Kashmiri IAS aspirant’s brutal killing shakes Uri

Lucknow Police files FIR, post mortem confirms murder

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 14: Ruling National Conference’s Lok Sabha member from North Kashmir, Sharief-ud-din Shariq, seems to be programmed to raise hue and cry over the killing of only those of his voters who die at the hands of Police and security forces. Same party’s Rajya Sabha member, Mohammad Shafi Uri, who served several times as MLA of Uri and a Minister in J&K, appears to be more concerned on political news than the crime done to the Kashmiris outside. Sitting MLA from Uri and Congress’ Minister of Irrigation, Taj Mohi-ud-din, is apparently preoccupied with dousing the in-house flames of his party that were fast leaping onto him, Peerzada Sayeed and some other of his Cabinet colleagues. Hurriyat’s tropical plant of Azadi has never taken root in temperate Uri.

So, death of the IAS aspirant, Syed Danish Ali Naqvi of Kamalkote, in extreme brutality in the UP capital city of Lucknow, goes unnoticed, ignored and uncondemned. The story of transportation of the dead body, that took full five days, from Lucknow to Uri, is no less pathetic.

According to his three roommates, one from Poonch and two from Budgam district of J&K, twenty-two-year old Danish walked out of the privately hired accommodation in Sarfarazgunj are of Lucknow at 2200 hours on January 31^st, in informal outfits without telling them that he would draw some money from the local ATM. As he did not return for the whole night, they thought he was participating in a religious function in their neighbourhood.

As the boy remained untraced on February 1^st, Danish’s roommate, Murtaza of Poonch and two others called his cousin Syed Anwar Shah who is a student of Islamic studies at Jamia Imamiya Tanzeem-ul-Makkatib, Golagung. Danish’s three roommates from J&K, one more from Barabanki UP and cousin Anwar continued their search but failed to get any clue. Why didn’t they inform Police? “We thought it is election time here and Police would arrest and harass all the Kashmiri students”, Anwar revealed to Early Times.

Finally, some labourers working at construction of Era’s Medical College hostel informed Police that there was a dead body hanging against a tree in the nursery. Police reached the spot, took the body into custody and recovered Danish’s belongings. These included cash of Rs 10080, an ATM card of J&K Bank besides the Identity Card of M-Tech Academy’s coaching centre, where the slain youth was enrolled in English Speaking Course. He had planned for go for MBA but not before trying his luck in current year’s IAS examination. After completing his BA from Degree College in Uri, Danish had left for the coaching in Lucknow four months ago.

According to Anwar, some shopkeepers revealed to Police that they had spotted some strangers at around midnight of February ½ who were in a Wagon car with its number plate covered by mud. They asked for tea which was not available that time. Then they returned. Police on the spot found tyre marks of a Wagon R from the plantation backyard of the famous Era’s Lucknow Medical College and Hospital. According to eyewitnesses, the body was hanging against a tree, with both hands tied in the back. Gaping wounds in the area of neck and ears indicated forceful strikes of a sharp sword.

Men from Balagunj Police Division and Thakurgunj Police station took next two days in registration of a “death in mysterious circumstances” and completing medico-legal formalities. The inquest proceedings conducted under section 174 CrPC found it a plain case of murder.

Dead body was returned to the young student Syed Anwar with a preliminary post mortem observation that suggested that Danish had died of “asphyxia caused due to strangulation”. With everybody busy in Assembly elections, none among Police or civil administration came to Anwar’s help till his relatives sent him e-tickets.

After a great deal of hassles, that includes a bitter exchange between the Kashmir Divisional Commissioner’s OSD and Resident Commissioner in New Delhi, Anwar succeeded in carrying the body to Kamalkote, close to LoC in Uri sector, for funeral. From February 2^nd to 6^th, the embalmed body remained in unattended rooms, airport mortuaries and transshipment.

Danish’s barbaric murder has shaken up not only the father Syed Rehmat Shah Naqvi and his family but also sent shockwaves all across Uri. “We are completely shattered and are left with no strength to call for investigation and justice. We are broken. How can we approach officers and politicians to seek their help?” 50-year-old Rehmat Shah, who works as Assistant Executive Engineer in Rural Engineering Wing of the state Rural Development Department in Sopore, bemoaned. Danish’s mother, Sayyeda Nazir Fatima, lost her mental balance with the first news of her son’s slaying. After a week of treatment at SKIMS Medical College and Government Psychiatric Diseases Hospital in Srinagar, she was carried back to her village today.

Rehmat Ali said that the Investigating Officer contacted him on phone today and informed him that it had been established as a murder case. He told him that the investigation was underway but none of the suspects had been arrested or interrogated in the last over one week. Even the motive of the murder, which was all the more blind after recovery of the entire amount of cash Danish had drawn from the ATM, was found intact. His other belongings, including his cellphone were all in his room, though he made a call to his younger brother Muntazar between 11.00 pm and 1.00 a.m on the fateful night. He wanted to talk to his mother, who was however admitted at SKIMS Medical College Bemina. He put off the call, telling Munatazar that he would call next day.

DIG/SSP of Lucknow, D K Thakur, told Early Times over phone from Lucknow that Police had converted the matter into a murder case but there had been no headway. “We have not been able to do anything substantial so far”, DIG said. He added that the investigation was in progress.

