Autopsy shows Nishat boy was targeted from behind
Funeral conducted amid pro-Azadi, anti-India slogans
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
SRINAGAR, Feb 6: Post mortem of Zahid Farooq Shah today revealed that the 16-year-old student of Brain locality of Nishat had been fired upon from behind by the armed forces whose identification has been assigned to different Police and intelligence agencies in addition to two formal inquiries being conducted by Police and Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir. Meanwhile, on sixth consecutive day of near-total shutdown in Valley and undeclared curfew in half of the capital city, funeral rites of the young student were conducted today at Nishat amid pro-Azadi and anti-India slogans by the gathering.
Informed sources revealed to Early Times that a team of doctors from Government Medical College Srinagar, led by Head of Pathology Department and some doctors from Forensic Medicine Department, conducted the post mortem of Zahid Farooq Shah at Police Hospital on the Police Control Room premises here. Some members from the bereaved family and their neighbours also watched the proceedings recorded on two video cameras in presence of a duty magistrate and Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Meraj Ahmed Kakroo.
Thereafter the dead body was returned to the family members and carried to Brain area of Nishat where the funeral rites were conducted amid anti-India and pro-Azadi slogans by a gathering of nearly 2,000 people. DC Srinagar, Meraj Ahmed Kakroo, called on the bereaved family and assured the slain student’s father that Government had assigned the formal inquiry to Police and Divisional Commissioner. He told them that Chief Minister had directed the authorities to complete the investigation, identify and arrest the men responsible for opening fire within the next seven days.
Sources revealed that the team of doctors conducting the post mortem observed that the 16-year-old boy had been fired upon from an automatic rifle, probably while fleeing, from behind. He was found to have been hit in his back and the bullet was found to have come out through his chest. It has further nullified any kind of justification of opening the fire even as officials have already stated that there had been no provocation, demonstration or any incident of stone pelting.
Sources said that in addition to the two formal inquiries by Police and Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Mrs Naseema Lankar, who has today issued a public notice asking all concerned and eyewitnesses to record their statement within next seven days, government had asked at least three different intelligence agencies to identify the culprits and the motive behind opening fire on a young student.
Kashmir valley observed near-total shutdown on the 6th consecutive day today. Valley has been disturbed and remarkably tense after another teenaged student, Wamiq Farooq Wani, died here in teargas shelling of Police reportedly on a stone pelting group of youngsters in Rajouri Kadal area of downtown Srinagar on Januray 31st evening. Hurriyat had called for a day’s shutdown in protest next day. Thereafter, shutdown has continued without anybody’s call.
With undeclared curfew continuing in half the capital city on the third consecutive day today, there were few incidents of stone pelting on Police and CRPF. As compared to the first three days of this month, situation appears to be improving but a degree of tension is perceptibly existing in Srinagar, Baramulla and Sopore towns. A couple of minor incidents of clashes were reported today from Batmaloo and Pampore besides Anantnag township in south Kashmir.
Meanwhile, two Ministers, namely Ali Mohammad Sagar and Nasir Aslam Wani, besides Advisor to Chief Minister, Mubarak Gul and NC’s MLC, Ghulam Qadir Pardesi, reached here this evening in the state aircraft from Jammu to take stock of the situation. They took a meeting with senior officials which, among others, was attended by DGP Kuldeep Khoda, ADG CID, K Rajindra Kumar, IGP and Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir.
Sources said that relaxation of curfew on rotation basis was likely in downtown Srinagar on Sunday on the final assessment of the commanders incharge of the localities in the morning tomorrow.
END
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Teenager gunned down near CRPF hqs in Srinagar
Cop, civilian killed in yet another broad daylight militant strike in Sopore
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
SRINAGAR, Feb 5: In five days of the death of a 15-year-old student in tearsmoke shelling of Police on a group of stone pelting youth, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has allegedly gunned down another teenager after some students catcalled the paramilitaries close to the office of Additional Director General of Police of CRPF at Brain (Nishat) on Dalgate-Harwan Road. Meanwhile, separatist militants have carried out yet another broad daylight attack on a Police party in Sopore, killing a Head Constable of Thanna Mandi area of Rajouri district and a local middle-aged civilian on spot.
Informed sources told Early Times that minutes after the Friday prayers concluded at different mosques, a group of teenaged students reportedly catcalled the paramilitaries just 300 yards from CRPF’s Kashmir headquarters at Brain, in Nishat area. The vehicle carrying the paramilitaries, believed to be CRPF personnel, was on way to Shalimar area. Even as the vehicle plying on Boulevard zigzag slowed down and kept moving towards its destinations, a visibly exasperated soldier opened fire. One among the group of booing students was directly hit. He was evacuated by his colleagues and residents and rushed to SMHS Hospital for medical treatment. He was quickly referred to SKIMS for specialized treatment and rushed to Soura where doctors declared him as ‘brought dead’. He was identified as 16-year-old Zahid Farooq Shah S/o Farooq Ahmed Shah of Brain, Nishat, reportedly a class 11th student.
SSP Srinagar, Javed Riyaz Bedar, said that on a phone call from SKIMS, Police Station Nishat registered a murder case under section 302 RPC against unidentified personnel of armed forces. Residents and family members, according to him, complained that armed men in uniform had opened fire on the pedestrian students from their moving vehicle without any reason and provocation. He said that Police had immediately started an investigation and efforts were underway to identify and arrest the men responsible for opening fire and killing a young student.
SSP said it was surprising that the shootout had occurred in a peaceful neighbourhood which had neither put up any demonstration nor resorted to stone pelting on Police or armed forces like many of the capital city localities over the death of a 15-year-old student, namely Wamiq Faooq Wani of Rainawari area, in the last five days.
Reports said that hundreds of people gathered at the bereaved family and they began carrying the student’s dead body towards Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s residence on Gupkar Road. Police created barriers and repulsed the march of the procession with the use of baton charge and tearsmoke. Demonstrators shouting pro-Azadi and anti-India slogans demanded justice and insisted Chief Minister to explain to them as to why armed forces had gunned down an innocent youth when, according to them, there was neither any procession nor any incident of stone pelting or other form of provocation in the peaceful locality. In a clash with Police, the angry crowds tossed Kangris on about a dozen of Police personnel including an ASI.
Sources said that Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, who was winding up his review meeting with District Development Board at Anantnag, took serious notice of the “unwarranted shootout”. While returning to the winter capital of Jammu alongwith his Ministerial colleagues and senior officials in a state aircraft, Chief Minister directed Director General of Police, Mr Kuldeep Khoda, to personally remain camping in Srinagar for supervision of the Police investigation and tackling the potentially dangerous situation.
“Government has also instituted a high level enquiry to bring the facts in the matter to the fore and book the culprits. The said high level enquiry will be headed by the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Mrs. Naseema Lankar and she will submit a report within seven days”, an official press release said. It added that Chief Minister had expressed his deep anguish on the killing of the young boy and said that incidents of unprovoked / innocent killings would not be tolerated. “Whosoever is involved in such killings will be brought to book and doled out exemplary punishment so that it becomes a lesson and deterrent for others as well”, it added.
Chief Minister has said the State Government was committed to zero-tolerance of human rights abuse and his Government would punish all those who violated the Human Rights. The Chief Minister has also asked the entire administration to sensitize all ranks and files in the forces deployed in the state to exercise utmost restraint and not get provoked by the elements who want to disrupt peace and harmony in the State. He said his Government would not allow disruptive elements to create law and order situation in the State but at the same time would not tolerate any kind of human rights violation.
Sources said that Chief Minister directed DGP Mr Kuldeep Khoda, Additional DG CID, K Rajindra Kumar and Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Mrs Naseema Lankar, to hold three separate inquiries and submit their reports to the government within a week’s time. He made it clear to them all that Police and paramilitary forces would get all necessary support to lawfully tackle with the miscreants but no episode of over-reaction and excessive use of force would be tolerated by the government.
In view of growing tension due to another teenager civilian’s death at the hands of Police and CRPF today, authorities imposed restriction of movement under section 144 CrPC in 60% area of the capital city this evening. Reinforcement contingents were deployed in several sensitive areas in downtown Srinagar.
Kashmir valley, particularly Srinagar city, today observed near-total shutdown on the fifth consecutive day even after Hurriyat and other separatist groups had called for such a bandh only on February 2nd in protest against the killing of a young student, namely Wamiq Farooq Wani, allegedly in tearsmoke shelling of Police in Rajouri Kadal area on Sunday last. Authorities too has imposed an undeclared curfew, euphemistically called ‘restrictions under sections 144 Cr PC’ in areas falling under five Police Stations of Maharaj Gunj, Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari and Safakadal. Without an official declaration, similar restrictions were enforced in Batmaloo area.
Reports said that five or six incidents of slogan shouting and stone pelting by thin groups of demonstrators took place in downtown Srinagar and Baramulla. However, these were all of low intensity as Police and CRPF strictly enforced the prohibitory orders and began rounding up many of the youth prominently participating in stone pelting and demonstrations. Those picked up and detained from different areas of Srinagar included Principal District & Sessions Judge Kupwara, Rashid Ali Dar’s brother-in-law, Ehsan Ahmed Bhat of Rainawari. SSP Srinagar said that he would see why the 25-year-old young man had been detained by Police.
