Mufti Govt. brings tainted lot back to prize postings

Facing serious charges of fund embezzlement, creating liability of Rs 13 crore and engaging over 500 people through backdoor, KAS officer appointed Dir Floriculture

 Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

_______

SRINAGAR, Oct 20: Voted to rule on the promise of providing ‘clean administration’, ‘good governance’ and ‘corruption-free administration’, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s coalition in Jammu and Kashmir has brought over half of the tainted lot of the officials to their prize postings within months of labelling many of them as ‘deadwood’ and ‘liability’.

More than half of the officers and bureaucrats shifted to new places of posting on Monday are those who had been transferred in one or two reshuffles a few months back. In total disregard to the government’s transfer policy, some of them have been shifted from one to other place more than three and four times in the last one year.

Reinstated back to his favourite position of MD J&K Projects Construction Corporation, Daleep Thusu had been previously removed from the Corporation on charges of issuing allotments on exorbitant rates and alleged embezzlement of funds in the infamous construction of Ganpath Bridge over Chenab in Doda. On March 16 this year, when Thusu was working as Secretary Sports Council, Mufti government removed him without new posting in its first administrative reshuffle.

If well-placed bureaucratic sources are to be believed, Thusu’s name figured among the officials to be declared as “deadwood” and terminated by the PDP-BJP government. However, Minister of Works Syed Altaf Bukhari intervened and his telephonic instruction to Commissioner-Secretary General Administration Department at the eleventh hour rescued Thusu. On October 16, Thusu was yet again appointed as MD JKPCC even as he is facing serious charges in the case investigated by State Vigilance Organisation.

While as Tariq Ali Mir, who had been earlier attached over orders of Minister of Education Naeem Akhtar, managed his return inspite of serious charges (during his tenure as Director School Education Kashmir) had been already brought back to the sheen on August 21, two more of the officers removed unceremoniously were given new postings yesterday.

Dr Ghulam Nabi Qasba, who had been removed as Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation and attached on March 16, was yesterday appointed as State Director of National Livelihood Mission. Talat Parvez Rohella, who had been removed unceremoniously as DC Baramulla and attached on March 16, has been appointed as Director Floriculture Kashmir.

After serving as Director of Tourism for three years and holding the charge of MD J&K Cable Car Corporation, Rohella had been appointed as DC Baramulla by Governor Narendra Nath Vohra’s government on January 27, 2015. On serious charges against him, Mufti’s government removed and attached him on March 16.

General Administration Department served on Rohella memo of charges vide No: GAD(Ser.)KAS/63/99 Dated 8-5-2015. In July, former Chief Secretary Iqbal Khanday managed to stonewall a proposal of Vigilance investigation against Rohella. However, as an eyewash, Government ordered a formal departmental inquiry against him and Chief Secretary, according to sources, got one of his confidantes, namely Commissioner-Secretary Mohammad Ashraf Bukhari, appointed as Inquiry Officer.

Mr Bukhari was appointed as Inquiry Officer to investigate charges against Talat Parvez Rohella vide GAD’s Order No: 1010-GAD of 2015 Dated 24-7-2015. Without regard to the inquiry and without learning why the Inquiry Officer had not submitted his report in the last three months, Government on October 20 appointed Rohella as Director Floriculture Kashmir. “This is just an initiative to get him back. He is tipped to get one of the prize postings in the next reshuffle”, revealed an official source.

Insiders claimed that as a “significant development”, former Chief Secretary Iqbal Khanday recommended Rohella, KAS-1999, for induction into Indian Administrative Service between the day chargesheet was served on him and Bukhari was appointed as Inquiry Officer. Vigilance clearance was not sought for the favourites of the former Chief Secretary though some of them were facing extremely serious charges. Even after the change of Chief Secretary, Rohella managed to get himself appointed as Director Floriculture yesterday.