END

  

Peerzada: Minister of gain in the coalition of loss

Sonia, Omar have more at stake than this ‘loyalist since Emergency’

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 13: In his statement of defence, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed has communicated to Mrs Sonia Gandhi some important things in bullet points: That he has been a Congress loyalist and has never left the party in lurch since Emergency; that he has done much to keep India’s flag high in the strife-torn Kashmir; that he has rehabilitated a ‘militancy-hit family’ in his second marriage.

Those aware of things closely include editor of a vernacular daily in Srinagar. In his complaints to readers through the columns of his daily and Police through applications, he is on record to have observed that much more than the poor Minister it was the ‘militancy-hit family’ that was behind sending JKLF men to his office, getting him kidnapped and thrashed at a hideout in Maisuma. His accusations have gone uncontested in the last 10 years.

When New Delhi needed men to keep its flag aflutter in Srinagar, Peer Hissam-ud-din’s nephew huddled himself into the dungeons of Legislators’ Hostel in Jammu. Those who performed the heroic task in turbulent times and held the fort in Valley without publishing their resignation through paid advertisements in vernacular dailies, are all in oblivion today. Taj Mohiuddin is an exception.

Peerzada read about Ghulam Rasool Kar’s rally of January, 1995, in newspapers. Kar and Taj made the first dent in the Hurriyat’s and the militants’ completely captured Valley with the blessings of Narasimha Rao and Rajesh Pilot. Even as Rao remained just rhetorical with his sky-is-the-limit in Burkina Faso, Pilot kept shuttling between Delhi and Srinagar at a time when men like Peerzada believed that the Valley had been lost for ever.

Pilot left no stone unturned to regain the lost paradise for Delhi. After several visits from 1990 to 1992, he made it a point to drive deep into the interior of Baghwanpora, Lalbazar, to interact with bereaved families when over 50 people died in a house collapse. He met elders to seek their goodwill and doled out things from telephone connections to LPG units among the young, whoever met him and sought favour from the Member of Parliament. Pilot was absent but his portraits were high in the rally Kar and Taj initiated from Uri and concluded three days later at Qazigund.

Those prominently conspicuous in the rally included Ghulam Mohammad Mir Magami, who later became Lok Sabah member in 1996, and died; Former militants Sareer Khan, who was years later ambushed and gunned down in Chandoosa; and, Chaudary Jalal-ud-din, who was later literally pushed back to the wall of ‘Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’. Days after his maiden interaction with Pilot, Jalaluddin appeared on Doordarshan with his famous statement, perhaps first of such against the militants: “Al-Barq, Al-Garq” [Down with Al-Barq] “Eik kutta thaa mere paas, usay bhi naa chhorha [Terrorists didn’t spare even my pet dog].

Jalal’s brother, Salam-ud-din, contested two elections for Congress from Kupwara. He lost both, but not before attracting back into the mainstream politics men like Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, who had led pro-Azadi processions from Kupwara to Lolab in 1990, after serving as NC’s MLA from 1987 to 1990. Then a promising advocate, Mir Saifullah, too was lured into the pro-Indian political activity. In 1996 elections, both became NC’s MLAs from Kupwara and Lolab respectively. Salam-ud-din too vanished into oblivion shortly, alongwith the most imposing Deen Mohammad Cheetah.

While as Ghulam Ahmed Mir remained engaged in distributing petrol pumps with a union Minister in Delhi and Peerzada read Kokernag’s news in the dailies in Jammu, Kar and Taj kept sowing fresh seeds of their party in Valley. The ‘militancy-hit family’ in question remained part and parcel of the bloodshed that commanders like Parvez Billa unleashed in Valley and made thousands of the Kashmiris run for life.

Anyway, that’s not for Congress alone. In NC too, men like Mohammad Sayeed Akhoon, who had the audacity of keeping the red party flag aflutter on their rooftops, perished under the weight of escapists who returned as ‘petty contractors” from Jammu in 1996 and became not only Ministers but also multi-millionaires. In the whole camp, Forest Minister Mian Altaf is the only one who stood back in Valley firmly alongwith his family and survived fatal landmine explosions. In one of such blasts, his foot was nearly amputated.

When Taj grappled with counter-insurgents and declared his own war on the dreaded Ikhwan and Muslim Mujahideen, Peerzada learned about it in Jammu. Later, when “Emergency time loyalists” returned, Kokernag-Dooru had become a safe haven for Congress. Death of NC’s MLA and Parliamentary Secretary (minister without oath) Ghulam Hassan Bhat in an IED blast and poor performance of another MLA, Pir Abdul Rasheed, came as a boon to Congress. Since 2002, Kokernag and Dooru have become bastions of Mrs Gandhi’s party.

Cynics expecting Peerzada’s and Mir’s fall after 2006 sex scandal were pretty wrong in their observation. Both were returned in 2008 and both are continuing as strong contenders in the forthcoming elections too.  Peerzada’s involvement and indictment by J&K State Accountability Commission later in the infamous Panchayat Ghar Electrification Scandal became a certificate of his “good performance” for the voters in Kokernag. Even today, after reams of his involvement have been published in newspapers, his constituency stands intact.

