Mufti’s Govt not to permit Lalchowk Tricolour show

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

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SRINAGAR, May 14: With most of the separatist groups strongly opposing a Delhi-based outfit’s plan to hoist the Indian Tricolour at the business nerve centre of Lalchowk on May 16, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s PDP-BJP government has decided to detain the activists of ‘Youth For Nation’ in Jammu and at Srinagar Airport and not to issue permission for the show.

Highly placed sources in the State government disclosed to State Times that no show of hoisting the Tricolour would be permitted at Lalchowk on May 16^th. “Instructions are being flashed to SSPs of Jammu, Kathua and Srinagar to arrest anybody who would try to disrupt peace and create a law and order situation by the proposed flag hoisting on Saturday”, said a senior Police official. Unconfirmed reports said that some of the group activists, who had arrived in Jammu on Thursday, were being detained.

SSP Jammu Uttam Chand, however, insisted that nobody had been detained or arrested. “This is not a fact. We haven’t detained anybody. We only prevented a group of Congress and Youth Congress activists on Wednesday as they were attempting to travel in the opposite direction of that day’s scheduled convoy of traffic on Jammu-Srinagar Highway”, Uttam Chand told State Times.

SSP Srinagar Amit Kumar as well as Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar Farooq Ahmad Lone maintained that “to the best of our knowledge” no individual or group had applied for permission to a show of flag hoisting at Lalchowk. Permission to such a demonstration, political or non-political, is a must as restrictions under section 144 of Cr PC remain in force without break in all districts of Kashmir valley.

BJP’s MLC Surinder Ambardar and incharge for South Kashmir Vir Saraf claimed that the Delhi-based group, which had announced to hoist the Tricolour at Lalchowk, was in no way associated with BJP. Notwithstanding their clarification, an impression is gathering ground in the Valley that the organisers of the show were enjoying support of both BJP as well as RSS.

Several people on Facebook circulated appeals asking “all Kashmiris” to march to Lalchowk on May 16^th to foil the attempts of “communal forces” to hoist the Indian national flag. The posters typeset in Urdu were issued by “Sangbaaz Kashmiri” (an anonymous stone pelter).

In a significant development, formidable militant group Hizbul Mujahideen’s “Supreme Commander” and Chairman of Pakistan-based United Jijad Council, Syed Salah-ud-din, issued a strong reaction on Thursday. He alleged that on the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diktat “RSS, Bajrang Dal and other right wing elements have entered the Valley to carry out slaughter of Muslims”.  He called the act of hoisting the Tricolour “in presence of lakhs of forces” as “no bravery but an act of cowardice”. He urged the international community to keep close vigil over the situation in Kashmir as the “communal mindset of right wing parties are hell- bent to create a stir in Kashmir”.

“Mufti government must not support Modi’s nefarious plans as it would prove costlier for it”, Salah-ud-din threatened.

A number of Kashmir’s separatist and guerrilla groups have already opposed the Delhi-based group’s plan.

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NC MLA files privilege motion against CM

Altaf Wani is indignant over being “ignored” by Mufti during his tour of Pahalgam

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

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SRINAGAR, May 13: Principal opposition party National Conference’s MLA from Pahalgam Altaf Ahmad Wani is incensed over being “ignored” by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed during his visit to the world-famous tourist attraction. On Wednesday, Wani claimed to have filed a privilege motion against Mufti even as the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman Mehboob Beg asserted that Chief Minister was “not bound” to include the MLA in his entourage and Speaker as well as Secretary of Assembly maintained that they had not received any such motion.

Wani alleged at a news conference that his replacement by PDP’s defeated candidate Rafi Ahmad Mir during CM’s visit and meetings with the authorities at Pahalgam on Tuesday was a violation of the precedence and the protocol he was entitled to as MLA. He claimed to have immediately filed a privilege motion against CM in terms of Rule 238 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.

Speaker Kavinder Gupta as well as Secretary of Legislative Assembly Mohammad Ramzan, however, told State Times that they had not seen any member’s privilege motion till late on Wednesday. “Such a motion is supposed to be delivered by hand to Speaker. He reached late today from Jammu and I am not aware if he has received it”, Ramzan said. “No, I haven’t seen any such motion”, Speaker said on telephone.

PDP’s Chief Spokesperson Dr Mehboob Beg asserted that Chief Minister was by no law or practice bound to carry along with him any area’s MLA during an official tour. “Yes, the concerned legislators are entitled to attend and there’s no question of their replacement by any individual or authority if it is a District Development Board meeting. But yesterday Mufti Sahab was on an extensive tour of Anantnag district and he did not call any District Development Board meeting. Had he called one, the NC MLA would have been definitely invited along with all MLAs, MLCs, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members of the district. Therefore, there’s no question of violation of any MLA’s protocol”, Beg told State Times.

Flanked by NC MLA Abdul Majid Larmi, MLCs Ali Mohammad Dar, Qaisar Jamsheed Lone and Showkat Ahmad Ganai, besides the party’s spokesman Junaid Mattu, Wani complained that a Chief Minister, who had lately stressed on maintenance of sanctity of the Assembly and its members, had shown disrespect to an elected peoples’ representative.

Wani said that he had filed the privilege motion with a resolve to safeguard the democratic rights of the people of Pahalgam who had elected him as their representative.