STATE TIMES is hereunder exclusively producing the full chargesheet served on Talat Parvez Rohella:



Articles of Charge I

                      Mr. Talat Parvez Rohella, KAS, while being posted as Director, Tourism, Kashmir, with effect from May, 2012 to January, 2015, adjusted various Class-IV officials against the posts of Junior assistants, otherwise falling within the direct recruitment quota, on temporary/stop-gap basis, pending selection of the suitable candidates against these posts through Services Selection Board, to which these posts were referred to for being filled-up in accordance with the rules. These officials were even allowed the charge allowance for their temporary/stop-gap placement against the direct recruitment posts of Junior Assistants. The officer, as such, violated the guidelines regarding streamlining the cadre management of the gazette and Non-gazetted services, issued vide Government Order No. 107-GAD of 2002 dated 16.1.2002, pursuant to approval of the State Cabinet to the report of High Power Committee in the case titled Suraj Prakash Gupta Vs State and others. The officer also acted in breach of Article 87 of J&K CSRs regarding admissibility of the charge allowance and Government instruction below article 85 of the J&K CSRs, providing that while making officiating arrangements, only such officials shall be appointed, who satisfy all the requirements for higher appointment, and that arrangement so put in place should stand the scrutiny of the Departmental Promotion Committee etc. The said act on the part of the officer tantamounts to violation of the Government rules and instructions relating to maintaining the quotas for various sources of appointment and the laid down procedure to be followed while making temporary/stop-gap arrangements and sanctioning payment of charge allowance, with a view to conferring undue benefit upon these officials and causing loss to the state exchequer.



Articles of Charge II

                      Mr. Talat Parvez Rohella, KAS, while being posted as Director, Tourism, Kashmir, with effect from May, 2012 to January, 2015, allowed M/S Kashmir Art Quest, Srinagar, to establish an Art Gallery in the Tourist Reception Centre, Srinagar presently under construction and yet to be handed over by the Executing Agency to the Tourism department, and also permitted conversion of the Main Hall on the first floor of the said building, without seeking approval of the Administrative Department, moreso when the original architectural plan of the Tourist City Centre did not include any plan for such an Art Gallery. The officer thus failed in maintaining absolute integrity and acted in a manner unbecoming of a government employee, thereby violating the provisions contained in J&K Employees (Conduct) Rules, 1971. The said act of allowing a particular agency to use prime property of the Government without following any norms, on the part of he officer tantamounts to violation of Rule 3 of J&K Employees (Conduct) Rules, 1971.



Articles of Charge III


                      Mr. Talat Parvez Rohella, KAS, while being posted as Director, Tourism, Kashmir, with effect from May, 2012 to January, 2015, allowed establishment of an Art Gallery in the Tourist Reception Centre, Srinagar, to a particular agency, without any ‘Expression of Interest’ and also without entering into an agreement regarding finalization of the modalities in so far as revenue generation model is concerned. On the contrary, the expenses to the tune of Rs. 10.09 lacs for furnishing the said space, by providing furniture (amounting to Rs. 4.91 lacs), IT/Technical Support (amounting to Rs. 4.58 lacs) and Stationery (amounting to Rs. 0.50 lacs), were incurred which were borne by the Directorate of tourism, without the knowledge and approval of the concerned Administrative Department. Moreover, the fee on account of use of electricity was also waived off. The said act, of conferring undue benefit upon a particular agency, on part of the officer, in violation of Rule 2.16 of Chapter IV of J&K Financial Code and procedure for permitting use of government property and waiver of the electricity fee, tantamounts to commission of financial irregularity, misuse of official position and acting beyond the competence.



Articles of Charge IV

                      Mr. Talat Parvez Rohella, KAS, while being posted as Director, Tourism, Kashmir, with effect from May, 2012 to January, 2015, did not adhere to the budgetary ceiling fixed by the Publicity Committee in respect of the Head “Advertisement and Publicity”. Although the expenditure on the date of Administrative Inspection, made by the Committee of officers deputed by the Tourism Department, was 463.48 lacs only, yet the clearance of the under process bills, amounting to Rs. 395.98 lacs, would mean that the liabilities to the tune of Rs. 209.46 lacs have been created over and above the sanctioned budget of Rs. 650.00 lacs. The said act, on the part of the officer amounts to financial indiscipline and violation of the General principles and restrictions relating to the expenditure contained in Rule 2.16 of Chapter IV of the J&K Financial Code and Instruction No. 3.15 of the Book of Financial Powers.