Meanwhile, informed sources in north Kashmir told Early Times that two gunmen, both carrying AK-47 rifles, emerged from Shalpora lane at main square of Sopore, close to much targeted SBI complex, and they opened heavy fire on a Police party on duty immediately after conclusion of Friday prayers at different mosques in the apple-rich township. Head Constable Irshad Ahmed Mirza (IRP 7th Ban) S/o Badar Hussain R/o Shahpur Behrot Thanamandi, Rajouri, and a local farmer, namely Ghulam Hassan Dar S/o Mohammad Subhan Dar R/o Dangarpora, Sopore, got killed.
SPO Javed Ahmed and another civilian, Nazir Ahmed War, sustained injuries.
DIG North Kashmir, Abdul Qayoom Manhas, said that dead body of the slain head constable was dispatched for Rajouri and it had crossed Jawahar Tunnel this evening. He said that according to eyewitnesses one of the militants was in black pheran and another wore a white one. Police had got some clues and a manhunt had been launched to get them both.
Witnessing a flurry of militant activity since December last, Sopore has been gripped by fear of the gun after a pause of nearly three years. Lon December 30th, militants had gunned down four CRPF personnel at Janwari Crossing on Sopore-Bandipore Road and decamped with two of their weapons in a broad daylight strike. On January 8th, militants had gunned down one Bilal Ahmed in Armpora locality for allegedly working for security forces. Later, on January 15th, militants conducted a fidayeen-type strike on Police Station Sopore, again in broad daylight, and left SP Sopore’s PSO and a civilian dead. They again managed to escape. Two of the militants last week got trapped during a Police-Army crackdown but they too managed to escape after setting their hiding place on fire.
END
Cop, civilian killed in yet another broad daylight militant strike in Sopore
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
SRINAGAR, Feb 5: In five days of the death of a 15-year-old student in tearsmoke shelling of Police on a group of stone pelting youth, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has allegedly gunned down another teenager after some students catcalled the paramilitaries close to the office of Additional Director General of Police of CRPF at Brain (Nishat) on Dalgate-Harwan Road. Meanwhile, separatist militants have carried out yet another broad daylight attack on a Police party in Sopore, killing a Head Constable of Thanna Mandi area of Rajouri district and a local middle-aged civilian on spot.
Informed sources told Early Times that minutes after the Friday prayers concluded at different mosques, a group of teenaged students reportedly catcalled the paramilitaries just 300 yards from CRPF’s Kashmir headquarters at Brain, in Nishat area. The vehicle carrying the paramilitaries, believed to be CRPF personnel, was on way to Shalimar area. Even as the vehicle plying on Boulevard zigzag slowed down and kept moving towards its destinations, a visibly exasperated soldier opened fire. One among the group of booing students was directly hit. He was evacuated by his colleagues and residents and rushed to SMHS Hospital for medical treatment. He was quickly referred to SKIMS for specialized treatment and rushed to Soura where doctors declared him as ‘brought dead’. He was identified as 16-year-old Zahid Farooq Shah S/o Farooq Ahmed Shah of Brain, Nishat, reportedly a class 11th student.
SSP Srinagar, Javed Riyaz Bedar, said that on a phone call from SKIMS, Police Station Nishat registered a murder case under section 302 RPC against unidentified personnel of armed forces. Residents and family members, according to him, complained that armed men in uniform had opened fire on the pedestrian students from their moving vehicle without any reason and provocation. He said that Police had immediately started an investigation and efforts were underway to identify and arrest the men responsible for opening fire and killing a young student.
SSP said it was surprising that the shootout had occurred in a peaceful neighbourhood which had neither put up any demonstration nor resorted to stone pelting on Police or armed forces like many of the capital city localities over the death of a 15-year-old student, namely Wamiq Faooq Wani of Rainawari area, in the last five days.
Reports said that hundreds of people gathered at the bereaved family and they began carrying the student’s dead body towards Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s residence on Gupkar Road. Police created barriers and repulsed the march of the procession with the use of baton charge and tearsmoke. Demonstrators shouting pro-Azadi and anti-India slogans demanded justice and insisted Chief Minister to explain to them as to why armed forces had gunned down an innocent youth when, according to them, there was neither any procession nor any incident of stone pelting or other form of provocation in the peaceful locality. In a clash with Police, the angry crowds tossed Kangris on about a dozen of Police personnel including an ASI.
Sources said that Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, who was winding up his review meeting with District Development Board at Anantnag, took serious notice of the “unwarranted shootout”. While returning to the winter capital of Jammu alongwith his Ministerial colleagues and senior officials in a state aircraft, Chief Minister directed Director General of Police, Mr Kuldeep Khoda, to personally remain camping in Srinagar for supervision of the Police investigation and tackling the potentially dangerous situation.
“Government has also instituted a high level enquiry to bring the facts in the matter to the fore and book the culprits. The said high level enquiry will be headed by the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Mrs. Naseema Lankar and she will submit a report within seven days”, an official press release said. It added that Chief Minister had expressed his deep anguish on the killing of the young boy and said that incidents of unprovoked / innocent killings would not be tolerated. “Whosoever is involved in such killings will be brought to book and doled out exemplary punishment so that it becomes a lesson and deterrent for others as well”, it added.
Chief Minister has said the State Government was committed to zero-tolerance of human rights abuse and his Government would punish all those who violated the Human Rights. The Chief Minister has also asked the entire administration to sensitize all ranks and files in the forces deployed in the state to exercise utmost restraint and not get provoked by the elements who want to disrupt peace and harmony in the State. He said his Government would not allow disruptive elements to create law and order situation in the State but at the same time would not tolerate any kind of human rights violation.
Sources said that Chief Minister directed DGP Mr Kuldeep Khoda, Additional DG CID, K Rajindra Kumar and Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Mrs Naseema Lankar, to hold three separate inquiries and submit their reports to the government within a week’s time. He made it clear to them all that Police and paramilitary forces would get all necessary support to lawfully tackle with the miscreants but no episode of over-reaction and excessive use of force would be tolerated by the government.
In view of growing tension due to another teenager civilian’s death at the hands of Police and CRPF today, authorities imposed restriction of movement under section 144 CrPC in 60% area of the capital city this evening. Reinforcement contingents were deployed in several sensitive areas in downtown Srinagar.
Kashmir valley, particularly Srinagar city, today observed near-total shutdown on the fifth consecutive day even after Hurriyat and other separatist groups had called for such a bandh only on February 2nd in protest against the killing of a young student, namely Wamiq Farooq Wani, allegedly in tearsmoke shelling of Police in Rajouri Kadal area on Sunday last. Authorities too has imposed an undeclared curfew, euphemistically called ‘restrictions under sections 144 Cr PC’ in areas falling under five Police Stations of Maharaj Gunj, Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari and Safakadal. Without an official declaration, similar restrictions were enforced in Batmaloo area.
Reports said that five or six incidents of slogan shouting and stone pelting by thin groups of demonstrators took place in downtown Srinagar and Baramulla. However, these were all of low intensity as Police and CRPF strictly enforced the prohibitory orders and began rounding up many of the youth prominently participating in stone pelting and demonstrations. Those picked up and detained from different areas of Srinagar included Principal District & Sessions Judge Kupwara, Rashid Ali Dar’s brother-in-law, Ehsan Ahmed Bhat of Rainawari. SSP Srinagar said that he would see why the 25-year-old young man had been detained by Police.
Meanwhile, informed sources in north Kashmir told Early Times that two gunmen, both carrying AK-47 rifles, emerged from Shalpora lane at main square of Sopore, close to much targeted SBI complex, and they opened heavy fire on a Police party on duty immediately after conclusion of Friday prayers at different mosques in the apple-rich township. Head Constable Irshad Ahmed Mirza (IRP 7th Ban) S/o Badar Hussain R/o Shahpur Behrot Thanamandi, Rajouri, and a local farmer, namely Ghulam Hassan Dar S/o Mohammad Subhan Dar R/o Dangarpora, Sopore, got killed.
SPO Javed Ahmed and another civilian, Nazir Ahmed War, sustained injuries.
DIG North Kashmir, Abdul Qayoom Manhas, said that dead body of the slain head constable was dispatched for Rajouri and it had crossed Jawahar Tunnel this evening. He said that according to eyewitnesses one of the militants was in black pheran and another wore a white one. Police had got some clues and a manhunt had been launched to get them both.
Witnessing a flurry of militant activity since December last, Sopore has been gripped by fear of the gun after a pause of nearly three years. Lon December 30th, militants had gunned down four CRPF personnel at Janwari Crossing on Sopore-Bandipore Road and decamped with two of their weapons in a broad daylight strike. On January 8th, militants had gunned down one Bilal Ahmed in Armpora locality for allegedly working for security forces. Later, on January 15th, militants conducted a fidayeen-type strike on Police Station Sopore, again in broad daylight, and left SP Sopore’s PSO and a civilian dead. They again managed to escape. Two of the militants last week got trapped during a Police-Army crackdown but they too managed to escape after setting their hiding place on fire.
