ Nizami wrote “UP, kisi kay baap ka nahi ha, Dare you touch a kashmiri, they have every right to enjoy the freedom across the country, as they are our people not outsiders, I request the central govt to ensure the security of all kashmiris, studying and working across the country”. However a case has already been registered against Amit Jani, for allegedly spreading communal hatred after hoardings asking Kashmiris to leave Uttar Pradesh or face consequences have been reportedly spotted in Meerut. Police said that the group admitted to putting up the hoardings. They have been asked to pull them down or face action. Amit Jani, earlier on Wednesday shared a picture of the poster on his Facebook account. Speaking to CNN-News18, Jani said that the posters are aimed only at the radical elements in Kashmir.  He said that his move was being lauded by Kashmiri Brahmins. The outfit is aimed at boycotting Kashmiris, Jani said, adding that the Navnirman Sena will work on spreading awareness about this issue.

Barkha Dutt

Two years ago when Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and the BJP came together to form the most unlikely alliance in Jammu and Kashmir I was (at first) a big supporter of what I thought was the sort of political innovation that had been missing in the state all these years. Admittedly the coalition was akin to bringing together the “North and South Pole” as Mufti Saheb described it to me. But given that the fractured mandated had divided the state along regional and potentially religious lines, he wisely believed that this was the only way to bridge the electoral polarities of the state. I also backed the idea of the alliance for the another reason: I thought that the hyper-nationalism of the BJP and the soft-separatism of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would be moderating influences on each other. For over two decades I had watched the rhetoric of opposing extremes squeeze out the middle-ground with high-pitched confrontations. This new politics, I believed, would be an enabler of centrism, a much missing strain in the Kashmir discourse.

I have been proven wrong. And so has Mufti Saheb’s optimism. It’s time to say it out loud: The ideological dissonance of the Mehbooba Mufti and BJP partnership has done more harm than good on the ground. The idea of the alliance has failed.

I don’t say this only because of the prolonged period of violence and street-unrest the Valley has witnessed since the Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces last year. Previous governments too have had grave crisis-like situations on their watch; the 2010 agitation in which more than a 100 young men were killed in clashes with paramilitary forces is not forgotten. (Omar Abdullah was CM and he has admitted later to being haunted by those months and the mistakes he made then).

I conclude that the alliance is a failed idea because its two parties are pulling each other in opposite directions unable to agree even on basic questions like whether Wani should have been killed or taken alive. Though the BJP leaders who crafted the coalition will insist to you that “Mehbooba has mellowed” – from their point of view a good contrast to her more outspoken years; many of her party colleagues and workers are disappointed to see her retreating behind a veil of confused silence.

Mehbooba Mufti, a woman I admire for single handedly building a new party, travelling to the most dangerous interior villages of the Valley and establishing an emotional connect with the people, today seems to have closed herself away behind a tightly controlled shell – exactly what she criticised Omar, her predecessor, for doing in 2010.

Or is that she can’t or won’t speak her mind because she would have to take a position fundamentally different from that of her political partners? The BJP has been less hesitant to speak up but their public articulations, especially when framed within the highly-charged ‘nationalism’ debate, lay bare the deep contradictions of the state government.

The PDP’s claim that only 5% of the population was protesting has been challenged by the most dismal voter turn-out in Srinagar; just 2% on the day of re-polling. With mainstream politics getting marginalised the stakes are too high; the Valley can no longer afford an experiment with the contradictions of governance. The Election Commission made a misjudgment by insisting on bypolls despite clear opposition from the Union home secretary in writing. Fresh elections are not an option in this circumstance; Governor’s Rule is the writing on the wall.

Barkha Dutt is an award-winning journalist and author

The views expressed are personal

Courtesy: Hindustan Times

Jammu: The state government is looking into blocking other social media platforms before taking a final call on snapping Facebook and Whatsapp in the Valley. The state police and the Union Home Ministry are involved in high-level discussions on it.
According to sources, the state government has also communicated that the social media websites, particularly Facebook and Whatsapp, are fuelling unrest in the Valley. It was decided that services of these would be snapped at least for some months.
However, the final call on this has not been taken yet, as they have received inputs that tech savvy netizens in the Valley are already exploring the possibility of using the virtual private network (VPN). Reports suggest that some people are already working on this direction and they could undo the plans of the government.
“We have received information that some people are working on the VPN, which will still allow them to use FB or Whatsapp. Though it will cost them a few rupees, money is not an issue in Kashmir, where it is hugely funded. So we are working on a plan to block these sites before we take a call,” said the sources. They said the Home Ministry is already in discussion with the top techies in the industry who have suggested a plan. “They are near completion of the plan and it could be out in a few days. The plan would be discussed in detail by top officials in the New Delhi, and if necessary, it will be fine tuned before being put in place,” said the official. The Valley is already abuzz with rumours that social networking sites are being blocked. The people who don’t hit the ground but are keener to spread the message and add fuel to the fire are more concerned about it. “The actual protestors are not so such worried, but it’s the instigators who fuel the unrest. These are the people who are responsible for continuous cycle of violence in the Valley. We are going to deal with them effectively,” said a senior official.