If that alone is the yardstick, Peerzada deserves to be promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief Minister.

But, nobody in Kashmir seems to have swallowed Sonia Gandhi’s act of making the mockery of the party’s affairs as well as that of the NC-Congress coalition. Much more than Peerzada has gained in the support and clean chit from Delhi, Sonia and Omar have lost. Having lost their faith in the coalition leadership, unprecedented in last many years, Kashmiris are now satirically suggesting on streets: “Peerzada Sahab should be now given portfolio of Higher Education so that he could help his son in under-graduation examinations!”. Will the morally sensitive Omar Abdullah allow himself to be sacrificed for tainted partners of Congress, remains the biggest question in every drawing room in Srinagar.

END

Fayyaz asks Governor: Why does Govt promote unauthorized TV channels in J&K?

In 24 hours, Div Comm orders DCs to take “immediate action” against cable operators

Early Times Report

SRINAGAR, Feb 12: A day after Srinagar Bureau Chief of Early Times, Ahmed Ali Fayyaz, pointed out to Governor N N Vohra at the IRIIS conference how Government was encouraging mushroom growth of completely unauthorized Television channels to discredit genuine media in Jammu & Kashmir, Divisional Commissioner, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon, has directed respective Deputy Commissioners to initiate immediate action against the defaulting cable operators in Kashmir.

Sunday being a gazetted holiday, Kashmir Divisional Commissioner, Dr Asgar Samoon, issued the orders of immediate action against the defaulting cable operators through a social networking website. “It seems that some local cable networks have once again started broadcasting news n views despite Govt ban n in violation of the Cable Act, in some districts of kashmir valley like Baramulla and south kashmir. I am asking concerned Deputy Commissioners for immediate action against them per law”, Dr Samoon posted on his wall on Facebook. “I would also solicit n appreciate considered views of all organised media and public at large on the subject”, he added, requesting the stakeholders and common people to send him their opinion on the operation of cable TV channels.

Divisional Commissioner’s orders to DCs in the Valley came a day after eminent journalist and Srinagar bureau chief of Early Times pointed out at a conference that in violation of the law of 1995, government functionaries, including DCs and Ministers, were encouraging wild growth of unauthorized cable TV channels and granting them recognition with their own appearance in illegally running “news and current affairs programmes”.

Governor N N Vohra participated as chief guest at the conference organized here yesterday by New Delhi-based Institute of Research on India and International Studies (IRIIS). Country’s eminent political scientist and Professor of Delhi University, Dr Neera Chandhoke, editor of daily ‘Kashmir Images’ Bashir Manzar and BBC’s Srinagar correspondent Riyaz Masroor, were speakers at the panel discussion. Honorary director of IRIIS and author of two books on Kashmir, Prof Navnita Chadha Behera, presented findings of a survey on Kashmiri Youth and Media, at the conference which was attended by a galaxy of academics, mediapersons, government functionaries, businessmen, social activists, researchers and politicians.

Teachers and students of different departments of University of Kashmir, Islamic University of Science and Technology, Vice Chancellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology, Kashmir, Peoples Conference chairman Sajjad Gani Lone, former Director of Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar, Shehzadi Simon, editor-in-chief of ‘The Tribune’, Raj Chengappa and Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Dr Samoon, were among the participants at the second and the last conference on the subject organized by IRIIS.

Previously, the first conference and a panel discussion was organized by the IRIIS at India International Centre in New Delhi on January 27th. While as Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, presided over that conference and functioned as moderator, senior journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, Srinagar-based journalist Ahmed Ali Fayyaz and NDTV’s Foreign Affairs editor, Nidhi Razdan, were speakers at the three-hour-long panel discussion.

IRIIS is an autonomous, non-profit research institute established in 2008 with an aim to broaden the understanding of India in a globalizing world in an interdisciplinary framework. It researches on development and rights, democracy and pluralism, knowledge and technology, environment and equity, terrorism and political violence and global power shifts with relation to India.

A group of highly acclaimed academics from University of Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia and Jawahar Lal Nehru University, besides National Bureau Chief of ‘The Hindu’ and an authority on terrorism, security and strategic issues, Praveen Swami, Supreme Court of India advocate, Madhurima Tatia and Ms Jyoti Grover, founder director of Quadrangle Consulting and a specialist in organisation research on personality assessment, psycho-graphing and career coaching, are in the Core Team of IRIIS.

At the panel discussion yesterday, Ahmed Ali Fayyaz referred to the IRIIS survey on Kashmiri Youth and Media and asserted it was highly dangerous if uncontrolled, unregulated, unlicensed, unprofessional and completely illegal cable TV channels were permitted to feed “news and views” to the youth of 15-35 years of age group who form 48% of the total population in J&K. According to findings of the survey, 74% of the Kashmiri youth access news on state-run Doordarshan and Radio Kashmir. The survey conducted on sample of 1320 youth in Srinagar, Budgam, Anantnag, Kulgam, Baramulla and Bandipore districts, indicates that only 41% of the Kashmiri youth watch news on India’s private satellite television news channels like NDTV, Times NOW, CNN-IBN, ETV Urdu etcetera. On the other hand more Kashmiri youth i.e. 49% watch news on local cable television channels.