END
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Forget Kanna, who made ‘renegade’ Usman Majeed a Minister?
PDP makes Chidambaram’s juicy ice-cream a hot potato for NC
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
SRINAGAR, Feb 4: Having intelligently perceived Omar Abdullah-led coalition government’s low level of confidence, poor memory and instinct of panic reaction, coupled by abject failure its media machinery, opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief, Mehbooba Mufti, has successfully turned the prominent counter-insurgent Moma Kanna’s nomination for the prestigious Padma Shree into a hot potato for the real target National Conference (NC). Ms Mufti has remarkably amplified her diatribe on Kanna immediately after the NC patriarch Dr Farooq Abdullah confirmed his support to Kanna and Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, distanced himself as well as his government from the much maligned ‘renegade’.
It doesn’t take much to notice that in almost everything---transfer and appointment of officers, release of separatist activists, detention of Police officers on perception rather than facts---13-month-old coalition government has placed itself on a defensive wicket. It appears to be keener to be in crease than to take the risk of making a run. That is perhaps a major reason why it has failed to lay its own impression. It publicly threatened to bulldoze “illegally raised” newspaper offices but, after learning that it had not the spine, it discovered expediency in eating the humble pie.
Mufti Sayeed’s 16-MLA PDP Government had conveyed its authority to all concerned in a more practical and understandable language. His bulldozers spared neither a prominent JKLF leader’s relatives at Maisuma nor an influential Urdu daily office at Children’s Park in Srinagar. That Mufti’s party continues to retain influence over both, media as well as the separatists, even after losing power is evident from the fact that not a single newspaper or television news channel reported a mob’s attack on the PDP chief in Shopian until she herself revealed it in Legislative Assembly months later. She, in fact, wanted to establish that NC and its Government had organized the attack.
Rather than using their own Government machinery to ascertain facts about the controversial Padma Shree awardee, Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Moma Kanna of Magam, three of the NC’s Ministers---Ali Mohammad Sagar, Nasir Aslam Wani and Mubarak Gul---resorted to second-hand usage of this newspaper’s interview with the character in question. Apparently briefed by their officials or party workers, the Ministers on tour in Srinagar (read Srinagar Civil Lines) restricted their “counter-offensive” on Ms Mufti to Kanna’s claim that he was instrumental in getting Mufti’s kidnapped daughter Rubaiya Sayeed released from the clutches of JKLF militants in December 1989 from Uthoora village in Baramulla district.
Kanna had, in fact, revealed much more pertinent: That Mufti’s Ministerial colleague George Fernandes and Governor Girish Chander Saxena remained directly in touch with him in whatever he did in 1990-91. His more emphatic assertion, which definitely warrants Ms Mufti’s reaction, was that she and her Government’s Minister incharge Hajj & Auqaf, Sarfaraz Khan, fielded Kanna’s daughter Ateeqa as PDP’s candidate in the municipal elections of 2005 in Magam. Perceptibly apologetic Sagar thought it prudent to just make his NC pot and the PDP a kettle, calling the former black.
Fact of the matter is that Kanna became a counter-insurgent in 1989-90 when there was no conception of the counter-insurgent Ikhwan he has been labeled. Media has raised an uproar over the criminal FIRs registered against him but, till date, failed to find one beyond that infamous attack of BSF in Magam on the journalists. Unlike Kukka Parray and Papa Kishtwari, “victims” are yet to come forward with allegations of “rape, torture, kidnapping, custodial killings and extortion” against Kanna.
On the other hand, serious allegations of rape, extortion, torture, custodial killing and extortion do exist against equally or perhaps more prominent counter-insurgents like Kukka Parray, Javed Shah, Papa Kishtwari, Liaquat Ali, Usman Majeed et al. Neither NC nor PDP can be put to blame for making Kukka Parray an MLA. Kishtwari and Liaquat unsuccessfully contested elections while facing opposition from both NC as well as PDP.
Dr Farooq Abdullah’s act of making militant-turned-counterinsurgent Javed Shah a Member of Legislative Council is perhaps more unpardonable than recommending Kanna for a Padma Shree, if one believes that Omar Abdullah and Sagar should be really apologetic on the man who never chose to become a militant. Perhaps the better course would be to seek a public apology from the “Kashmiri nation”.
But, how could one forget that it was none other than Ms Mufti’s father who inducted militant-turned-‘renegade’ Usman Majeed as a Minister of State in his government in 2002-05. Has the former MLA from Bandipore been absolved of all charges after being sworn in as a Minister in Mufti’s government? If not, why shouldn’t Ms Mufti be bolder enough to seek another apology for that “blunder”? As Congress is not her coalition partner today, why shouldn’t she conveniently blame “Ghulam Nabi Azad’s strong pressure” to give her father a clean chit?
END
PDP makes Chidambaram’s juicy ice-cream a hot potato for NC
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
SRINAGAR, Feb 4: Having intelligently perceived Omar Abdullah-led coalition government’s low level of confidence, poor memory and instinct of panic reaction, coupled by abject failure its media machinery, opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief, Mehbooba Mufti, has successfully turned the prominent counter-insurgent Moma Kanna’s nomination for the prestigious Padma Shree into a hot potato for the real target National Conference (NC). Ms Mufti has remarkably amplified her diatribe on Kanna immediately after the NC patriarch Dr Farooq Abdullah confirmed his support to Kanna and Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, distanced himself as well as his government from the much maligned ‘renegade’.
It doesn’t take much to notice that in almost everything---transfer and appointment of officers, release of separatist activists, detention of Police officers on perception rather than facts---13-month-old coalition government has placed itself on a defensive wicket. It appears to be keener to be in crease than to take the risk of making a run. That is perhaps a major reason why it has failed to lay its own impression. It publicly threatened to bulldoze “illegally raised” newspaper offices but, after learning that it had not the spine, it discovered expediency in eating the humble pie.
Mufti Sayeed’s 16-MLA PDP Government had conveyed its authority to all concerned in a more practical and understandable language. His bulldozers spared neither a prominent JKLF leader’s relatives at Maisuma nor an influential Urdu daily office at Children’s Park in Srinagar. That Mufti’s party continues to retain influence over both, media as well as the separatists, even after losing power is evident from the fact that not a single newspaper or television news channel reported a mob’s attack on the PDP chief in Shopian until she herself revealed it in Legislative Assembly months later. She, in fact, wanted to establish that NC and its Government had organized the attack.
Rather than using their own Government machinery to ascertain facts about the controversial Padma Shree awardee, Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Moma Kanna of Magam, three of the NC’s Ministers---Ali Mohammad Sagar, Nasir Aslam Wani and Mubarak Gul---resorted to second-hand usage of this newspaper’s interview with the character in question. Apparently briefed by their officials or party workers, the Ministers on tour in Srinagar (read Srinagar Civil Lines) restricted their “counter-offensive” on Ms Mufti to Kanna’s claim that he was instrumental in getting Mufti’s kidnapped daughter Rubaiya Sayeed released from the clutches of JKLF militants in December 1989 from Uthoora village in Baramulla district.
Kanna had, in fact, revealed much more pertinent: That Mufti’s Ministerial colleague George Fernandes and Governor Girish Chander Saxena remained directly in touch with him in whatever he did in 1990-91. His more emphatic assertion, which definitely warrants Ms Mufti’s reaction, was that she and her Government’s Minister incharge Hajj & Auqaf, Sarfaraz Khan, fielded Kanna’s daughter Ateeqa as PDP’s candidate in the municipal elections of 2005 in Magam. Perceptibly apologetic Sagar thought it prudent to just make his NC pot and the PDP a kettle, calling the former black.
Fact of the matter is that Kanna became a counter-insurgent in 1989-90 when there was no conception of the counter-insurgent Ikhwan he has been labeled. Media has raised an uproar over the criminal FIRs registered against him but, till date, failed to find one beyond that infamous attack of BSF in Magam on the journalists. Unlike Kukka Parray and Papa Kishtwari, “victims” are yet to come forward with allegations of “rape, torture, kidnapping, custodial killings and extortion” against Kanna.
On the other hand, serious allegations of rape, extortion, torture, custodial killing and extortion do exist against equally or perhaps more prominent counter-insurgents like Kukka Parray, Javed Shah, Papa Kishtwari, Liaquat Ali, Usman Majeed et al. Neither NC nor PDP can be put to blame for making Kukka Parray an MLA. Kishtwari and Liaquat unsuccessfully contested elections while facing opposition from both NC as well as PDP.
Dr Farooq Abdullah’s act of making militant-turned-counterinsurgent Javed Shah a Member of Legislative Council is perhaps more unpardonable than recommending Kanna for a Padma Shree, if one believes that Omar Abdullah and Sagar should be really apologetic on the man who never chose to become a militant. Perhaps the better course would be to seek a public apology from the “Kashmiri nation”.
