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  • Will protest against molestation of female medico : Mirwaiz

    Srinagar: Expressing dissatisfaction over the procedure adopted by the High Court while dealing with molestation case against a former minister of state Shabir Khan, Chairman Hurriyat conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Thursday stated that the incident will not be tolerated at any cost and that the protest demonstrations will be held at all mosques and shrines against the ‘heinous crime’.
    While talking to KNS on the sidelines of a seminar organised by Hurriyat (M) on Thursday Mirwaiz stated that the women in the state are not safe and that the recent incident is of serious nature and must not be overlooked. “The moral degradation starts from the higher side and it is quite unfortunate that these officers are being thirsted upon the people of the state.”
    Mirwaiz, who returned to valley after two weeks, stated that the people who were allegedly involved in the sex racket in the past are roaming free and those who are raising the slogans of democracy provided safe passage to the culprits. “The files are gathering dust in the state offices and no action against the accused has taken place.”
    Asserting that Hurriyat (M) will not remain silent over the issue, Mirwaiz said that the protest demonstrations will be carried out so that the culprits could be unmasked at large and be brought in the public court.”
    It is being felt on ground that under a planned conspiracy the chastity of Kashmir’s women folk in being attacked and granting interim bail to the accused is ‘dissatisfactory.’ Mirwaiz claimed that besides the political leadership, Kashmir’s ulemas (religious scholars) will be involved in protesting against the incident so that no such action is repeated in future. (KNS)

  • Clashes hit Shopian after encounter, 3 injured youth referred to SMHS

    SRINAGAR: Soon after an encounter ended at Gugloroo, Shopian in South Kashmir, on Thursday evening, police used tear smoke canisters and pellets to disperse hundreds of protesters raising anti-India and pro-freedom slogans.

    Reports said that almost a dozen protesting youth and police personnel were injured during severe clashes between the two.

    “We referred three injured youth to SMHS, who had pellet injuries in their eyes,” an official at the district hospital told Kashmir Life.

    The official identified the three youth as Mohammad Umar, Tariq Ahmad and Mohammad Ashraf.

    The trouble started after hundreds of people came on roads and demanded the bodies of slain militants but police took them to police station concerned. Both the militants have been identified as locals, one from Pehilpora, Imam Sahab and another from Rajouri.

    Sources said that people from neighbouring Pinjura, Pehlipora and other adjoining hamlets reached Gugloroo, just after the firing stopped and they started raising anti-India slogans.

    Police swung into action resulting in the severe clashes.

    Police sources said that protesters pelted stones on police personnel who in “their defense” used lathis to disperse them to “maintain law and order.”

    Local sources said that tension was very high in the area when the last reports came in. Locals hailed the efforts of the doctors at District Hospital Shopian who very quickly treated upon the injured.

  • Yasin Malik bereaved at the demise of father in law of PC founder

    Srinagar: Mohammad Yasin Malik chairman JKLF has expressed his heartfelt grief and sorrow over the sad demise of Master Ghulam Aahmad Ganai (father in law of Shaheed-I-Hurriyat Khawaja Abdul Gani Lone).
    According to a statement issued to KNS, a delegation led by Yasin sahib went to Sopore and expressed solidarity with his bereaved family .The delegation comprised of leaders Showkat Ahmad Bakhshi, Mir Mohammad Zaman. Mohammad Yasin Bhat and Sheikh Abdul Rashid etc. Yasin sahib met Nisar Ahmad Ganai (the son of deceased) and expressed solidarity with him and the bereaved family. JKLF has also expressed condolences over the demise of Ghulam Qadir Sofi of Fetehpora Gganderbal and Mmaster Ali Mohammad Zargar of Behrampora Rafiaabad. JKLF is praying for the departed souls and expresses condolences to their bereaved families.
    JKLF has paid rich tributes to its great martyrs  Shaheed  Mohammad Yousuf alias Idrees Khan, Shaheed advocate Hussain, Shaheed Mohammad Maqbool Teli and Shaheed Ghulam Mohammad  on their martyrdom anniversaries. JKLF while remembering martyr Idrees khan who embraced martyrdom at Dargah Hazrat Bal, and martyr advocate Hussain and others who were martyred at JKLF office Maisuma by BSF, Said that the struggle of these martyrs will reach its desired goal.(KNS)

  • ‘Tainted’ Khan records statement with police

    SRINAGAR: ‘Tainted’ former Health Minister of State, Shabir Khan Thursday presented himself before police in connection with his alleged involvement in sexual assault case. After getting interim relief from the Court, the former Congress Minster was directed to produce himself before the Investigating Officer handling the alleged sexual assault case.

