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‘Have arrested three assailants, youth out of danger’: SP Kargil

Zanskar: Police arrested at least three Buddhist zealots after a frenzy mob attacked a group of Muslims injuring a youth critically in land-locked Zanskar division of Kargil district in Jammu and Kashmir.
The relations between majority Buddhists and Muslims in Zansakar witnessed deep strain after 22 members of four families of Buddhists embraced Islam in 2012. On the directions of Zanskar Buddhist Association spearheading the Buddhist movement in the region, Buddhists are on complete boycott with the Muslim population residing in main historical town of Padum.
Eyewitnesses told CNS that a frenzy mob attacked a group of Muslim youth near Uffti village when they were on way to their home. “Amanullah, a youth suffered serious injuries while the mob stripped him off and thrashed him mercilessly,” a resident of Zanskar told CNS adding that the administration is mulling to airlift the injured youth for treatment in Srinagar or Jammu.
The father of the injured youth said that his son was attacked by unruly mob without any provocation. “How long this will continue and how long government will stop us providing security,” he said.
Tension gripped in Zanskar especially in Padum where large number of Muslims took to streets, after the news about the attack spread in the town. Police swung into action and sealed all the roads to thwart the clashes between the two communities.
An administrative official in Zanskar told CNS that situation is tense but under control. “We have taken all possible measures to maintain law and order in the division,” he said.
When contacted Superintendent of Police Kargil, Sujit Kumar told CNS that police have registered a case against the three persons involved in the attack on the youth who according to him is out of danger. “There is no need to airlift him as the youth is out of danger. We have arrested three persons in this connection and a case vide FIR number 2/2014 under section 323, 147 of RPC has been registered against them,” Kumar said.
Chief Executive Councilor Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council Asghar Ali Karbalai told CNS that top police officials are on job while due to efforts of SP Kargil, situation has been brought under control. “We want both the communities to live in peace and harmony as they used to live in past,” he said.

Srinagar: Waheeda Akhtar, wife of Javeed Iqbal Thursday passed to the heavenly abode, causing great grief to the entire area. The deceased was the teacher by profession and a noble soul. The entire locality of Iram Colony Ahsmuqam expressed grief and sorrow over her demise. Her chaharum shall be observed on May 11, 2014 with the congregational fateha Khwani at her ancestral graveyard. Various social organizations have expressed grief over her demise and solidarity with the bereaved family.

‘News spread by rivals’

Srinagar: Ridiculing the reports that he has surrendered his security cover after his bullet proof vehicle was reportedly allotted to another minister, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand Friday stated that the baseless and spread by his rivals. “It is a conspiracy against me hatched by my opponents. I have the security cover and have not surrendered it. The same is being spread to damage my image,” Chand told KNS over phone. He further accused that it was unfortunate that some media houses without confirming the facts, spread the news and the same is factually incorrect.

The Deputy Chief Minister maintained further that Congress has gained a strong foot-hold in the state and that the alliance of National Conference and Congress will win all the six parliamentary seats from the state. “We are confidant of our win and the people who doubt the same should wait till May 16 to see ours claims getting vindicated by the results.”

Srinagar: On the directions of incarcerated Hurriyat leader Shabir Ahmad Shah, a high level delegation of Hurriyat Conference Jammu Kashmir (HCJK) comprising of Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bita Karatey, Muhammad Yusuf Naqash, Molvi Bashir Ahmad, Muhammad Yasin Ataai, Muhammad Shafi and Fayaz Ahmad today visited the residence of Shaheed Bashir Ahmad of Nawakadal in Old city. According to a statement issued to KNS, the leaders while expressing solidarity with the bereaved family paid tributes to Shaheed Bashir and all other martyrs since 1947 and said the movement will continue till the mission of martyrs will reach its logical conclusion.

They said the sacrifices rendered by martyrs for the usurped right of self determination by India will not go waste at any cost. “We are the guardians of these sacrifices and will not let anyone play with the sacred blood of the martyrs,” they said.