But, how could one forget that it was none other than Ms Mufti’s father who inducted militant-turned-‘renegade’ Usman Majeed as a Minister of State in his government in 2002-05. Has the former MLA from Bandipore been absolved of all charges after being sworn in as a Minister in Mufti’s government? If not, why shouldn’t Ms Mufti be bolder enough to seek another apology for that “blunder”? As Congress is not her coalition partner today, why shouldn’t she conveniently blame “Ghulam Nabi Azad’s strong pressure” to give her father a clean chit?
END
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
When I’ll open my mouth, theirs will shut: Mir alias Moma Kanna
He worked for Mufti’s Govt, got Rubaiya and Wakhloos released, 5000 militants neutralized before Mehbooba made his daughter a PDP candidate in 2005
______________________
No FIRs registered at
any Police Station in J&K
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
MAGAM (Budgam), Feb 3: Valley’s prominent counter-insurgent and controversial nominee of this year’s prestigious Padma Sharee national award, Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Moma Kanna, today revealed that his association with the former Union Home Minister and J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, as also with his party, PDP, and daughter, Mehbooba Mufti, had remained “extraordinary” for 20 years of the Kashmir militancy till he shifted his political loyalty to National Conference (NC) in 2008. He said that he played key role in getting Mufti’s daughter, Rubaiya Sayeed, two Swiss engineers, former Minister Khem Latta Wakhloo and her husband, besides many other high profile abductees, released from the clutches of militants while working for Mufti’s government, neutralizing over 5,000 militants and being directly in touch with Mufti’s Cabinet colleague, George Fernandes, all J&K Governors and senior officials of J&K Police and security forces. He also claimed that, unlike many of his ilk, there were no allegations of human rights abuse or any other criminal FIRs registered against him at any Police Station in Jammu & Kashmir.
In an exclusive interview to EARLY TIMES, Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Kanna was all praise for the NC leader and Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, besides some BJP leaders and Government of India’s Chief Information Commissioner, Wajahat Habibullah, for having him recommended for Padma Shree and, more significantly, owned him as a “national hero” after media and politicians blew up a controversy over his nomination.
“I am a stanch National Conference supporter since 2008. Previously, I remained very loyal and close to Mufti Sahab, his party and daughter. I worked for Mufti’s government when he was India’s Home Minister and George Fernandes was his permanent contact with me. Later, I supported PDP in several elections. PDP President Mehbooba Mufti and Mufti’s Hajj & Auqaf Minister, Sarfaraz Khan, approached me during municipal elections of 2005. They wanted my daughter Ateeqa Banoo to contest as a PDP candidate in Magam. After they motivated me, Mehboobaji fielded my daughter as a PDP candidate but she lost with a thin margin”, Kanna revealed.
Taking strong exception to what he dismissed as “Police-media-politicians nexus” against him, 57-year-old Momma Kanna asserted that he had been recommended for Padma Sharee by top leaders of different political parties and ultimately selected for the prestigious award on the basis of his “unmatched profile” by the competent authority in Government of India. “Those questioning my merit are, as usual, busy in discrediting the authority and institutions of the Government of India in Kashmir. Left to them, they would have recommended (Syed Ali Shah) Geelani Sahib or his relatives for such awards, only to buy peace for themselves and win their temporary smiles”, Kanna said and claimed that the state government’s recommendation or approval was in no way mandatory in selection of nominees for the national awards.
“People like me are privy to anti-national activities of a many political leaders and Police officers. I have recovered AK-47 rifles, rocket launchers and grenades from the residences of political leaders and even Deputy Commissioners. How do you expect them to recommend me for such awards or swallow such bitter pills calmly?” Kanna asked. He claimed that all of J&K’s Ministers, legislators and officers would have to be indebted to him for “my unparalleled contribution to restoration of normality in J&K at grave risk to my life, that of my family, relatives and progeny. “All beneficiaries of today’s normalcy do know that I have lost 10 of my family members and relatives in neutralizing over 5,000 armed militants without going for a single custodial killing, kidnapping, rape or extortion”.
“Unlike other counter-insurgents, there have been no allegations of human rights abuse against me. I didn’t pick up the gun. I just gathered the information through my extensive network of social contacts, led troops to the militant hideouts and got hundreds of them arrested or surrendered”, Kanna said and claimed that not more than 20 militants had died in the operations carried out on his information---all of them in fierce encounters. Why then scores of FIRs of murder and extortion against him at different Police Stations? “I tell you with full responsibility that it’s all a Police-media-politician campaign. There’s not a single of such FIRs against me in 20 years. In one-odd incident, a pro-militant SHO, who had several of his relatives as militants, clubbed my name in a matter of beating of journalists in Magam nine years ago. FIR was initially against a DIG of BSF”, Kanna said.
According to Kanna, seven civilians and a Deputy Commandant had died in an IED blast caused by Hizbul Mujahideen militants at a BSF camp in Magam in 2001. SHO handed over the bodies to some residents and encouraged them to organize a public show against BSF with exhibition of the bodies at the main square in town. He also called mediapersons from Srinagar who were roughed up by the BSF soldiers. FIR was registered against a BSF officer and his name was included into it “at the behest of a senior J&K Police official”.
“Many officers are working well in J&K Police. But there are some who have been religiously cursing India and armed forces and glorifying terrorism. Few others have good counter-insurgent profile but men like me know how brutally some of them have killed civilians and detainee militants in custody and fake encounters to get higher ranks. Politicians are appeasing militants and Hurriyat to win their goodwill by resorting to our character assassination with baseless allegations. You’ll see when I’ll open my mouth, theirs will automatically shut”, Kanna asserted without mentioning any names.
Kanna, who had been appointed as a daily wager by then Forest Minister, Munshi Habibullah, in mid-80s, deflated the media-created impression of his being a former militant. “From day one of militancy, I worked with CRPF, BSF, ITBP, Army and J&K Police. In December 1989, I played a key role in getting Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s daughter, Rubaiya Sayeed, released from militants with the help of my contacts from Uthoora village of Baramulla district. Then I began regularly working for Mufti’s government when he was India’s Home Minister. His Ministerial colleague, George Fernandes, Governor Girsh Chander Saxena and J&K DGP, J N Saxena, and Divisional Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah approached me and motivated me to regularly work for the country”, Kanna said.
Kanna claimed that Fernandes and others of Mufti’s government remained directly in touch with him while he helped security forces in getting hundreds of militants arrested and their weapons seized. “In first militant reprisals, my brother and another brother’s son were gunned down at their home at Naulari village on March 28, 1991. Nobody lifted their bodies for three days. Police didn’t file FIR against the militants they knew’, Kanna said. He said he was never revengeful and got most of the top wanted militants, including ‘General Moosa’(in Gauripora Hyderpora) and former Hizbul Mujahideen chieShamsul Haq’s militant brother, Ali Mohammad Mir, alongwith 13 militants (in Sanoorkalipora village) arrested in “neat and clean operations”.
Militants, nevertheless, later left Kanna’s son, medical assistant Nisar Ahmed Mir, maimed in two attacks and also gunned down his young niece, Sakeena, at Higher Secondary School Magam. Those who got killed during fierce gunbattles in his operations included a number of Pakistani and Afghan militants included “ISI’s regular Colonel Masood” who died alongwith five of his colleagues at Batpora, Kanihama. “What is this Padma Shree. I derserve a Bharat Ratna”, added he.
Kanna said that very senior officials of the state and Central governments approached him and sought his help in “saving India’s honour” when militants of Muslim Janbaz Force (MJF) kidnapped two Swiss engineers of Uri Civil Hydroelectric Project on March 31, 1991. “ It took me weeks to gather specific information about their hideout. On July 5, 1991, I led a full brigade of Army and went straight into the hideout where more than 100 armed militants were present. I got both the engineers rescued with the assurance that Army would not strike on the militants. There was no other quid pro quo”, he said.
Kanna revealed how he got another militant hideout identified and rescued former Minister and senior Congress leader, Khem Latta Wakhloo, alongwith her husband, Dr O N Wakhloo, from Tangmarg on October 18, 1991. Mrs Wakhloo and her husband, former Principal of Regional Engineering College Srinagar, had been kidnapped by militants from their residence in Srinagar on September 4, 1991.
END
He worked for Mufti’s Govt, got Rubaiya and Wakhloos released, 5000 militants neutralized before Mehbooba made his daughter a PDP candidate in 2005
______________________
No FIRs registered at
any Police Station in J&K
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
MAGAM (Budgam), Feb 3: Valley’s prominent counter-insurgent and controversial nominee of this year’s prestigious Padma Sharee national award, Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Moma Kanna, today revealed that his association with the former Union Home Minister and J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, as also with his party, PDP, and daughter, Mehbooba Mufti, had remained “extraordinary” for 20 years of the Kashmir militancy till he shifted his political loyalty to National Conference (NC) in 2008. He said that he played key role in getting Mufti’s daughter, Rubaiya Sayeed, two Swiss engineers, former Minister Khem Latta Wakhloo and her husband, besides many other high profile abductees, released from the clutches of militants while working for Mufti’s government, neutralizing over 5,000 militants and being directly in touch with Mufti’s Cabinet colleague, George Fernandes, all J&K Governors and senior officials of J&K Police and security forces. He also claimed that, unlike many of his ilk, there were no allegations of human rights abuse or any other criminal FIRs registered against him at any Police Station in Jammu & Kashmir.