    After spending time in Circuit House, Srinagar the accused presented himself before the Police and recorded his statement in police station Shaheed Gunj.

    “Khan was questioned for 75 minutes and he was allowed to leave only after the payment of Rs 25,000 as personal bail bond as was directed by the High Court,” a police official in the Shahid Gunj, Police station told Kashmir Life.

    Khan was absconding from the day a lady doctor registered a case against him in police station Shahid Ganj, Srinagar.

    Earlier, Khan had no answer when reporters asked him why he was evading arrest and was absconding. “Bail is the right of every citizen and soon after securing it I presented myself before the police,” he told reporters after arriving in Circuit House Srinagar from Jammu.

    The Congress man who was accompanied by security guards termed the allegations leveled against him baseless and said that he is expecting justice from the Court. “My political image has been spoiled. I was not absconding but in touch with media. Who told you I was hiding but was in touch with media and my statements appeared in a section of newspapers. I talked to some media men on telephone and was not at large,” Khan said.

    “It is conspiracy against me. The charges leveled against me are frivolous and false. I am 101 percent innocent. I am hopeful that Court will do justice,” he said.

    When asked why he did he resign if he pleads not guilty, Khan said that he resigned on the instructions of Party so that there will be a free and fair probe into the allegations leveled against him.

    Khan added and said that every citizen has a right to move a bail application and he did the same. “I secured the bail and am here to present myself before the police,” he said.

  • Kashmir Virtually Converted into a Prison, Only Govt And its Apologists Enjoy Freedom: Mehbooba

    Jammu: Demanding immediate release of the youth arrested in past few days in Kashmir, People Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti today condemned the intolerance shown by the state government.
    Intervening during question hour, she said Kashmir has been virtually converted into a prison where only Govt and its apologists enjoy freedom of and that there is geniue sense of alienation among the people as teenagers are arrested under draconian laws and the place has been virtually handed over to police and security forces.
    Bandipore police has arrested several boys and one of them

    is booked under PSA and two among them has been sent to juvenile detention centre because their age is below 13 years. PSA was slapped on Arif Hussain wani on Jan 31 and he is in Udhampur Hospital in serious condition. Mehbooba said imprisonment of teenagers, who should have been in school is the real poster of present government’s performance.

    Mehbooba said there is sense of anger in Kashmir and even liberal section of the Indian society that Afzal Guru had been wronged by picking him out of the death roll from 28th number to fit into the political strategy of the ruling party. She said subsequent relief by the Supreme Court granted to the convicts whose execution has been commuted has further deepened the feeling of anger and discrimination among the people.
    “Instead of trying to empathize with the public sentiment, the state govt let loose its might on mourners who wanted to express sympathy with Guru’s family who were jdenied even the most elementary facility and their right to meet the executed prisoner even on last time”, said Mehbooba.
    Mehbooba said it has been the practice of the present govt to use curfew and curbs as the substitute to democratic method of engaging with alienated people,listen to their feelings and respond with understanding and compassion. She said govt has lost the argument on human rights violation and has lost moral courage to engage with our own people on decent and civilized live. “It has tried to inflict a peace of graveyard on Kashmir through draconian laws, arrests, police cases, persecution, chilly grenades and pellet guns which has stopped evolution of a democratic culture in the state”, she said.  

  • Dance of Democracy: Pepper Spray, Knives in Indian Parliament and MPs Taken to Hospital

    New Delhi: Parliamentarians protesting against the creation of a new state unleashed unprecedented

    mayhem in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, with one MP using pepper spray on his colleagues and another brandishing a knife.