Referring to findings of the survey, sponsored by union Ministry of Home Affairs, Fayyaz pointed out that only eight of such channels were registered with the local authorities strictly for making and providing entertainment programmes to the subscribers. None of them was authorized by law to run news or current affairs programmes. He pointed out that the investigators found as many as 25 of such channels without any license, registration, infrastructure or professional media resource. None of them had any knowledge of Cable Television Network Operators (regulation) Act of 1995 or regard for programme code, ethics code and advertising code binding by law on all satellite and cable TV channels in India.

Still, all of these channels were found operating so-called “news and current affairs” programmes with the engagement of uneducated, illiterate staff, anchors, editors, programmers and producers. A number of government employees were also operating such channels and producing “news programmes” and even interviewing their own superior officers and DCs. He said it was all the more surprising that after the categorical ban on operation of such unauthorized channels and “ban” on “news and current affairs” programmes of the eight registered cable channels in September 2010, mushroom growth of such uncontrolled channels had been witnessed in J&K, particularly in the Valley. Over 50 of such channels were openly operating in Valley alone in 2011. “Ban” on unauthorized news programmes was in force nowhere other than in Srinagar city.

With DCs and Ministers themselves violating the law and appearing in unauthorized programmes, almost all of these channels---particularly in Baramulla, Anantnag and Kulgam---had been openly blackmailing hapless, law-abiding citizens. Everybody in the state and the central government was turning a blind eye to such uncouth broadcasts and a new menace of “social media” was being promoted by the authorities with flagrant violation of law. He said that DCs and other officials as also politicians, including MLAs and Ministers, were promoting and projecting themselves through this illegal platform and “reporters” and camerapersons of these very channels were fast eclipsing bona fide journalists and accredited correspondents at most of the government functions at district level.

According to some reports, government officials and politicians had fixed their own “hafta” (salaries) to operators of these channels, mostly former militants, and their “citizen journalists” were being hired by officers, including in Police, to trap their rivals in “sting operations”. Such matter was being uploaded on Youtube, Facebook and other social media sites without any fear of law and accountability.

Fayyaz pointed out that when a south Kashmir youth, albeit with no negative reputation, met with Governor previous evening, Department of Information proudly issued a bulletin, saying that CEO of a Pulwama-based “news channel” had a meeting with the Governor. He asked Mr Vohra as to what law in this country had allowed such recognition of quacks as bona fide journalists.

Even as Governor did not respond, Divisional Commissioner today directed DCs in Kashmir to initiate immediate action against the defaulting cable operators.

END

Rafiabad tense as soldier ‘guns down’ civilian

MoS Home, DGP, Corps Commander douse the flames; Inquiries ordered

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 11: On the anniversary of the execution of Kashmir’s separatist icon and JKLF founder Maqbool Bhat, troops have allegedly gunned down a youth in Rafiabad area of Baramulla district. Even as senior Police and Army officials and Minister of State for Home, Nasir Aslam Wani, visited the village, apologized to the bereaved family and ordered three separate inquiries, Rafiabad was reportedly tense over the civilian killing that came after a long pause of calm but could generate a fresh demand of revocation of J&K Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

Informed sources in North Kashmir told Early Times that last evening troops from D-company of Rashtriya Rifles 32 Bn, alongwith a Police party, moved from their camp at Tragpora and laid cordon around village Lysar. According to Army officials, who approached Police, troops had received ‘specific information’ regarding presence of some militants in the village.

In the very beginning of the cordon-and-search operation, a heated exchange took place between a soldier and retired Assistant Sub Inspector Ghulam Mohammad Rather. During this exchange, ASI’s nephew, 25-year-old Ashiq Hussain Rather S/o Mohammad Akbar Rather, came down from his room at first floor of the house from sidewall staircase. Suddenly a bullet hit him straight at his heart and the youth died on spot. The shootout raised commotion in the village and scores of residents gathered to protest and mourn the youth’s killing. They alleged that troops fired and killed the civilian in cold blood during a minor scuffle between a soldier, two of the youth’s brothers and his uncle.

Troops withdrew the cordon but hundreds of people gathered and began shouting pro-Azadi and anti-India slogans with the demand that the Army camp be shifted from the area and the “guilty” soldiers be disarmed, arrested, prosecuted and punished under law.

As tension began building up, SP Sopore Imtiyaz Hussain Mir, Sub Divisional Magistrate of Sopore, Mohammad Ahsan Mir, SDPO and SHO of Police Station Dangiwacha reached the spot at midnight and made sustained efforts to pacify the crowds. However, the angry mobs persisted with the protest. In the forenoon today, nearly a thousand-strong crowd blocked Baramulla-Langet Road outside Lysar village. They placed the dead body on the road, shouted slogans and conveyed to Police that they would not go for funeral until a murder case was registered and the “guilty” soldiers were taken into custody. Under instructions from top echelons of the state government, Police filed FIR No: 6 of 2012 under section 302 of RPC (murder) against the accused company of Rashtriya Rifles 32 Bn.

Police and the demonstrators clashed for a while as some people pelted stones and Police retaliated with tearsmoke and baton charge. Sources said that four civilians and five Police personnel sustained minor injuries in the clash. Police confirmed that five constables were hurt but maintained that none of the demonstrators was injured.