In an exclusive interview to EARLY TIMES, Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Kanna was all praise for the NC leader and Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, besides some BJP leaders and Government of India’s Chief Information Commissioner, Wajahat Habibullah, for having him recommended for Padma Shree and, more significantly, owned him as a “national hero” after media and politicians blew up a controversy over his nomination.
“I am a stanch National Conference supporter since 2008. Previously, I remained very loyal and close to Mufti Sahab, his party and daughter. I worked for Mufti’s government when he was India’s Home Minister and George Fernandes was his permanent contact with me. Later, I supported PDP in several elections. PDP President Mehbooba Mufti and Mufti’s Hajj & Auqaf Minister, Sarfaraz Khan, approached me during municipal elections of 2005. They wanted my daughter Ateeqa Banoo to contest as a PDP candidate in Magam. After they motivated me, Mehboobaji fielded my daughter as a PDP candidate but she lost with a thin margin”, Kanna revealed.
Taking strong exception to what he dismissed as “Police-media-politicians nexus” against him, 57-year-old Momma Kanna asserted that he had been recommended for Padma Sharee by top leaders of different political parties and ultimately selected for the prestigious award on the basis of his “unmatched profile” by the competent authority in Government of India. “Those questioning my merit are, as usual, busy in discrediting the authority and institutions of the Government of India in Kashmir. Left to them, they would have recommended (Syed Ali Shah) Geelani Sahib or his relatives for such awards, only to buy peace for themselves and win their temporary smiles”, Kanna said and claimed that the state government’s recommendation or approval was in no way mandatory in selection of nominees for the national awards.
“People like me are privy to anti-national activities of a many political leaders and Police officers. I have recovered AK-47 rifles, rocket launchers and grenades from the residences of political leaders and even Deputy Commissioners. How do you expect them to recommend me for such awards or swallow such bitter pills calmly?” Kanna asked. He claimed that all of J&K’s Ministers, legislators and officers would have to be indebted to him for “my unparalleled contribution to restoration of normality in J&K at grave risk to my life, that of my family, relatives and progeny. “All beneficiaries of today’s normalcy do know that I have lost 10 of my family members and relatives in neutralizing over 5,000 armed militants without going for a single custodial killing, kidnapping, rape or extortion”.
“Unlike other counter-insurgents, there have been no allegations of human rights abuse against me. I didn’t pick up the gun. I just gathered the information through my extensive network of social contacts, led troops to the militant hideouts and got hundreds of them arrested or surrendered”, Kanna said and claimed that not more than 20 militants had died in the operations carried out on his information---all of them in fierce encounters. Why then scores of FIRs of murder and extortion against him at different Police Stations? “I tell you with full responsibility that it’s all a Police-media-politician campaign. There’s not a single of such FIRs against me in 20 years. In one-odd incident, a pro-militant SHO, who had several of his relatives as militants, clubbed my name in a matter of beating of journalists in Magam nine years ago. FIR was initially against a DIG of BSF”, Kanna said.
According to Kanna, seven civilians and a Deputy Commandant had died in an IED blast caused by Hizbul Mujahideen militants at a BSF camp in Magam in 2001. SHO handed over the bodies to some residents and encouraged them to organize a public show against BSF with exhibition of the bodies at the main square in town. He also called mediapersons from Srinagar who were roughed up by the BSF soldiers. FIR was registered against a BSF officer and his name was included into it “at the behest of a senior J&K Police official”.
“Many officers are working well in J&K Police. But there are some who have been religiously cursing India and armed forces and glorifying terrorism. Few others have good counter-insurgent profile but men like me know how brutally some of them have killed civilians and detainee militants in custody and fake encounters to get higher ranks. Politicians are appeasing militants and Hurriyat to win their goodwill by resorting to our character assassination with baseless allegations. You’ll see when I’ll open my mouth, theirs will automatically shut”, Kanna asserted without mentioning any names.
Kanna, who had been appointed as a daily wager by then Forest Minister, Munshi Habibullah, in mid-80s, deflated the media-created impression of his being a former militant. “From day one of militancy, I worked with CRPF, BSF, ITBP, Army and J&K Police. In December 1989, I played a key role in getting Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s daughter, Rubaiya Sayeed, released from militants with the help of my contacts from Uthoora village of Baramulla district. Then I began regularly working for Mufti’s government when he was India’s Home Minister. His Ministerial colleague, George Fernandes, Governor Girsh Chander Saxena and J&K DGP, J N Saxena, and Divisional Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah approached me and motivated me to regularly work for the country”, Kanna said.
Kanna claimed that Fernandes and others of Mufti’s government remained directly in touch with him while he helped security forces in getting hundreds of militants arrested and their weapons seized. “In first militant reprisals, my brother and another brother’s son were gunned down at their home at Naulari village on March 28, 1991. Nobody lifted their bodies for three days. Police didn’t file FIR against the militants they knew’, Kanna said. He said he was never revengeful and got most of the top wanted militants, including ‘General Moosa’(in Gauripora Hyderpora) and former Hizbul Mujahideen chieShamsul Haq’s militant brother, Ali Mohammad Mir, alongwith 13 militants (in Sanoorkalipora village) arrested in “neat and clean operations”.
Militants, nevertheless, later left Kanna’s son, medical assistant Nisar Ahmed Mir, maimed in two attacks and also gunned down his young niece, Sakeena, at Higher Secondary School Magam. Those who got killed during fierce gunbattles in his operations included a number of Pakistani and Afghan militants included “ISI’s regular Colonel Masood” who died alongwith five of his colleagues at Batpora, Kanihama. “What is this Padma Shree. I derserve a Bharat Ratna”, added he.
Kanna said that very senior officials of the state and Central governments approached him and sought his help in “saving India’s honour” when militants of Muslim Janbaz Force (MJF) kidnapped two Swiss engineers of Uri Civil Hydroelectric Project on March 31, 1991. “ It took me weeks to gather specific information about their hideout. On July 5, 1991, I led a full brigade of Army and went straight into the hideout where more than 100 armed militants were present. I got both the engineers rescued with the assurance that Army would not strike on the militants. There was no other quid pro quo”, he said.
Kanna revealed how he got another militant hideout identified and rescued former Minister and senior Congress leader, Khem Latta Wakhloo, alongwith her husband, Dr O N Wakhloo, from Tangmarg on October 18, 1991. Mrs Wakhloo and her husband, former Principal of Regional Engineering College Srinagar, had been kidnapped by militants from their residence in Srinagar on September 4, 1991.
END
Over 100 injured in day 2 of clashes in Valley
Srinagar turns lawless as mobs attack Army, shopkeepers, drivers; CRPF roughs up SHO
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
SRINAGAR, Feb 3: With the authorities losing their grip on the situation, hundreds of stone pelting youth in entire Srinagar city today attacked Army, CRPF and Police vehicles. Even as Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) manhandled a Sub Inspector of J&K Police and four troopers got wounded at Rawalpora, over a hundred demonstrators and armed forces personnel are believed to have sustained injuries in today’s ding dong clashes between the demonstrators and security forces in the capital city and many other towns. Demanding a “free hand’ to deal with the demonstrators, CRPF is understood to have made it clear that paramilitary forces could not operate with “all our hands tied from behind”.
Without anybody’s call, Kashmir valley today observed yet another shutdown on the second consecutive day after a Hurriyat-sponsored bandh on Tuesday to protest a 15-year-old student Wamiq Farooq Wani’s “killing” in tearsmoke shelling from Police on a group of stone pelting youth here on Sunday last. Even as the people don’t seem to be involved in such clashes and demonstrations en masse so far, number of the participating youngsters has been remarkably growing. As compared to five or six downtown spots few days back, today’s clashes and demonstrations of violent groups were witnessed at more than 40 places in the capital city and another 20 spots at Baramulla, Anantnag, Bandipore, Kulgam and other major towns in Valley.
Facing heavy stone pelting of masked youth, who have begun to put up shields of 10-year to 12-year-olds in the front rows, Police and CRPF retaliated with considerable restraint. Well-placed sources revealed to Early Times that on the one hand, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had made it clear to the field forces that he would not tolerate even a minor act of excessive use of force or over-reaction, CRPF had on the other hand conveyed it to J&K Police that paramilitary forces could not operate with “all of our hands tied from behind”. DGP Mr Kuldeep Khoda held meetings with senior Police and CRPF officials in an attempt to strike balance.
CRPF officials are understood to have pointed out that a number of their armoured bunkers and camps had been attacked violently and groups of demonstrators were now coming too close to their posts with anti-national, pro-Pakistan slogans and other provocative gestures.
