Almost all the media organisations, particularly TV channels, are now in a mad race of predicting results of the J&K Assembly elections. They have plenty of resources at command. Most of them have invariably predicted 36-41 for PDP, 30-35 for BJP and 4-10 for NC and Congress each. As there is almost consensus on these figures, may be these exit polls turn true on December 23, 2014. Almost all of our colleagues in media and friends in Police are also holding the same opinion. Congrats to PDP and BJP and sympathies to NC and Congress.

However, till the results are declared on Tuesday, let us be entitled to our raw guess which indicates:

1: HUNG ASSEMBLY as no party may cross the figure of 30;

2: Three majors (PDP: 24-29 | NC: 22-24 | BJP: 21-23) may remain stuck within 21-29 zone.

3: Congress may get 11-13 with certain unexpected advantages in Kashmir.
 

So it may be average:

1. PDP : 27

2. NC: 23

3. BJP: 22

4. Congress: 12


END

Back on blog soon

Hi friends

Reviving this blog soon. I am currently trying to retrieve some data I lost when almost all of my belongings including the laptops and computers perished in the devastating floods in Srinagar on September 7, 2014.

Please keep on watching this site.

Best days

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

Hi friends

Since I could not archive most of my news stories, features and oped articles —published in The Hindu from Nov 20, 2012, to Aug 14, 2014 — in this particular blog, I am seriously considering some friends' suggestion to post the same here for a referal archive which could benefit the students of journalism and those interested in knowing about the Kashmir conflict. I am sure you will realize it as the most objective reporting as those familiar with my journalism know it well that I have never taken sides, never demonized or glorified individuals, institutions or ideologies according to my personal likes or dislikes. During the years when most of my esteemed colleagues got carried away or were taken for a ride by different stakeholders or State and non-State actors of violence, I stood clear of SARKARI and TEHREEKI journalism.

I take it as an honour that over 1,31,000 readers accessed this blog in a short span of time despite my inability to update it regularly in the last two years.

Great regards

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/jk-crime-branch-files-charge-sheet-against-25-in-mbbs-selection-scam/article5571965.ece

J&K Crime Branch files charge sheet against 25 in MBBS selection scam

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

_______

JAMMU: The Crime Branch Kashmir on Sunday presented challan before a judicial magistrate in the infamous MBBS selection scam of the Board of Professional Entrance Examinations [BOPEE].

Additional Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch Kashmir, Mir Aftab Aalam, who headed the investigation, submitted the challan to Special Judge Anti-Corruption Kashmir M.L. Mahas at the latter’s residence here due to the winter vacation in courts in Kashmir province. After hearing the Prosecuting Officer M.A. Al-Mansoor, the judge extended remand of detention in favour of an accused, Sajjad Ahmad, and listed the matter on January 18.

Mr Aalam told The Hindu that the first part of the investigation into the irregularities in the BOPEE’s Common Entrance Test of June 2012 was completed and charges were established with substantial evidences against the board’s former Chairman Prof. Mushtaq Ahmad Pir, three of his ‘touts and agents’, 12 candidates and 9 of their parents. The parents of three of the accused candidates have passed away in the last over one year. He said that in all charge-sheet was presented against 25 persons, including the key accused Prof. Pir. Only three of the 25 accused were currently in the judicial custody and the Crime Branch remand. He said that all the 25 accused would be produced before the judge on the next day of the hearing.

The State government has terminated the contractual engagement of Prof. Pir who had been appointed as Advisor on fast track recruitment of Class 4^th officials after his retirement with the BOPEE in 2012. Facing media reports on the irregularities and a PIL in J&K High Court, Omar Abdullah’s government has ordered the Crime Branch investigation into the MBBS candidates’ selection earlier this year. There were serious allegations of the selection of a number of low-merit candidates against huge amounts of bribe money ranging between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 20 lakh. Mr Aalam said that most of the charges were found true. He said that one part of the investigation was still underway and a supplementary chargesheet was likely to be presented later this year.

END