Articles of Charge V

                      Mr. Talat Parvez Rohella, KAS, while being posted as Director, Tourism, Kashmir, with effect from May, 2012 to January, 2015, allowed alterations/deviations in the original design of the Tourist City Centre, by adding some new items and deviating from the original DPR, without obtaining the administrative approval to undertaking any such work, which activity has amounted to revision in the DPR and creation of liabilities. Some major deviations are:

1. Central Heating
2. Brick cladding
3. Reconstruction of Block-B

The officer, thus acted beyond his competence, as provided in the book of Financial Power. This act on part of the officer tantamounts to misuse of official position and violation of principles laid own in Note below Rule 3.15 of book of Financial Powers.



Articles of Charge VI

                      Mr. Talat Parvez Rohella, KAS, while being posted as Director, Tourism, Kashmir, with effect from May, 2012 to January, 2015, engaged 482 persons as Need Based Workers, most of whom were engaged by the officer on the recommendations of the political functionaries, moreso when he was not authorized to make such engagements. An expenditure to the tune of Rs. 27.00 lacs, under non-plan, was incurred during the current financial year on this account. A ban was imposed on the engagement of Casual Labourers or the Seasonal Labourers vide SRO-64 Dated the 24th of March, 1994, in which among other things it was envisaged that the competent authority may engage Casual Labourer or Seasonal Labourer in any of the departments to be specified by notification from time to time by the Government. In pursuance of the said rule Government Order No. 239-F of 2005 dated 29.11.2005, 105-PD of 2010 dated 25.10.2010 and 138-F of 2013 dated 29.5.2013 was issued authorizing various departments to engage Casual/Seasonal Labourers on Need Basis. None of these orders mentions Tourism Department as one of the authorized departments, leave aside mentioning about Director, Tourism being delegated the powers in this regard for making such engagements. The act of engaging various Need Based Workers by the officer tantamounts to the violation of SRO-64 Dated the 24th of March, 1994, read with the aforesaid government Orders, and Commission of irregularities amounting to failure on part of the officer in maintaining absolute integrity and exhibiting conduct unbecoming of a public servant.



Articles of Charge VII

                      Mr. Talat Parvez Rohella, KAS, while being posted as Director, Tourism, Kashmir, with effect from May, 2012 to January, 2015, projected additionality of Rs. 1330.00 lacs over and above the Annual Plan 2014-15, allocation whereof was Rs. 2245.75 lacs. The said act on the part of the officer to create work done liability over and above the plan allocation tantamounts to violation of the General principles and rules contained in Chapter 3 of the Book of financial Powers ….”

END

[Published in today's STATE TIMES]

Kashmir litterateur returns Sahitya Akademi award

Dr Margoob Banihali: “My protest against Zahid’s killing”
 
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
_______

SRINAGAR, Oct 19: Eminent Kashmiri litterateur and former Head of Department of Kashmiri Language and Literature at University of Kashmir, Prof Margoob Banihali, on Monday announced to return his Sahitya Akademi award to the Government of India as a mark of protest against the murder of a young truck driver in Udhampur.

Author of 45 books in four languages, 80-year-old Prof Banihali chose STATE TIMES to make his announcement public. “I have decided to return the Sahitya Akademi award to register my protest against the continued repression of the minorities which reached to the extent of the innocent Zahid Rasool Bhat’s brutal murder”, Prof Banihali said.

“I should have in fact returned this award in 2010 when over a hundred Kashmiri Muslims were gunned down in Police action on the streets in Kashmir. Some more compelling incidents happened even thereafter. But, this time around, I was terribly shaken with Zahid’s death after he and two others were attacked with a petrol bomb and virtually burned alive. I contacted a number of other recipients but none of them was receptive to my suggestion. Then I decided to go it alone”, Prof Banihali explained.