The demonstrators maintained allegation that troops had killed Ashiq, who worked as a labour at Fruit Mandi in Sopore, in cold blood. However, officers of Rashtriya Rifles insisted that the youth had died in “accidental fire”. They projected their claim with the argument that in case of a scuffle or shootout, bursts or multiple single shots would have been fired. Police confirmed that there was evidence of “just one single shot”. Police further said that FIR had been filed on the statement of the residents and the real picture would emerge only after a thorough investigation and ballistic analysis.

With the tension refusing to die down and independent MLA of Langet, Engineer Rashid shouting slogans “RR Tunnel Paar” and “Hisaab dau hisaab dau, khoon ka hisaab dau”, alongwith the demonstrators, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, flying from Jammu to Srinagar, deployed senior government functionaries for reaching out to the bereaved family and the angry residents. Being in Saudi Arabia on Umra, NC’s Rafiabad MLA and Minister of State for R&B, Javed Ahmad Dar, was not available. Consequently, MOS Home, Nasir Aslam Wani, flew to Watirgam alongwith Director General of Police, Kuldeep Khoda, and IGP Kashmir, Shiv Murari Sahai. At Watirgam, they were also joined by GOC of Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain.

Sources said that MoS Home Wani, alongwith senior Police and Army officials, interacted with members of the bereaved family and other residents and pacified them with the assurance that Army, Police and an executive magistrate would conduct three inquiries simultaneously. Anybody found guilty, they assured the gathering, would be arrested, prosecuted and punished under law and service conduct rules of Army. Thereafter, the crowds relented and they conducted the funeral of the ill-fated youth at Lysar. Over 500 people of Lysar, Hadipora and Watirgam participated in the funeral prayers.

Today’s incident of firing happened after months of calm in Rafiabad and other areas in Kashmir. Death of the youth in the disputed shootout came ironically on the anniversary of JKLF leader Maqbool Bhat’s execution when Kashmir valley observed near-total shutdown on the call of separatist leaders. Traffic, however, operated in almost all districts. The civilian killing is likely to generate fresh demand of revocation of AFSPA among the Valley’s political parties.

ARMY VERSION

Reacting to allegations of killing by the soldier, Defence spokesman at headquarters 15^th Corps issued the following statement:

“General Officer Commanding 15 Corps along with Minister of State (Home), Jammu and Kashmir Mr Nazir Aslam Wani, DG Police, General Officer Commanding Kilo Force and IG Kashmir visited the area of incident which lead to the death of an innocent young man in village Laser, North Kashmir on night of 10 Feb 2012.  Initial investigation of the incident revealed that on the basis of intelligence which indicated presence of terrorists in the village a column of 32 Rashtriya Rifles established a cordon near a group of houses.  The presence of the Army created some panic in a house which led to an accidental discharge of a weapon in the hands of an Rashtriya Rifles soldier.  

The single bullet which was discharged hit one of the occupants of the house, Ashiq Hussian Rathar son of Muhammad Akbar, who expired on the spot.   The General Officer Commanding, Minister of State (Home), Jammu and Kashmir and the DGP met a delegation from the village and confirmed that the unfortunate death was by an accidental discharge of a weapon and consoled the family. They sympathized with the family and while paying their condolences assured them of all compensation, including a job for a male member of the family. 

Attempts at escalation of the situation by some elements were defused by the timely visit of the high ranking Military, State and Police officials, admission of the innocence of the deceased and promise of necessary and timely compensation through ex gratia.  The General Officer Commanding confirmed the institution of a military Court of Inquiry while the Minister of State (Home), Jammu and Kashmir promised a parallel Magisterial Inquiry to confirm the chain of events and measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents”.

END

Peerzada resigns as Education Minister

Sheikh Bashir being removed as Chairman BOSE; Naseem or Tanvir may get charge on Monday

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 11: Becoming second successive casualty for Congress in Omar Abdullah’s Cabinet after Ghulam Mohammad Saroori in 2010, high profile mainstream politician and Minister of Education, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, has finally moved out of the Council of Ministers in Jammu and Kashmir, unceremoniously. Responding to directions from AICC, communicated to him through General Secretary incharge J&K Mohan Praskash, Peerzada today submitted his letter of resignation by fax to the Congress and UPA supremo Sonia Gandhi.

In days of submission of its report to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, beleaguered Peerzada today faxed a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Highly placed political sources disclosed to Early Times that within hours of Chief Minister’s discussion with the AICC leadership in New Delhi, party’s General Secretary incharge Jammu and Kashmir asked Peerzada to “immediately” send his resignation to Mrs Gandhi. Facing flak from a number of Opposition parties, including BJP, over “protecting corrupt and tainted Ministers”, AICC leadership agreed with Omar that retaining Peerzada in the Government would prove politically disastrous for the coalition.

According to these sources, there was complete unanimity between NC and Congress leadership that retaining Peerzada and sacking Saroori in identical matters could not be justified. Even after Peerzada had been isolated by both factions of the Congress, promoted by J&KPCC President Saifuddin Soz and union Minister of Health Ghulam Nabi Azad, some of the leaders in the coalition were in favour of “restraint”. They were calling for registration of FIR and a formal investigation by Crime Branch. According to them, Peerzada should have been asked to quit only after his person was found involved in the J&K BOSE Examgate. Interestingly, NC as well as the opposition PDP, did not seem to be enthusiastic over Peerzada’s resignation, for varied reasons.