Early Times Report

Srinagar: The J&K High Court on Wednesday directed closure of a wine outlet on Srinagar-Jammu highway at Batwara here in five days.
A single bench of the court comprising Justice R Sudhakar ordered the government through Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to file compliance on closure of the wine shop housed in hotel CH2, opposite children’s hospital, at Batwara here by April 25.
The court was hearing a plea filed by residents of Shivpora who have authorized one Bilal Ahmad Bhat for conducting the case on their behalf before the court.
They pleaded that the government has failed to implement directions of the Supreme Court, banning sale of liquor from an outlet visible from national  or state  highway.
“The residents have suffered immensely on account of presence of liquor shop due to which most of the times ruckus is caused by the drunkards in the vicinity subjecting the petitioners to live a life of constant fear and threat,” they said.

Srinagar: The government has attached the Principal of Government Degree College Pulwama following the assault on students by forces this week that evoked widespread students’ protests and condemnation across Kashmir.
The principal, Professor Abdul Hamid Sheikh, has been attached to Director Colleges yesterday “till pending inquiry” and Divisional Commissioner Kashmir will inquire into the incidents that led to protests and submit the report to the department within seven days, sources in the Higher Education Department told KNS.
Sources said that a senior most teacher of the college will replace him as head of the college. As per sources, “no reason” has been given for his attachment.
The principal was not available for comments.
Meanwhile, the college has submitted the information about the sequence of events that led to the assault of students which provoked students to protests and clashes.
At least 54 students were injured in the college in clashes between students and forces in Pulwamaon Saturday. Though the police had said that students of the college pelted their vehicles with stones, the college authorities had said that police barged into the college premises assaulted the students.
The principal had “pleaded” before the police not to barge into the premises. However, his pleased were not “listened to”.
On Monday, widespread protests were held by students of universities, colleges and higher secondary schools, forcing the government to shut down educational institutions for two days. However, the protests continue today in Sopore, Baramulla, Kangan and Bandipora. (KNS)

Srinagar: The authorities have decided to block social media in Kashmir after the recent circulation of videos and live streaming of incidents, which are believed to lead widespread protests in volatile Kashmir valley.
Sources told KNS that the decision will be taken “soon” to ban the social media in Kashmir valley, rather than shutting down the internet repeatedly after any volatile situation arises in the region.
The authorities have been shutting down internet in the Valley off and on after last year’s uprising and recently during by-polls for Srinagar parliamentary seat after protests and killings of eight youth on the polling day.
The internet bandwidth has been of the internet has been reduced to use of 2G only after the recent students protests on assault by forces on Government college in Pulwama town.
“The decision to ban social media will be announced soon. The government is, principally, of the view that social media has been creating volatile situation in Kashmir. To avoid the spread of rumours, panicky situation and spread of fake news that leads to violence and protests, we are forces to take the decision,” a senior minister in the government told KNS.
“We are forced to take this decision as any action or medium that is a deteriorating peace and security and proving fatal for people requires to be acted upon,” the minister added.
A security official told KNS that the security agencies have been mulling from some time to block access to social media like Facebook, WhatsApp and other sites which are in use across the world. (KNS)

Srinagar: Resistance leadership on Wednesday condemned use of ‘brute force’ against students and called peaceful protest after Friday prayers on Apr 21.
Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik in a joint statement issued, while criticizing state administration for invading educational institutions and assaulting students, said “it is absolute state terrorism.”
“We won’t allow any depraved action against our youngsters. Students are future of our nation, said leadership while hailing student community for their exemplary valor. People thorough boycott declared their verdict and this frustrated Delhi and its henchmen,” said leadership.
They said that “after the flop show of parliamentary bye-elections, the forces were infuriated, used unwanted force against protesting students and ‘barged into Pulwama College and thrashed students without any justification.”
”We pay our salute and are all praise for our young generation for their bravery. They stand guarantee for our promising and bright future and that is the reason that Delhi feels scare about this development,” said leadership.
Referring to ‘repressive measures’ employed by Indian authorities, the pro-freedom leadership said that “though they tried their hard to bargain our interests, however they failed.”
Ridiculing state cabinet for their plea for maintenance of peace, the leadership said that “it is the forces and state police that is creating anarchy and lawlessness and resorting to brute and callous approach against peace-loving people of state.”
“The rulers instead of calling people for maintenance of peace should check and restrict their forces,” said resistance leadership.
Blaming forces for unleashing terror across state, leadership said that “on fateful day of Apr9, forces killed eight innocents, used force against peaceful students while injuring scores.”
“It is undeclared martial law and state has been virtually handed over to forces, said they and forces feel free to kill anybody whosoever comes in their way. Till now no one was asked for his wrongdoings nor they were brought to book,” said leadership.
“They are law unto themselves, while referring to forces and no accountability exits,” said leaders.
Referring to an incident in which a youth was used as human shield, the leadership said that “those involved in this gruesome act, instead of making him accountable, is being encouraged. It is shameful act that said officer is being portrayed as hero,” they said.
Strongly criticizing NC, PDP and other pro-Indian parties, the leadership said that “their conscience is nowhere and rather it is gone. They are pursuing power politics and least care about innocent people.”
“We are with you,” said leadership while addressing student community and nation stands with you.
They asked people to hold protest and demonstrate solidarity with student community on coming Friday.