He said that he would contact the Sahitya Akademi authorities and return not only the shield plaque of award but also the entire amount of money he had received in 1979. “These days, it is Rs one lakh. But when I was given the award in 1980, it was Rs 25,000 or Rs 50,000”, he said. Prof Baihali has received over a dozen prestigious State and national level awards for his contribution to language and literature.

In 1979, Sahitya Akademi had selected Prof Banihali for its award in Kashmiri category. His first Kashmiri poetry collection ‘Partavistaan’ was adjudged as the best by a jury. In the following 35 years, Prof Banihali published as many as 45 books. Around 30 of his books are in Kashmiri, 5 in Urdu and 10 more in English and Persian.

In addition to ‘Partavistaan’, his publications Tajalistaan, Deedmaan, Charagaan and Khaas Ehsaan also won him remarkable appreciation from critics and academia.

Before serving as a professor and HOD of Kashmiri at University of Kashmir for 11 years, until his retirement, Prof Banihali functioned as faculty in PG department of Persian for 11 years. He also headed the University’s Centre for Central Asian Studies and Iqbal Institute.

Even as Kashmiri journalist-poet Ghulam Nabi Khayal has last week announced to return his Sahitya Akademi award in protest of the Dadri resident Mohammad Akhlaq’s killing by a frenzied group, Prof Banihali is the first among nearly two dozen Kashmiri litterateurs who is returning his Sahitya Akademi award in protest of the Kashmiri truck driver Zahid Rasool Bhat’s killing in Udhampur.

END

Shutdown, undeclared curfew, clashes mark driver’s funeral

Incessant rain spoils anti-coalition demonstrations; PDP under pressure to review alliance with BJP
 
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
_______

SRINAGAR, Oct 19: With near-total shutdown in Kashmir valley on different political and non-political groups’ and alliances’ call and the authorities enforcing curfew without formal declaration in parts of the summer capital, funeral rites of a young truck driver were held in the backdrop of anti-coalition demonstrations and clashes at Botengo village in Anantnag district of South Kashmir. Victim of a petrol bomb attack at Udhampur, on Srinagar-Jammu highway, on October 9^th, Zahid Rasool Bhat died at New Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital on Sunday.

Senior government functionaries, including Ministers, bureaucrats and Police officers looked relieved to a great extent as the incessant rains for the whole day did not let potential demonstrators gather and create a major trouble for the authorities. Law and order machinery enforced curfew without a formal declaration in downtown Srinagar and sealed all the roads leading to Zahid’s village, Botengo, in close vicinity of Anantnag district headquarters. Thousands of people did, nevertheless, participate in the funeral procession. Zahid was laid to rest amid anti-India, anti-coalition and pro-Azadi slogans.

Officials maintained that around 1,500 people attended Zahid’s funeral. However, independent reports from South Kashmir put the number of the participants over 3,000. “Rain has spoiled our program. Otherwise, it would have been a gathering of 50,000 people here”, said one Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, a resident of Botengo. He alleged that Police and security forces too held the area under siege and did not allow any outside movement towards Botengo.

At Botengo and around a dozen places in the capital city, demonstrators clashed with Police and CRPF. They shouted slogans against the PDP-BJP coalition, called the ruling coalition as a collaborator of RSS, Shiv Sena and other bigot groups and stressed PDP sever alliance with the BJP. Sources insist that pressure was mounting on PDP and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to break his party’s power partnership with BJP. Significantly, PDP as well as Chief Minister sympathised with the bereaved family and the government granted ex-gratia relief of Rs 5 lakh and a regular job for one of the eligible family members.

Reports said that the call for shutdown had a considerable impact all over the Valley as no passenger services operated and few shops and business establishments were open. Many of the government offices and educational institutions did not open for business and transport was off the road at most of the places. Only skeletal traffic services operated on the tense Srinagar-Jammu national highway.

Authorities suspended even the usual train services on Banihal-Srinagar-Baramulla track.