When groups of youngsters attacked CRPF bunkers and the soldiers captured a youth at Gojwara today, SHO Nowhatta, Sub Inspector Raja Tasleem, intervened and asked them to free the boy, who, according to him, was “innocent”. A CRPF unit, led by an officer, immediately abused the SHO. Eyewitnesses said that SHO was beaten to help, later rescued by his senior colleagues and rushed to SKIMS for medical treatment. The other day only, SHO Tasleem had got injured in stone pelting from a mob.
In another incident of serious nature, groups of youth attacked an Army convoy in the capital city outskirts of Rawalpora. As driver of one of the Army vehicles was hit and he lost control, his vehicle crashed into a shopline. It suffered extensive damage and four soldiers sustained injuries. However, troops observed incredible restraint and they did not react with their guns. Reports said that another mob tried to overturn and set ablaze a CRPF vehicle on the National Highway bypass at Bemina.
Sources said that in all, more than 100 persons sustained injuries in today’s clashes between the demonstrators and armed forces/ police in Srinagar and other major towns in Valley. They included at least 40 CRPF and J&K Police personnel. However, a Police spokesman maintained that only 10 personnel were reported injured in today’s clashes.
Sources said that two each you were critically wounded at Nowhatta and Nawakadal. While residents alleged that they had been hit by Police and CRPF, a Police spokesman said that a critically injured youth had got hit by a stone tossed by his colleagues from behind.
While the demonstrators and family members of the 15-year-old student are insisting that he got killed when an ASI directly fired a tearsmoke shell on his head, Doctors who examined him at SKIMS have reported today that Wamiq Maqbool had died of cardiac arrest. Wamiq’s family members took exception to the autopsy and said at a news conference that Dr Riyaz was as much “criminal” as the Police officer who, according to them, fired the tearsmoke canister on their son. They asserted that no kind of ex gratia relief would be acceptable to them and their one-odd demand was arrest and punishment of the personnel responsible.
With nobody’s call today, scores of youngsters converged on streets at different places in Srinagar and elsewhere. They enforced shutdown with heavy stone pelting on the vehicles in movement as also on the shops opening for business. Reports said that nearly 70 private vehicles and dozens of shops were damaged in these anarchical strikes.
Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq held a meeting with his colleagues and declared that his conglomerate would make a “peaceful march” to the UNMOGIP headquarters at Sonwar on February 8th to register protest against human rights abuse of the Indian Police and armed forces and seek UN intervention to end it in Kashmir.
END
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Clashes engulf entire Srinagar; shutdown in Valley
Soz, Nazir, Kamaal, Shameema lecture Omar on restraining Police and forces
_______________________
Show cause notices slapped
on cable TV operators
_______________________
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
SRINAGAR, Feb 2: Taking full advantage of the state government’s increasing pressure on the beleaguered Police and security forces, Hurriyat Conference and all other separatist groups today enforced near-total shutdown in Kashmir valley over the death of a 15-year-old student even as nearly a hundred people, including 40 Police and CRPF personnel, sustained injuries in ding dong clashes that engulfed this capital city besides Anantnag and Baramulla towns. With the separatist groups already spewing fire over the Police action, a number of leaders in the coalition government constituents---notably J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Prof Saif-ud-din Soz, NC General Secretary Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, another Sheikh family scion Dr Mustafa Kamaal and the lately appointed Chairperson of State Commission of Women, Shameema Firdaus---today began lecturing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on “restraining Police and security forces from using excessive force on innocent civilians”.
That the situation was threatening to go out of hand--- somewhat like the Amarnath land row in 2008 and the ruckus over alleged rape-cum-murder of two young woman in 2009---was evident from the fact that Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, Meraj Ahmed Kakroo, today slapped notices on the local cable TV networks, asking them to desist from playing “objectionable” images of demonstrations and clashes between the people and armed forces. “We have observed grave violations of Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 and the broadcasting code. We have issued show cause notices to the operators, asking them why their networks be not closed down under law. They have been repeatedly violating the law and their agreements with the district administration”, DC Srinagar told Early Times.
Over a call of “civil curfew”, issued simultaneously by both factions of the Hurriyat Conference, and supported by many other separatist groups, Kashmir valley today observed a near-total shutdown to protest the “killing” of a 15-year-old student, Wamiq Farooq Wani, in tearsmoke shelling of Srinagar Police on a stone pelting group of youngsters in Rajouri Kadal area in the capital city interior on Sunday last. In contrast to a poorer response to the call in the forenoon, most of the shops and business establishments were found closed in the afternoon. Few vehicles were seen operating on different roads. Attendance was thin in government offices, banks and other private and government establishments as scores of incidents of stone pelting on all modes of vehicular traffic took place in Srinagar and the major rural district headquarters of Baramulla and Anantnag.
Stone pelting on Police and CRPF, anti-India and pro-Azadi slogan shouting and ding dong clashes between the two sides, that had remained restricted to few downtown localities in the last few weeks, spread to almost entire capital city today. DC Srinagar and senior Police officials maintained that the situation was “tense but under control”. They confirmed that heavy Police and paramilitary bandobust had been put in place to maintain order. According to them, a large number of government offices functioned with thick attendance. Reports from Wamiq Farooq’s residential locality of Rainawari said that Police and CRPF enforced an undeclared curfew, though they did not prevent a many residents and separatist leaders, including Shabir Ahmed Shah, from visiting the bereaved family.
Reports available from varied sources indicated that stone pelting, retaliation from Police and CRPF and other clashes between the people and armed forces took place at about 40 spots in the capital city. For a change today, such clashes also occurred in the relatively little disturbed uptown localities of Tergpora, Batmaloo, Lalchowk, Ram Bagh, Natibagh, Baghat Barzullah, and Hyderpora. On few occasions, stone pelting groups targeted two-way traffic on Srinagar-Airport Road and National Highway Bypass. Unruly groups burned rubber tyres at several places to create barriers for the vehicular traffic and richer visuals for media.
“Police and CRPF displayed exemplary restraint today also and used minimum force to restore peace and order. 12 Police and CRPF personnel received injuries out of which a Constable Parvaiz Ahmad received head injury and is being treated at SKIMS Soura” a press release from Zonal Police Headquarters said and claimed that majority of the people cooperated with the authorities and stayed away from today’s clashes and demonstrations. However, unofficial reports put the number of injured in today’s clashes at “around 100”. According to these reports, SHO Kothibagh, Inspector Shafeeq Ahmed, was among 30b J&K Police and 15 CRPF personnel who sustained injuries in today’s clashes in Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag.
Situation turned remarkably tense when a crowd of more than 100 youngsters targeted a VIP vehicle at Barzullah as it was on way from Airport to Civil Lines. Police swung into action with baton charge, tearsmoke shelling and firing in air to scare away the demonstrators and rescue the vehicle. Police and CRPF similarly swung into action with controlled force at Gojwara in downtown Srinagar when a mob captured a CRPF vehicle, damaged it with heavy stone pelting, overturned it and attempted to set it on fire. Officials said that two CRPF and 6 Police vehicles were damaged in today’s clashes. They said that at least 30 civilian vehicles were badly damaged at different trouble spots by the stone pelting groups.
Finding itself on the receiving end of criticism from mainstream opposition parties as well as all separatist organizations, coalition government today exposed itself to an assault from within. Significantly enough, rather than counseling the Chief Minister privately, JKPCC chief, Prof Saif-ud-din Soz, issued a statement, asking Mr Omar Abdullah to enforce restraint among his Police and armed forces.
Asserting that such incidents were “avoidable”, Prof Soz called for a ‘high level inquiry” into the student’s death and demanded termination of services of the personnel allegedly responsible for it.
“I express my deep anguish over the death of 13 year old student Wamiq Farooq Wani, who was hit by a tear smoke shell at Gojwara and breathed his last in SKIMS. I had said on earlier unfortunate occasions like this that Law Enforcing Agencies must understand casualties like this are totally unacceptable to the civil society. It is a fact known to everybody that such incidents can always be avoided. The least that the Government should to is to institute a high level enquiry and summarily remove from service the official responsible for this unfortunate death of innocent boy. I strongly urge the State Administration to take a serious view of this unfortunate incident so that such incidents do not occur in future”, Prof Soz said in his statement.
In a more significant development, NC’s General Secretary, Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, another scion of the Sheikh dynasty and MLA of Hazratbal, Dr Mustafa Kamal and the newly appointed Chairperson of the State Commission of Women and MLA Habbakadal, Shameema Firdaus, condemned the young student’s “killing” by Police in their publicly issued statements and urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to ensure that his Police and paramilitary forces observed restraint in such matters.