Later on, the leaders also visited the residences of injured youth in Pakheryaar, Khalid Ahmad Khan son of Abdul Qayoom Khan and a lady Haleema wife of Nisar Ahmad Shaaksaaz  of Nawakadal, Baaripora. The leaders while consoling the grieved family said the day is not far when India will pack its bags from Kashmir as history is witness to such facts that oppressors always suffer a horrible doom. In this delegation, HCJK activists Wajhat Qureshi, Muhammad Yusuf, Showkat Ahmad Bhat, Muhammad Ayoub Dar, Sajad Ahmad Lone, Javid Ahmad Mir, Feroz Ahmad and Latied Ahmad were also present. 

‘Use of coercion during north Kashmir polls undemocratic’

Srinagar: Taking cognizance of aggressive means adopted by Army and some elements in recently concluded parliamentary elections in north Kashmir, the International Forum for Justice and Human Rights–JK (IFJHR-JK) has strongly condemned the acts by terming it “undemocratic” and “unethical”. According to reports, Army had allegedly threatened people to come out to vote there while as the voters were stripped and thrashed by some unidentified youth for casting their votes. According to a statement issued to KNS, “To vote or boycott is the basic right of every citizen and we strongly condemn the use of force or any other repressive measures adopted by anyone in this regard,” IFJHR-JK in a statement issued to media said.

“To curb the basic rights of citizens by subjecting them to repression or any other torture, that too in a democratic set up is against the very core of the institution itself. Such means of aggression cannot be but termed as undemocratic and unethical,” chairman IFJHR-JK Muhammad Ashan Untoo said. He said the state of Jammu and Kashmir is the only place in the world where such kinds of violations take place. “People across the globe enjoy their right to franchise in a free way except this part where coercion is adopted to suppress the opposite ideology,” Untoo said, adding, “such incidents tantamount to grave human rights violation as it curbs the very basic right of an individual.”

International Forum for Justice and Human Rights – JK severely condemns such kind of incidents and terms these detrimental to the smooth functioning of democracy. We demand that every citizen should be given the right to enjoy his basic human rights. Meanwhile, IFJHR-JK has condemned the police highhandedness in north Kashmir’s Baramulla, Sopore and Bandipora on Friday where police went berserk and sabotaged properties of locals. 

Srinagar: A few incidents of violence have been reported from Sopore and Baramulla, wherein some passenger vehicles have been stoned, stopped and some passengers travelling in them have been assaulted. According to a police statement issued to KNS, while taking a serious note of these incidents, Police has lodged 05 FIRs, 03 in police station Baramulla and 02 in police station Sopore. The miscreants involved in these acts of violence have been identified and special teams have been formed to arrest these culprits and a number of miscreants involved in these incidents have been arrested. Police has reiterated that no such incident of violence against the people and the passengers commuting will be tolerated and stringent action will be taken against the guilty.

Separatist groups in close coordination with militants

Srinagar: Boycott in North Kashmir was not observed by the people but was enforced upon them with the ‘criminal intimidation’, said Director General of Police (DGP), adding that the militants, separatists and stone throwers in unison carried threatened people not to go near to the booths.

The state police chief Ashok Prasad maintained that the appeal for the boycott of polls is unobjectionable but the same was carried out with the criminal intimidation. “The fear psychosis was created in the entire area that if people vote, they will be scorned and attacked.” Prasad said that the militants, separatists and stone throwers worked for a single point agenda and that all three were interconnected vis-à-vis the poll boycott. “Separatists issue the strike call, stone throwers enforce that and militants glue threat posters. What we are seeing on ground is the threat perception being created in the minds of people.”

He maintained further that the police is acting only in accordance to the law and when the law says that the stone pelting is illegal- it has to be stopped and that is the job of the police force. “The people who are objecting to the police action against stone throwers should contest elections and pass the law in the assembly to legalize the stone pelting.”