Senior BJP leader and Minister of Human Resources Development Smriti Irani was supposed to be Chief Guest at Islamic University of Science and Technology at Awantipora. She did not travel to Kashmir as the University’s annual convocation was deferred indefinitely due to inclement weather, shutdown over the trucker’s death and a student group’s letter to Vice Chancellor which made it clear that receiving degrees from a BJP leader and a Sangh Parivar supporter was in no way acceptable to the students.

Reporting of stone pelting and clashes with Police and CRPF also came in from some places in northern Kashmir.

At Narbal, a group of demonstrators attacked the PDP’s Gulmarg MLA Mohammad Abbas Wani’s Bolero when he was on way to his home from Srinagar. Side windscreens of the targeted vehicle cracked though the MLA, escorted by his PSOs, proceeded towards his destination of Tangmarg. Mr Wani said it was a minor attack and his vehicle did not suffer much damage.

SSP Budgam Fayaz Ahmad Lone told STATE TIMES that the MLA drove from Srinagar to Tangmarg without informing Police about his travel plan. “Still our SDPO and Police party were present at Narbal. Some boys tossed a couple of stones and a side windshield of the vehicle cracked. He reached his home safely”, SSP Budgam said.

END

Kashmir turns tense over driver's death in Udhampur attack

Govt to enforce undeclared curfew in downtown Srinagar; separatists, traders, transporters call for shutdown


Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
______

SRINAGAR, Oct 18: Entire Kashmir valley turned tense over the 24-year-old truck driver Zahid Rasool Bhat’s death in Safdarjung Hospital of New Delhi on Sunday, nine days after he alongwith two others sustained serious burn injuries in a petrol bomb attack allegedly by activists and followers of some Hindu right wing groups on the highway in Udhampur.

Immediately after the news of Zahid's death spread through social media, followed by television, authorities swung into action and put in place an exhaustive contingency plan to deal with a possible turbulence. Parts of Anantnag and Kulgam districts observed shutdown without any group's call. Transport on Srinagar-Jammu highway thinned down to a trickle and clashes between the unruly youth groups and Police occurred at around a dozen places.

Zahid's body in a coffin reached by State government’s aircraft from New Delhi at 5.40 pm. Five members of the bereaved family and its relatives carried Zahid’s body to Srinagar and thereafter by ambulance to his village of Botengo in Kulgam area of South Kashmir.

At Srinagar Airport, the coffin was received by PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu, Law Minister Basharat Bukhari and CM's aide Waheed-ur-Reman Parra. National Conference leaders Sakeena Itoo, Nasir Aslam Wani and Bashir Ahmad Veeri were also present at the arrival.

Family sources told STATE TIMES that Zahid's funeral rites would be performed at 9.00 a.m. on Monday.

With condemnations pouring in from all possible quarters, almost all the separatist organisations and alliances, including both factions of Hurriyat Conference and JKLF, besides transporters and traders bodies called for total shutdown on Monday. Individual leaders and organisations came down with tons of flak on the ruling BJP's ideological arm RSS and PDP-BJP coalition.

The PDP-BJP alliance was at the receiving end of fire from almost all the separatist and mainstream opposition parties, civil society groups and thousands of netizens on social media who alleged that the two ruling parties had promoted hatred, mistrust and total divide between the people of the two regions first in 2008 and now in 2015. They invariably alleged that “goons and zealots enjoying BJP's patronage”, which was in power courtesy PDP, had been given a long rope to target and victimise the followers of one particular region and religion.

NC President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held
BJP and its allies “directly responsible” for Zahid's death in allegedly the BJP-RSS  attack of October 9^th . He said on Twitter: "The Hon PM passed the buck on to @yadavakhilesh & the UP Govt for #Dadri. Who will he blame for #Zahid's death now???”

“And to think that all the state Govt could do was to throw 10,000 rupees at #Zahid & wash it's hands off the whole thing #BeefMurder". Omar added:  “Another needless death in the name of #BeefBan for which the BJP & its affiliates including allies are directly responsible".

The government was particularly targeted for its "exhibitionism" after the State Information Department circulated a photograph showing Ms Mufti and Mr Drabu getting themselves clicked with Zahid's coffin.

Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed came out immediately with his reaction. “I have no words to condemn the dastardly act which consumed the life of a poor and innocent young boy for no fault of his,” he said.

Expressing solidarity with the family members of the deceased, the Chief Minister said under no circumstances shall those guilty of this barbaric crime be allowed to go unpunished.

He said though the loss of life of Zahid in the tragic incident cannot be compensated, he had directed the official machinery to extend all possible help to the bereaved family in its hour of grief.

END

Karra drops second bombshell, says PDP got RSS to Valley

AhmedAli Fayyaz
_________

SRINAGAR, Oct 17: Days after urging his party patron and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to break the alliance with BJP over the beef issue, senior PDP leader and Lok Sabha member from Srinagar Tariq Hameed Karra on Saturday asserted that the coalition had proved to be harmful not only for PDP but also for the whole State.

In an interview to a local newsmagazine, Karra called the PDP-led coalition a failure and claimed that it had failed to deliver on the promises it made to the people.

“If we do an honest appraisal of this government’s performance in the last seven months, nothing seems to be happening on the ground on political, economic and developmental fronts. There seems to be more of rhetorical symbolism in this Government’s functioning than any tangible deliverance on ground,” Karra is reported to have said. According to him, BJP took the PDP for a ride and the right wing RSS made inroads in Kashmir valley with the facilitation of the PDP.

Karra, who functioned as Minister of Finance and Forest in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s and Ghulam Nabi Azad's PDP-Congress government, said that an "inherent bias" against the Kashmiris in the Indian bureaucracy was a reason behind the Centre's denial of a financial package to the flood victims of the Valley.

“If New Delhi can reach out to the people affected by natural calamities in Uttarakhand and Nepal with hefty relief and rehabilitation package, what is preventing it from doing so in Kashmir? It seems to be only because of an inherent bias at various levels in New Delhi's establishment,” Karra reportedly said.

Member of the PDP-BJP coalition coordination committee, Karra  has not attended a single meeting of the panel as he says he was not part of the arrangement either before the formation of the alliance or thereafter. His sister-in-law Asiya Naqash is currently PDP's MLA from Hazratbal and Minister of State for Health in Mufti's government.

END

IG Crime orders PV in Budgam land conversion

DGP directs SSP to come down heavily on land mafia

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

----------------

SRINAGAR, Oct 16: Crime Headquarters of Jammu and Kashmir Police has taken cognizance of an exposè in STATE TIMES and ordered a time-bound Preliminary Verification of the reports of a large scale conversion of agricultural lands in violation of Agrarian Reforms Act and a chain of orders of a Division Bench of J&K High Court.

Vide his letter No: CHQ/Clt/15/K-972-15/23141-42, dated 15-10-2015, with a copy for information to Director General of Police, Inspector General of Police Crime, Munir Khan, has directed SSP Crime Kashmir to take notice, constitute a team of officers, hold a PV into the report of agricultural land conversion through illegal means at Ompora Budgam and submit his report of findings within 10 days.

"You are advised to constitute a team of officers and ascertain the factual position by initiating a PV into the matter and furnish a factual report within ten days positively. PV bearing No: PV (K) 129 of 2015 is allotted to the instant source report", IGP Crime has written to SSP Crime Branch Kashmir.

In its issue of October 15, STATE TIMES had exposed how scores of tippers had been employed by a land mafia for illegal and unauthorised conversion of agricultural lands by way of earth filling during previous night. While there are standing orders from a Division Bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court against conversion of agricultural lands, section 13 of Agrarian Reforms Act makes it clear that none other than Revenue Minister is competent authority for granting land use change under rules in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a related development on Friday, DGP K Rajendra Kumar directed SSP Budgam "to come down heavily on violators".

COMPLAINANT ATTACKED

Interestingly, minutes before DGP's direction, members of the land mafia allegedly chased and forced collision of their vehicle against the Duster of a complainant, namely Mohammad Shafi Qureshi, outside Tehsildar's office and 50 yards from Police Station of Budgam. Eyewitnesses said that Qureshi's vehicle, JK04C- 3435, suffered damage and he was beaten up. He rushed to Police Station where 5th FIR was registered against the group of the assailants.