END
Soz, Nazir, Kamaal, Shameema lecture Omar on restraining Police and forces
_______________________
Show cause notices slapped
on cable TV operators
_______________________
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
SRINAGAR, Feb 2: Taking full advantage of the state government’s increasing pressure on the beleaguered Police and security forces, Hurriyat Conference and all other separatist groups today enforced near-total shutdown in Kashmir valley over the death of a 15-year-old student even as nearly a hundred people, including 40 Police and CRPF personnel, sustained injuries in ding dong clashes that engulfed this capital city besides Anantnag and Baramulla towns. With the separatist groups already spewing fire over the Police action, a number of leaders in the coalition government constituents---notably J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Prof Saif-ud-din Soz, NC General Secretary Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, another Sheikh family scion Dr Mustafa Kamaal and the lately appointed Chairperson of State Commission of Women, Shameema Firdaus---today began lecturing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on “restraining Police and security forces from using excessive force on innocent civilians”.
That the situation was threatening to go out of hand--- somewhat like the Amarnath land row in 2008 and the ruckus over alleged rape-cum-murder of two young woman in 2009---was evident from the fact that Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, Meraj Ahmed Kakroo, today slapped notices on the local cable TV networks, asking them to desist from playing “objectionable” images of demonstrations and clashes between the people and armed forces. “We have observed grave violations of Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 and the broadcasting code. We have issued show cause notices to the operators, asking them why their networks be not closed down under law. They have been repeatedly violating the law and their agreements with the district administration”, DC Srinagar told Early Times.
Over a call of “civil curfew”, issued simultaneously by both factions of the Hurriyat Conference, and supported by many other separatist groups, Kashmir valley today observed a near-total shutdown to protest the “killing” of a 15-year-old student, Wamiq Farooq Wani, in tearsmoke shelling of Srinagar Police on a stone pelting group of youngsters in Rajouri Kadal area in the capital city interior on Sunday last. In contrast to a poorer response to the call in the forenoon, most of the shops and business establishments were found closed in the afternoon. Few vehicles were seen operating on different roads. Attendance was thin in government offices, banks and other private and government establishments as scores of incidents of stone pelting on all modes of vehicular traffic took place in Srinagar and the major rural district headquarters of Baramulla and Anantnag.
Stone pelting on Police and CRPF, anti-India and pro-Azadi slogan shouting and ding dong clashes between the two sides, that had remained restricted to few downtown localities in the last few weeks, spread to almost entire capital city today. DC Srinagar and senior Police officials maintained that the situation was “tense but under control”. They confirmed that heavy Police and paramilitary bandobust had been put in place to maintain order. According to them, a large number of government offices functioned with thick attendance. Reports from Wamiq Farooq’s residential locality of Rainawari said that Police and CRPF enforced an undeclared curfew, though they did not prevent a many residents and separatist leaders, including Shabir Ahmed Shah, from visiting the bereaved family.
Reports available from varied sources indicated that stone pelting, retaliation from Police and CRPF and other clashes between the people and armed forces took place at about 40 spots in the capital city. For a change today, such clashes also occurred in the relatively little disturbed uptown localities of Tergpora, Batmaloo, Lalchowk, Ram Bagh, Natibagh, Baghat Barzullah, and Hyderpora. On few occasions, stone pelting groups targeted two-way traffic on Srinagar-Airport Road and National Highway Bypass. Unruly groups burned rubber tyres at several places to create barriers for the vehicular traffic and richer visuals for media.
“Police and CRPF displayed exemplary restraint today also and used minimum force to restore peace and order. 12 Police and CRPF personnel received injuries out of which a Constable Parvaiz Ahmad received head injury and is being treated at SKIMS Soura” a press release from Zonal Police Headquarters said and claimed that majority of the people cooperated with the authorities and stayed away from today’s clashes and demonstrations. However, unofficial reports put the number of injured in today’s clashes at “around 100”. According to these reports, SHO Kothibagh, Inspector Shafeeq Ahmed, was among 30b J&K Police and 15 CRPF personnel who sustained injuries in today’s clashes in Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag.
Situation turned remarkably tense when a crowd of more than 100 youngsters targeted a VIP vehicle at Barzullah as it was on way from Airport to Civil Lines. Police swung into action with baton charge, tearsmoke shelling and firing in air to scare away the demonstrators and rescue the vehicle. Police and CRPF similarly swung into action with controlled force at Gojwara in downtown Srinagar when a mob captured a CRPF vehicle, damaged it with heavy stone pelting, overturned it and attempted to set it on fire. Officials said that two CRPF and 6 Police vehicles were damaged in today’s clashes. They said that at least 30 civilian vehicles were badly damaged at different trouble spots by the stone pelting groups.
Finding itself on the receiving end of criticism from mainstream opposition parties as well as all separatist organizations, coalition government today exposed itself to an assault from within. Significantly enough, rather than counseling the Chief Minister privately, JKPCC chief, Prof Saif-ud-din Soz, issued a statement, asking Mr Omar Abdullah to enforce restraint among his Police and armed forces.
Asserting that such incidents were “avoidable”, Prof Soz called for a ‘high level inquiry” into the student’s death and demanded termination of services of the personnel allegedly responsible for it.
“I express my deep anguish over the death of 13 year old student Wamiq Farooq Wani, who was hit by a tear smoke shell at Gojwara and breathed his last in SKIMS. I had said on earlier unfortunate occasions like this that Law Enforcing Agencies must understand casualties like this are totally unacceptable to the civil society. It is a fact known to everybody that such incidents can always be avoided. The least that the Government should to is to institute a high level enquiry and summarily remove from service the official responsible for this unfortunate death of innocent boy. I strongly urge the State Administration to take a serious view of this unfortunate incident so that such incidents do not occur in future”, Prof Soz said in his statement.
In a more significant development, NC’s General Secretary, Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, another scion of the Sheikh dynasty and MLA of Hazratbal, Dr Mustafa Kamal and the newly appointed Chairperson of the State Commission of Women and MLA Habbakadal, Shameema Firdaus, condemned the young student’s “killing” by Police in their publicly issued statements and urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to ensure that his Police and paramilitary forces observed restraint in such matters.
END
Clashes engulf entire Srinagar; shutdown in Valley
Soz, Nazir, Kamaal, Shameema lecture Omar on restraining Police and forces
_______________________
Show cause notices slapped
on cable TV operators
_______________________
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
SRINAGAR, Feb 2: Taking full advantage of the state government’s increasing pressure on the beleaguered Police and security forces, Hurriyat Conference and all other separatist groups today enforced near-total shutdown in Kashmir valley over the death of a 15-year-old student even as nearly a hundred people, including 40 Police and CRPF personnel, sustained injuries in ding dong clashes that engulfed this capital city besides Anantnag and Baramulla towns. With the separatist groups already spewing fire over the Police action, a number of leaders in the coalition government constituents---notably J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Prof Saif-ud-din Soz, NC General Secretary Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, another Sheikh family scion Dr Mustafa Kamaal and the lately appointed Chairperson of State Commission of Women, Shameema Firdaus---today began lecturing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on “restraining Police and security forces from using excessive force on innocent civilians”.
That the situation was threatening to go out of hand--- somewhat like the Amarnath land row in 2008 and the ruckus over alleged rape-cum-murder of two young woman in 2009---was evident from the fact that Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, Meraj Ahmed Kakroo, today slapped notices on the local cable TV networks, asking them to desist from playing “objectionable” images of demonstrations and clashes between the people and armed forces. “We have observed grave violations of Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 and the broadcasting code. We have issued show cause notices to the operators, asking them why their networks be not closed down under law. They have been repeatedly violating the law and their agreements with the district administration”, DC Srinagar told Early Times.
Over a call of “civil curfew”, issued simultaneously by both factions of the Hurriyat Conference, and supported by many other separatist groups, Kashmir valley today observed a near-total shutdown to protest the “killing” of a 15-year-old student, Wamiq Farooq Wani, in tearsmoke shelling of Srinagar Police on a stone pelting group of youngsters in Rajouri Kadal area in the capital city interior on Sunday last. In contrast to a poorer response to the call in the forenoon, most of the shops and business establishments were found closed in the afternoon. Few vehicles were seen operating on different roads. Attendance was thin in government offices, banks and other private and government establishments as scores of incidents of stone pelting on all modes of vehicular traffic took place in Srinagar and the major rural district headquarters of Baramulla and Anantnag.
Stone pelting on Police and CRPF, anti-India and pro-Azadi slogan shouting and ding dong clashes between the two sides, that had remained restricted to few downtown localities in the last few weeks, spread to almost entire capital city today. DC Srinagar and senior Police officials maintained that the situation was “tense but under control”. They confirmed that heavy Police and paramilitary bandobust had been put in place to maintain order. According to them, a large number of government offices functioned with thick attendance. Reports from Wamiq Farooq’s residential locality of Rainawari said that Police and CRPF enforced an undeclared curfew, though they did not prevent a many residents and separatist leaders, including Shabir Ahmed Shah, from visiting the bereaved family.
Reports available from varied sources indicated that stone pelting, retaliation from Police and CRPF and other clashes between the people and armed forces took place at about 40 spots in the capital city. For a change today, such clashes also occurred in the relatively little disturbed uptown localities of Tergpora, Batmaloo, Lalchowk, Ram Bagh, Natibagh, Baghat Barzullah, and Hyderpora. On few occasions, stone pelting groups targeted two-way traffic on Srinagar-Airport Road and National Highway Bypass. Unruly groups burned rubber tyres at several places to create barriers for the vehicular traffic and richer visuals for media.