With a large number of political and non-political organisations, NGOs and several organs of civil society joining hands to pull down the Minister, NC-Congress coalition decided to remove Peerzada from the Council of Ministers. As already reported in the last several days, Peerzada had fallen in the eye of a storm on account of his foster son Imam Souban’s use of unfair means in Class 10^th examination in the year 2009. On January 30^th, Srinagar-based daily ‘Greater Kashmir’ had published material evidence of the unfair means made available to the candidate besides details how BOSE authorities and men in Civil Secretariat had covered up the scandal despite desire of action from Raj Bhawan and Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

Following publication of media reports and varied demands of action and investigation from different quarters, Chief Minister had ordered Crime Branch to conduct a preliminary inquiry and check veracity of the reports against Peerzada and his son. Crime Branch found half-a-dozen officials as well as Minister of Education involved in the Examgate. Seeking resignation from the Minister was sequel to Chief Minister’s overnight discussion on the subject with AICC leadership in the union capital.

BOSE RESHUFFLE IMMINENT

Sources revealed that the state government had also decided to go for a “complete reshuffle” in BOSE within next two days. According to these sources, all the officials indicted in the Crime Branch inquiry would be removed and attached to the office of Commissioner-Secretary of School Education. Those being removed include Chairman, Dr Bashir Ahmad Sheikh, one joint secretary, one lady academic officer, besides two teachers of School Education department, namely Tariq Gilani and Imtiyaz Ahmad, who had worked as Superintendent and Dy Superintendent and either provided unfair facilitation or remained mute spectators to Imam Souban’s way of taking the examination.

Crime Branch was being directed to file a formal FIR and conduct a formal investigation to determine criminal and non-criminal culpability of the accused officials and the Minister incharge. Sources said that the Minister’s second wife and Souban’s mother, Dr Tabbasum, who was working in state Health Department, would also be questioned.

Sources revealed that one among Commissioner-Secretary of School Education, Naseem Lanker, and Commissioner-Secretary Higher Education, Tanvir Jehan, would be appointed to also officiate as Chairman of BOSE till appointment of a full-time incumbent. Mrs Lanker, who had headed the search committee that recommended Dr Sheikh Bashir (then Secretary BOSE) for the top position of Chairman last year, is reaching superannuation on February 29^th.

Some men of consequence in bureaucracy were in favour of handing over Chairman’s charge to Commissioner-Secretary Health and Medical Education, Ghulam Ahmad Pir, who is also retiring from service on March 31^st. Registrar of Cooperatives, Dr Syed Mohammad Fazalullah, who has a doctorate and an academic and literary profile, was also said to be a choice. He is due to reach superannuation on October 31^st this year.

ANGRY WITH CM

According to reports from New Delhi, Peerzada has taken umbrage on Chief Minister’s overnight statement to media in which Mr Abdullah was quoted to have said that Peerzada’s fate would be determined in “next 24 to 36 hours”. In his conversation with a news agency, Peerzada has questioned Chief Minister’s prerogative and asserted that he was nobody to determine his fate as Minister. He is quoted to have observed that Mrs Sonia Gandhi was his “boss” and he was AICC’s nominee in Mr Abdullah’s Cabinet. According to him, they alone in New Delhi could ask him to continue or retain his berth. Asked what made him resign, Peerzada, according to agency, said that he had submitted his resignation to the Congress President over Chief Minister’s remarks and she would take her decision.

TRACK RECORD OF SCAMS

Peerzada has a track record of ignominy. Inspite of having functioned as J&K President of Youth Congress and Minister of State for Education in 1987-1990, later as J&K Pradesh Congress Committee chief and Minister of Rural Development Department, he was dogged by controversies one after another. His tenure as Minister RDD in Mufti Sayeed-led PDP-Congress coalition in 2002-2005, Peerzada faced serious charges of corruption in Panchayat Electrification Scam. In Ghulam Nabi Azad-led government later, he faced charges of accepting bribe from independent MLA Shoib Lone’s sister for recognition of her ETT school in Baramulla. He was indicted by State Accountability Commission but got the action stayed from High Court.

Azad forced Peerzada to resign both as JKPCC President and Minister of Education following pandemonium on the MLA’s charges against him and his wife. Later, he was yet again inducted as Minister of Education when Omar Abdullah formed NC-Congress government on January 5^th, 2009.

END

CB finds Minister, BOSE officials involved in Examgate

Peerzada’s son migrated to Humhama school; Budgam office bypassed in appointment of exam staff; SP School’s math expert filled up answers; Lady academic officer absconding in Delhi; Minister’s exit being discussed with AICC

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 8: Senior Congress leader and Minister of Education, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, and Chairman of Jammu & Kashmir State Board of School Education (BOSE), Dr Bashir Ahmad Sheikh, are among nearly half-a-dozen government functionaries who have been found by Crime Branch involved in the unfair means scandal involving the Cabinet Minister’s foster son, Imam Souban Bhat, in the year 2009. Under pressure from different quarters, including public outcry over the academic scam, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is understood to be taking up the matter of action against the Minister with the Congress high command in New Delhi.