The polling was held in North Kashmir’s Baramulla Lok Sabha seat on May 7 amid clashes and shutdown reported from various areas of the region. Five to six people including police and CRPF personnel were injured during the clashes between security forces and stone pelters. The stone pelting incidents were reported from the various areas of North Kashmir including Fateh Garh, Nadihal, Baharmpora, Saripora, Wadan, Hadipora, Bumai, Main Chowk Sopore, Dangerpora Sopore. The North Kashmir on Wednesdaywitnessed a total of 39.6 percent polling. District Kupwara recorded 63.19 per cent, Baramulla 25.4 percent and, Bandipora 35.5 per cent.

12 Congress Sarpanches openly supported, voted for PDP candidate

Srinagar: Taking strong exception to the affirmation made by Taj Mohiuddin that half of the National Conference (NC) voters in Uri have voted for PDP candidate Muzaffar Hussain Beigh in just concluded Lok Sabha elections in Baramulla Constituency, senior NC leader Mohammad Shafi Uri on Friday blamed the Congress minister for failing to meet his commitment of support to the coalition candidate.

“He (Taj) is simply trying to cover up his failure of not fulfilling his commitment that he will make Congress voters to support the coalition candidate Shareef-u-Din Shariq. Instead of blaming the NC former workers, he should have told you how 12 Panchayat representatives affiliated with Congress met Mr Beigh pledging their support in elections. He should have told you how his right hand Congress associates in Uri worked in broad day light in favour of  Mr Salam-u-Din Bajad (Peoples Conference candidate from Baramulla constituency),” Mohammad Shafi Uri told KNS.

The senior NC leader who has remained cabinet minister many a times till 2002, said that Rafiq Balote, a prominent Gujjar leader and Sarpanch of Garkote village in Uri who is also a close associate of Taj openly worked for PC candidate Salam-u-Din Bajad. “Besides Balote, Congress Sarpanches of Zehanpora, Hakapalhi, Ijara, Pahlipora, Limber B, Bimyar, Nowshera A&B, Barnate, Trikanjan, Buniyar, Zamoorpattan, Salamabad, Chulan, Kalsan, Dachi, Sultan Daki, Shahdara, Nowarunda, Kalgaie, Jabla, Niloosa, Lacipora A& B, Miaan, Bijhama, Buniyar, Mohra have worked and voted for PDP and PC candidate,” Mr Uri alleged.

Besides, these  areas, the NC former minister said that block president Buniyar Abdul Hamid, Halqa presidents of Dawaran, Bagna, Salamabad, Dachina, Pahlipora, Manzgma, Zehanpora, Nowshera, Buniyar, Zamboorpattan, Sultan Daki, Miarian, kamlkote, Nowarunda, Gawalta, Dardkote, Kalgaie, Salamabd Nambal, Garkote, openly supported PDP and PC candidates and voted for them.

“This is a total betrayal of Congress workers in Uri against a commitment Mr Taj had made with the NC and Congress state leadership at Baramulla prior to the elections. Mr Taj had committed that his workers will give a lead to the coalition candidate wherever they have their own pockets but he even failed to get over a 1000 people in a public rally where Mr Omar Abdullah was scheduled to address,” Mr Uri informed.

He said that one fails to understand why Mr Taj is now blaming the NC former workers who have no connection with the NC for the last over seven years. “The NC workers whom Mr Taj has mentioned in his cover up exercise have left the NC since 2007. Some of them are not in touch with the party since 2004. He had made a commitment in front of Mr Farooq Abdullah, Mr Omar, Mr Soz, Mr G A Mir, Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir and other NC Congress leaders that he will support our candidate in Uri but now has resorted to cheap politics by saying that the so called NC voters did not vote because of resentment against my son in that constituency,” Mr Uri observed.

The NC senior leader said that soon after the Congress workers including 12 Sarpanches meet with PDP candidate Muzaffar Hussian Beigh, he had already conveyed the same to Congress leadership. “But there was no action on part of Congress. In some booths Congress voters did not turn up or they openly voted for PDP and PC,” Mr Uri said, adding that still the NC candidate will take a lead in Uri because of NC’s own voter share which according to him has always remained intact. “It is the anti incumbency against Mr Taj that Congress voters have not come forward to vote for the coalition candidate,” he added.