“Police and CRPF displayed exemplary restraint today also and used minimum force to restore peace and order. 12 Police and CRPF personnel received injuries out of which a Constable Parvaiz Ahmad received head injury and is being treated at SKIMS Soura” a press release from Zonal Police Headquarters said and claimed that majority of the people cooperated with the authorities and stayed away from today’s clashes and demonstrations. However, unofficial reports put the number of injured in today’s clashes at “around 100”. According to these reports, SHO Kothibagh, Inspector Shafeeq Ahmed, was among 30b J&K Police and 15 CRPF personnel who sustained injuries in today’s clashes in Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag.
Situation turned remarkably tense when a crowd of more than 100 youngsters targeted a VIP vehicle at Barzullah as it was on way from Airport to Civil Lines. Police swung into action with baton charge, tearsmoke shelling and firing in air to scare away the demonstrators and rescue the vehicle. Police and CRPF similarly swung into action with controlled force at Gojwara in downtown Srinagar when a mob captured a CRPF vehicle, damaged it with heavy stone pelting, overturned it and attempted to set it on fire. Officials said that two CRPF and 6 Police vehicles were damaged in today’s clashes. They said that at least 30 civilian vehicles were badly damaged at different trouble spots by the stone pelting groups.
Finding itself on the receiving end of criticism from mainstream opposition parties as well as all separatist organizations, coalition government today exposed itself to an assault from within. Significantly enough, rather than counseling the Chief Minister privately, JKPCC chief, Prof Saif-ud-din Soz, issued a statement, asking Mr Omar Abdullah to enforce restraint among his Police and armed forces.
Asserting that such incidents were “avoidable”, Prof Soz called for a ‘high level inquiry” into the student’s death and demanded termination of services of the personnel allegedly responsible for it.
“I express my deep anguish over the death of 13 year old student Wamiq Farooq Wani, who was hit by a tear smoke shell at Gojwara and breathed his last in SKIMS. I had said on earlier unfortunate occasions like this that Law Enforcing Agencies must understand casualties like this are totally unacceptable to the civil society. It is a fact known to everybody that such incidents can always be avoided. The least that the Government should to is to institute a high level enquiry and summarily remove from service the official responsible for this unfortunate death of innocent boy. I strongly urge the State Administration to take a serious view of this unfortunate incident so that such incidents do not occur in future”, Prof Soz said in his statement.
In a more significant development, NC’s General Secretary, Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, another scion of the Sheikh dynasty and MLA of Hazratbal, Dr Mustafa Kamal and the newly appointed Chairperson of the State Commission of Women and MLA Habbakadal, Shameema Firdaus, condemned the young student’s “killing” by Police in their publicly issued statements and urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to ensure that his Police and paramilitary forces observed restraint in such matters.
END
Soz, Nazir, Kamaal, Shameema lecture Omar on restraining Police and forces
_______________________
Show cause notices slapped
on cable TV operators
_______________________
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
SRINAGAR, Feb 2: Taking full advantage of the state government’s increasing pressure on the beleaguered Police and security forces, Hurriyat Conference and all other separatist groups today enforced near-total shutdown in Kashmir valley over the death of a 15-year-old student even as nearly a hundred people, including 40 Police and CRPF personnel, sustained injuries in ding dong clashes that engulfed this capital city besides Anantnag and Baramulla towns. With the separatist groups already spewing fire over the Police action, a number of leaders in the coalition government constituents---notably J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Prof Saif-ud-din Soz, NC General Secretary Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, another Sheikh family scion Dr Mustafa Kamaal and the lately appointed Chairperson of State Commission of Women, Shameema Firdaus---today began lecturing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on “restraining Police and security forces from using excessive force on innocent civilians”.
That the situation was threatening to go out of hand--- somewhat like the Amarnath land row in 2008 and the ruckus over alleged rape-cum-murder of two young woman in 2009---was evident from the fact that Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, Meraj Ahmed Kakroo, today slapped notices on the local cable TV networks, asking them to desist from playing “objectionable” images of demonstrations and clashes between the people and armed forces. “We have observed grave violations of Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 and the broadcasting code. We have issued show cause notices to the operators, asking them why their networks be not closed down under law. They have been repeatedly violating the law and their agreements with the district administration”, DC Srinagar told Early Times.
Over a call of “civil curfew”, issued simultaneously by both factions of the Hurriyat Conference, and supported by many other separatist groups, Kashmir valley today observed a near-total shutdown to protest the “killing” of a 15-year-old student, Wamiq Farooq Wani, in tearsmoke shelling of Srinagar Police on a stone pelting group of youngsters in Rajouri Kadal area in the capital city interior on Sunday last. In contrast to a poorer response to the call in the forenoon, most of the shops and business establishments were found closed in the afternoon. Few vehicles were seen operating on different roads. Attendance was thin in government offices, banks and other private and government establishments as scores of incidents of stone pelting on all modes of vehicular traffic took place in Srinagar and the major rural district headquarters of Baramulla and Anantnag.
Stone pelting on Police and CRPF, anti-India and pro-Azadi slogan shouting and ding dong clashes between the two sides, that had remained restricted to few downtown localities in the last few weeks, spread to almost entire capital city today. DC Srinagar and senior Police officials maintained that the situation was “tense but under control”. They confirmed that heavy Police and paramilitary bandobust had been put in place to maintain order. According to them, a large number of government offices functioned with thick attendance. Reports from Wamiq Farooq’s residential locality of Rainawari said that Police and CRPF enforced an undeclared curfew, though they did not prevent a many residents and separatist leaders, including Shabir Ahmed Shah, from visiting the bereaved family.
Reports available from varied sources indicated that stone pelting, retaliation from Police and CRPF and other clashes between the people and armed forces took place at about 40 spots in the capital city. For a change today, such clashes also occurred in the relatively little disturbed uptown localities of Tergpora, Batmaloo, Lalchowk, Ram Bagh, Natibagh, Baghat Barzullah, and Hyderpora. On few occasions, stone pelting groups targeted two-way traffic on Srinagar-Airport Road and National Highway Bypass. Unruly groups burned rubber tyres at several places to create barriers for the vehicular traffic and richer visuals for media.
“Police and CRPF displayed exemplary restraint today also and used minimum force to restore peace and order. 12 Police and CRPF personnel received injuries out of which a Constable Parvaiz Ahmad received head injury and is being treated at SKIMS Soura” a press release from Zonal Police Headquarters said and claimed that majority of the people cooperated with the authorities and stayed away from today’s clashes and demonstrations. However, unofficial reports put the number of injured in today’s clashes at “around 100”. According to these reports, SHO Kothibagh, Inspector Shafeeq Ahmed, was among 30b J&K Police and 15 CRPF personnel who sustained injuries in today’s clashes in Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag.
Situation turned remarkably tense when a crowd of more than 100 youngsters targeted a VIP vehicle at Barzullah as it was on way from Airport to Civil Lines. Police swung into action with baton charge, tearsmoke shelling and firing in air to scare away the demonstrators and rescue the vehicle. Police and CRPF similarly swung into action with controlled force at Gojwara in downtown Srinagar when a mob captured a CRPF vehicle, damaged it with heavy stone pelting, overturned it and attempted to set it on fire. Officials said that two CRPF and 6 Police vehicles were damaged in today’s clashes. They said that at least 30 civilian vehicles were badly damaged at different trouble spots by the stone pelting groups.
Finding itself on the receiving end of criticism from mainstream opposition parties as well as all separatist organizations, coalition government today exposed itself to an assault from within. Significantly enough, rather than counseling the Chief Minister privately, JKPCC chief, Prof Saif-ud-din Soz, issued a statement, asking Mr Omar Abdullah to enforce restraint among his Police and armed forces.
Asserting that such incidents were “avoidable”, Prof Soz called for a ‘high level inquiry” into the student’s death and demanded termination of services of the personnel allegedly responsible for it.
“I express my deep anguish over the death of 13 year old student Wamiq Farooq Wani, who was hit by a tear smoke shell at Gojwara and breathed his last in SKIMS. I had said on earlier unfortunate occasions like this that Law Enforcing Agencies must understand casualties like this are totally unacceptable to the civil society. It is a fact known to everybody that such incidents can always be avoided. The least that the Government should to is to institute a high level enquiry and summarily remove from service the official responsible for this unfortunate death of innocent boy. I strongly urge the State Administration to take a serious view of this unfortunate incident so that such incidents do not occur in future”, Prof Soz said in his statement.
In a more significant development, NC’s General Secretary, Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, another scion of the Sheikh dynasty and MLA of Hazratbal, Dr Mustafa Kamal and the newly appointed Chairperson of the State Commission of Women and MLA Habbakadal, Shameema Firdaus, condemned the young student’s “killing” by Police in their publicly issued statements and urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to ensure that his Police and paramilitary forces observed restraint in such matters.
END
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