Highly placed authoritative sources told Early Times that Crime Branch (CB) has finally completed and handed over to Chief Minister findings of its “preliminary inquiry” into media reports which alleged that Minister incharge Education Peerzada Sayeed, then Secretary and now Chairman of BOSE, Dr Bashir Sheikh, and other officials had facilitated and later covered up use of unfair means by Imam Souban in the Matriculation examination of November 2009. Even as nobody in CB responded to phone calls from media, sources maintained that involvement of a Minister and senior BOSE officials had been established.

According to these sources, CB’s sleuths seized records and interrogated over a dozen officials of BOSE and Department of School Education, trying to explore how the high-profile candidate had enjoyed the illegal facilitation and how the BOSE officials, as well as bureaucrats from CM’s Secretariat to General Administration and School Education departments, had brushed the whole academic scandal under the carpet.

Investigators inter alia noticed that officials in GAD and School Education had conveniently ignored instructions from both Raj Bhawan as well as CM’s Secretariat and facilitated declaration of the candidate’s result--- even after an in-house BOSE inquiry--- in violation of all rules and norms. Nevertheless, sources said, no specific action has been recommended by CB against the delinquent officials and bureaucrats in two particular departments at Civil Secretariat.

These sources insisted that not more than six people, including Peerzada, Dr Bashir Sheikh, then Deputy Director of Academics Merajuddin Zargar (who is working as Principal of Iqbal Memorial School after his retirement), Academic Officer Ms Aaliya (who is reportedly absconding in New Delhi since the day Examgate was exposed by media), SP Higher Secondary School’s teacher and expert of mathematics Mr Imtiyaz (who was allegedly used to write answers) besides a teacher Tariq Gilani (who was posted as Superintendent of the centre in question), were under the cloud.

Track of the academic scandal has been mapped right from Imam Souban’s unjustified migration from prestigious Tyndale Biscoe School to the newly established Vision Public School at Humhama Crossing, almost at the border of Srinagar Municipality. It has become clear during the course of investigation that a scheme of providing illegal support to the candidate in his Matriculation examination was in place between the Minister, his family and officials of BOSE. One of the well placed sources, quoting CB officials, said that Imam Souban’s “enrolment” in the lousy Government Higher Secondary School Jawahar Nagar for appearing in Class 12^th examination (in which he secured distinction with 77.4% marks last week) was also part of a plan between the BOSE officials and the Minister’s family.

It was not clear whether it has been recorded in the report or not but the CB sleuths, according to these sources, learned during the course of investigation that BOSE’s Budgam Sub Office had been intriguingly bypassed in appointment of staff at Al-Ameen Chinar Valley Secondary School where Imam Souban appeared in Matriculation examination in November 2009.

According to sources, Tariq Gilani, who was posted as Superintendent, engaged SP Higher Secondary School’s mathematics expert, Mr Imtiyaz, as Deputy Superintendent without competence and knowledge of BOSE’s Sub Office Budgam, only to provide illegal favour to the Minister’s ward. Instead of Budgam, a suo moto confirmation of Gilani’s action came from then joint secretary Merajuddin Zargar from the BOSE headquarters at Bemina. Interestingly, nobody questioned Gilani how he had engaged the Deputy Superintendent of his own and that too from a different district i.e. Srinagar instead of the list of staff provided by Chief Education Officer of Budgam.

Sources said that then Section Officer and now Assistant Secretary at BOSE’s Sub Office Budgam, Mushtaq Ahmad Rishi, confronted Mr Zargar in front of CB team and reminded him that Budgam Sub Office had been completely bypassed in appointment of the Deputy Superintendent.

Significantly again, CB sleuths did not interrogate officials of BOSE’s Strong Room and Secrecy Section (custodians of the answer sheets and other records) to learn how photocopy of answer scripts of the candidate had reached newspaper offices in Srinagar after over two years. Two officials, identified as Mr Jalu and Assistant Secretary Secrecy, Nazir Ahmad Siraj, have surfaced as major witnesses, though, of late, they have become known for their clash with the Chairman.

Meanwhile, top ranking political sources disclosed to Early Times that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and others in CM’s Secretariat were deeply studying the CB report. Amid rumours of Peerzada’s resignation, coupled by a Cabinet Minister on some different agenda, Chief Minister was said to be under tremendous pressure from different quarters in taking action against the Minister. However, under tenets of so-called coalition dharma, Mr Abdullah has got to discuss this matter with the coalition partner, Congress.

Sources said that after a possible conversation with J&K Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Prof Saifuddin Soz and union Ministers, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Dr Farooq Abdullah, CM was likely to discuss action against Peerzada with AICC General Secretary incharge J&K, Mohan Prakash, and even the AICC and UPA supreme, Sonia Gandhi.

Even after the CB report, Peerzada has been pleading innocent and dismissing the Examgate as nothing but a conspiracy of his exit from the Cabinet. Without making any specific clarification, he has been asking how the BOSE officials have preserved answer books beyond the mandatory period of six months after declaration of results.