"It was an attempt to murder. SHO has registered FIR and initiated action. The assaulter, Bashir Ahmad, was arrested", Qureshi said. Another member of the gang has been already arrested by Police after FIR against fresh violation was registered on Tehsildar's written order on Thursday. Sources said that the violation has taken place even after three undertakings and sureties in three different FIRs from the same land brokers at the same spot.

Police and Revenue officials claim to be "completely professional and impartial" but many of the residents allege that some of them had shut their eyes to such violations at Ompora and other places on periphery of Budgam district headquarters out of incompetency while as others were "hand in glove" with Police and Revenue officers. "When there's is public outcry or acute pressure for other reasons, these people are booked and detained. But everybody knows that they get VIP treatment in custody until they get bail. No challan has been filed against them despite the Police having proven cases against them", said a complainant.

END

[Published in today's STATE TIMES]

Burqa-clad man captured in dramatic shootout in Pulwama 

Two civilians injured; knife, grenade seized from vehicle 

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz 

--------------- 

SRINAGAR, Oct 16: Police on Friday claimed to have seized alive a burqa-clad militant operative, alongwith a large size knife and a hand grenade, even as two to three militants managed to escape and two civilians sustained injuries in the shootout at district headquarters of Pulwama in southern Kashmir.

Residents and passengers of different destination gave conflicting versions as some of them maintained that the two civilians got injured in the Police firing and others claimed that they were hit in the firing from suspected militants. That the town of violent reactions remained calm after the firing, was an indication that the men who fired and escaped were militants.

Senior Superintendent of Police Pulwama Tejinder Singh told STATE TIMES that Special Operations Group of Pulwama District Police launched an operation to track the militants when it received information that three to four of them were in suspicious movement from Arihal to Pulwama. 

"Our men got suspicious about one particular Tata-Sumo in General Bus Stand and began questioning some passengers on board. They asked the passengers to come down for checking. A burqa-clad women with a male commuter responded to the command without reluctance. The SOG men got suspicious about another burqa-clad commuter on the front seat. They asked the passenger to come out and found him a male. Suddenly, one of the two or three militants from behind another Sumo opened fire from one AK-47 rifle. Our men ducked and took a shield but two middle-aged passengers sustained gunshot wounds. Police failed to retaliate for fear of civilian casualties and all the militants escaped", SSP said.

Singh said that the burqa-clad male was captured alive with a long size knife. A grenade fell from his hand or pocket which was also seized. He later identified himself as Tariq Ahmad Sheikh of Drachhu, a village bordering Pulwama and Shopian districts. With a "superficial gunshot injury", he was rushed to a Srinagar hospital for treatment. 

"Doctors described him as stable but we decided to interrogate him only next morning, after his complete recovery. He is currently under treatment in Srinagar. Other two civilians were treated at District Hospital of Pulwama. One was hit in his foot and another in her arm. They were identified as Riyaz Ahmad Khan and Rahti of Arihal village", SSP said.

DIG South Kashmir Nitish Kumar said that Police had launched an investigation. He said that the escapees were believed to be the local cadres of Hizbul Mujahideen. "It seems that on induction of one or two fresh recruits, militants had planned to attack a Policeman or CRPF cop to snatch away his gun. Things will become clear by tomorrow", DIG said.

Yet another Police official revealed that the Tata Sumo driver narrated the whole story during interrogation. He revealed that three militants and a fresh recruit had boarded the Pulwama-bound Sumo at Arihal. They disembarked at Pulwama. The driver got suspicious and after a while he was sure that the burqa-clad passenger on the front seat was a male after he paid cash of Rs 60 as fair. After 15 to 20 minutes, all the four suspected militants came back towards the same vehicle. Three of them behind another vehicle attempted to kill the SOG men when they were asking the burqa-clad passenger on the front seat to come out.

"After his sustained questioning tomorrow we may be able to say whether the detained person was a regular militant or just an overground worker. We have registered an FIR", DIG said. 

END

[Published in today's STATE TIMES ]