    The long-simmering issue of the bifurcation of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh came to a boil when the government tried to table a bill for the creation of Telangana state.
    Parliamentarians opposed to the bill protested loudly and tried to prevent Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde from introducing the bill.
    Lagadapati Rajagopal, a billionaire MP from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), charged at the Speaker’s dais. When he was stopped and a scuffle broke out, Rajagopal opened a can of pepper spray.
    People in the House, including parliamentarians, staff and journalists, started coughing and were left teary eyed, the Hindustan Times reported, adding that many darted out to escape from the fumes.
    As the commotion worsened, another TDP MP, Venugopal Reddy, allegedly took a knife out and smashed the Speaker’s microphone.
    “I was told there was gas, knives, other materials as well,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath was quoted by NDTV as saying.
    “The circumstances and incidents which took place in the House are a big blot on our parliamentary democracy,” the minister said.
    As angry MPs went on the rampage, glasses were broken and computers flung out, prompting the Speaker to call in the services of the marshalls and suspend as many as 18 members from the House.
    While the in-House doctor provided medical assistance to the parliamentarians, some MPs were taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in an ambulance, reports said.
    Despite stiff opposition, India’s federal government decided to table the Andhra Pradesh reorganisation bill, which facilitates the carving out of a new state, Telangana.
    IT hub Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, falls inside the geographical limits of the proposed new state, and this has made the issue highly complex.
    The new state will have a population of 35 million and will be formed by carving out 10 of the 23 districts in Andhra Pradesh.

    MPs not frisked
    The commotion in parliament took place even as the government adopted special security measures, reports said. Visitors were barred from the gallery and fire extinguishers and blankets were kept ready as one MP had threatened to set himself on fire if the government proceeded with the controversial bill.
    However, an NDTV report pointed out that MPs were not frisked when they entered parliament, suggesting they could bring in materials such as pepper spray and weapons.
    “What happened is disgraceful, unprecedented, unforgivable,” Jaswant Singh, a senior parliamentarian from the opposition, said.
    Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was not in the House when the government introduced the bill.

  • Two militants killed in Shopian encounter

    SRINAGAR: Two militants were killed in an encounter between militants and the forces in south district of Shopian, Thursday afternoon.
    Police said that acting on specific information, a joint operation was launched by Police, 44-RR and CRPF at Gagloora, Pinjora in Shopian district. “The joint party was fired upon by hiding militants and in the exchange of fire two militants got killed,” said adding “The identity of the killed militants is being ascertained.”
    Reports said that firing is still going on in the area and police is suspecting another militant hiding in a residential house.

  • ‘Tainted’ Khan Reaches circuit House Srinagar

    SRINAGAR: MLA Rajouri, and ex-minister of state for Health, Shabir Khan, who is facing molestation charges, reached Srinagar, on Thursday afternoon.
    Khan straight away dove to Srinagar Circuit House from the Airport. Earlier, in the morning Khan left from Jammu.
    Pertinently High Court a day before issue interim bail to Khan and directed him to report to the concerned Police Station.
    An FIR stands lodged against him in Shaheed Gunj police station. He was granted bail by High Court and has been directed to furnish a bail bond of Rs 25000 to avoid any arrest.

  • Shutdown in Bandipora against arrest of youth

    Srinagar: North Kashmir’s Bandipora town is observing complete shutdown today against the arrest of two youth by police recently, reports said. 

    All shops and business establishments in the town are closed while public transport is off the roads. Very thin private transport is plying, reports added.

  • Parvez Rasool made it to IPL for Rs 95 lakhs

    SRINAGAR: The highly acclaimed cricketer from Kashmir, Parvez Rasool was sold out at Rs 95 lakhs in the Indian Premier League Auction to Sun Risers Hyderabad. The base price for Rasool was 20 lakhs and he was auctioned by Sun Risers Hyderabad for 95 lakhs.Parvez-Rasool

    In total seven cricketers from the state were slated to go bidding on Thursday. Other than the skipper and all rounder Rasool, others in the list include all-rounder Samiullah Beigh, speed star Abid Nabi, medium pacer Ram Dayal, batsman Ian Dev Singh, Shubham Khajuria and Umar Nazir.

    It is for the first time in the six-year IPL history that any cricketer from J&K has made it to the auction.