Significantly, Peerzada seems to have been isolated by almost all of his colleagues in the party, including Soz and Azad. The only voices in his support, however feeble, came from some Ministers and MLAs/ MLCs of National Conference who have been the known beneficiaries of the Education Minister’s largesse in sanction and upgradation of schools in their responsive constituencies. Through backdoor of the much infamous Sarva Shiksha Abhyan, RMSA and other centrally sponsored flagship schemes of the UPA Government, a number of J&K’s Ministers and legislators have arranged absorption of their relatives and supporters in government service.

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Geelani’s yet another shutdown fails in Valley

Groups upset over hardliner’s meetings with BJP, ‘recognition’ to Maulana Shaukat’s killers

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 7: With some of the separatist outfits publicly flaying Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s “recognition” of the detained ‘killers’ of Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadith (JAH) chief Maulana Shaukat and others distancing from his current bonhomie with BJP leadership in New Delhi, the Hurriyat hawk’s call for shutdown against shifting of Kashmiri prisoners to jails outside the state evoked a lukewarm response in Kashmir valley.

Notwithstanding closed shops and business establishments in Srinagar Civil Lines and parts of few towns in South Kashmir, Geelani’s call for shutdown did not evoke a substantial response in the Valley today. Even in the capital city, which has been a nerve centre of the separatist sentiment and politics for the last over two decades, business remained unaffected in most of the segments. Shops, trade centers, groceries, pharmacies, bakeries, restaurants, petrol filling stations, showrooms and workshops worked without paying attention to the call and traffic---public, private and commercial---operated without any disruption.

Reports said that attendance in most of the private and government offices, banks and educational institutions was normal. However, few lawyers and officials attended J&K High Court and subordinate courts in Valley, mainly due to High Court Bar Association’s support to Geelani’s call. Reports from the countryside said that the shutdown was partial in some townships in South Kashmir and had little impact in over a dozen major townships in North Kashmir. According to these reports, traffic operated as usual and most of the shops and other business centers remained open. There was no shutdown in the central Kashmir districts of Budgam and Ganderbal.

Official, as well as independent reports, said that the only incident of a minor clash between some stone pelters and Police took place in downtown interior of Habbakadal in Srinagar. Police forced the thin group of demonstrators disperse with baton charge. Nobody was reported injured or detained in the clash.

Geelani had called upon the Kashmiris to observe total shutdown against the government’s move of shifting detainees and prisoners to jails outside the state of Jammu and Kashmir. HCBA and Pakistan-based guerrilla conglomerate, United Jihad Council, had supported the call. Geelani’s call came close on the heels of reports that a number of detainees, arrested for their alleged involvement in the JAH chief Maulana Shaukat’s assassination on April 8^th, 2011, were being shifting from Srinagar Central Jail to some detention centers outside J&K.

JAH promptly came out with a sharp reaction to Geelani’s call and questioned his act of recognizing the slain cleric’s ‘killers’ as representatives of the Kashmiris’ freedom struggle. According to the JAH statement the other day, it was “surprising” that a veteran separatist leader like Mr Geelani was lending sanctity and recognition to Javed Munshi alias Bil Papa and others arrested by Police for their hand in Maulana Shaukat’s assassination in a bomb blast. Significantly however, almost all over separatist outfits remained non-committal on both, Geelani’s call as well as JAH’s negative reaction to it.

Meanwhile detained hardliner and icon of 2010’s street clashes in Kashmir, Massarat Alam, came back to news when his organisation Muslim League, which happens to be a constituent of Geelani-led faction of the Hurriyat Conference, today distanced itself from the latter’s activities in New Delhi. In a statement, carried by local newspapers today, Muslim League said categorically that it had distanced itself from Geelani’s current activities in New Delhi.

A decade after spurning interaction with Ram Jethmalani-led Kashmir Committee, Geelani has had a series of meetings with the eminent lawyers and BJP-led NDA government’s former Law Minister in the union capital. After calling on Jethmalani, initially with condolences on the death of his daughter, Geelani has unfolded an unexpected political mat. In a significant development, he has also met with Bollywood’s icon of yesteryears and veteran BJP leader, Shatrugan Sinha.

Jethmalani, who called on Geelani in Srinagar few months back, has shown remarkable receptivity to Geelani’s mission of fighting for the release of Kashmir’s separatist detainees. According to reports from New Delhi, Jethmalani has agreed to represent in the Supreme Court of India a number of Kashmir’s separatist prisoners, including Dukhtaraan-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi’s husband and Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen supremo, Ashiq Hussain Faktoo alias Mohammad Qasim. Convicted with life imprisonment, Faktoo has completed his doctorate in Islamic Studies in jail. He has been convicted for killing veteran human rights activist late Hriday Nath Wanchoo.

Geelani’s lengthy shutdown calendars froze the Valley during street clashes and demonstrations in 2008 and 2010. However, his success met with anti-climax on both occasions. After months of clashing with Police and armed forces in Amarnath Shrine land allotment row, Kashmiris en masse participated in the Assembly elections of October 20008, followed by the Parliamentary elections or April 2009. Again after months of similar clashes, that left over a hundred civilians dead, Kashmiris registered the highest ever participation of 80% turnout in Panchayat Elections in 2011. Since that watershed, they have not shown much of enthusiasm to Geelani’s calls for shutdown.

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