“This was not Mufti Sahab’s personal sight-seeing tour of Pahalgam. This was an official tour where the Chief Minister was accompanied by officers of the District Administration and where a review was conducted of various works in the constituency. How can the Chief Minister or the State Government sideline the constituents of Pahalgam in taking decisions that affect them? I am the duly elected representative of Pahalgam and I will not allow the Government to subvert the verdict of the people in Pahalgam. The ‘Warrant of Precedence Protocol, Privileges and Amenities to the Members of the State Legislature’ has been violated and I have filed a Privilege Motion against the Chief Minister today”, Wani said.  

“Also as per the Development Authority Act, I am a Member of the Pahalgam Development Authority. A meeting was held at the Civil Secretariat to review the Master Plan of Pahalgam under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister and Minister incharge Tourism Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. I was neither informed nor invited to attend the meeting. Non-statutory as well as political workers of PDP along with Government officers were present, making this a political meeting in the guise of an official meeting. By doing this I was denied my statutory right to perform the functions of an elected MLA and member of the Pahalgam Development Authority”, he added.

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First ‘composite township’ to come up in Kulgam

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

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SRINAGAR, May 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP government at the Centre wants the first composite township for rehabilitation of about one thousand Kashmiri Pandit families to come up in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district within current year.

Knowledgeable sources revealed to State Times here on Tuesday that the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has discussed the plan of the displaced Pandits’ return and rehabilitation in detail with Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Singh, who has been in touch with some Pandit groups and leaders, has desired Mufti to provide 400 Kanals of land for construction of at least 1,000 flats somewhere in vicinity of Vessue, in Kulgam district, where a cluster of hutments had already been constructed for the Pandits who have been absorbed in government services and posted in Kashmir valley under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s special package.

After a series of discussions in New Delhi, Mufti is understood to have received Singh’s call last week as the Home Minister wanted him to hasten the process of land acquisition for the first township in Kulgam district. Necessary instructions for identification of the site and land procurement have been communicated to the district Revenue authorities. A high level team from North Block, which has arrived in the summer capital today, is expected to conduct an inspection of the proposed site for security assessment in company of senior Police and Civil administration officials of the State government.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister is likely to visit Kulgam district alongwith a group of select Ministers, bureaucrats, Heads of Departments and senior Police and security officials. The team would carry out inspection of two proposed sites in Kulgam-Qazigund belt in the foothills of Pir Panjal mountain range. The process of land acquisition could start within a month.

Sources disclosed that Government of India was planning to create at least 10 of such townships for rehabilitation of the Pandits who were interested to return to the Valley but had serious security apprehension in living in their ancestral villages. “All the stakeholders, including the Pandit leaders and intellectuals would be involved with the rehabilitation process as soon as possible. Those keen to live in their own villages would be provided suitable land and an amount of Rs 20 lakh each family in instalments”, said a senior political source. According to him, government would also take on board MLA Devsar Mohammad Amin Bhat, MLA Noorabad and Minister of State Abdul Majid Paddar and MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami.

In the wake of strong resistance to the idea of creating “protected and isolated settlements and ghettos” from almost all the Valley’s separatist and mainstream opposition groups, the BJP-PDP coalition is toying with the idea of offering 25% of the flats to the Muslims interested in living in the neighbourhood of Pandits. Because of this, the settlements have been named as “composite townships”.

Sources said that the government would also allot houses on the pattern of the displaced Pandits to members of the Muslim and Sikh communities who had migrated to Jammu, Delhi and other places because of armed insurgency and who were interested in returning to the Valley.

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With militancy picking up in South Kashmir, 2 CRPF men shot dead on Highway

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR, May 11: Close on the heels of the death of three Constables of Jammu and Kashmir Police in a guerrilla attack and 15 civilians sustaining injuries in a grenade attack in Shopian, militants on Monday gunned down two personnel of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in South Kashmir.

Informed sources told State Times that Assistant Sub Inspector Omkar Singh and Constable Tilak Raj of CRPF 90th Battalion were on duty to guard Army and paramilitary convoys on Srinagar-Jammu highway against militant attacks at Halmulla, close to Sangham Bridge, when three to four militants attacked them with two AK-47 rifles from behind. Both the targeted personnel died on the spot. The militants snatched away from them one Insas Rifle and one AK-47 rifle and fled away. However, they dropped the longer gun Insas in a stream which was later recovered by Police.

Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman, Baleeguddin, according to KNS, claimed responsibility of the attack on behalf of his organisation. He claimed that two CRPF men were killed and the militants escaped after snatching away their guns.

Deputy Inspector General of Police in South Kashmir Nitish Kumar, however, told State Times that it appeared to an action by Lashkar-e-Tayyiba. He said there was immediately no substantive clue or evidence but Police were investigating all possible theories. “We have observed that LeT has recruited some cadres but they are left with insufficient weapons. So, they have been attacking and killing Police or paramilitary targets mainly to snatch away their rifles. LeT alone has done such attacks on Bijbehara-Pampore patch of the highway in the last two years. So, we suspect LeT”, DIG said.

Residents of Halmulla, Marhama and Panjpora maintained that they had no idea about the group behind today’s broad daylight attack on the CRPF Road Opening Party. However, most of them invariably suspected it to be the handiwork of LeT’s Irshad group, which was known to have carried out such actions on the highway from Nowgam Srinagar to Bijbehara in the last three years.

Highly placed sources in J&K Police revealed to State Times that Hizbul Mujahideen, LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad had reorganised guerrilla groups in South Kashmir’s Pulwama and Shopian districts. “As many as 13 youths have joined militant groups in Pulwama district alone in the last four months. In entire South Kashmir, presently 85 militants are active and 65 of them are well identified and listed”, said a senior Police official.

Another officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police said that militancy could increase further in Pulwama-Shopian-Kulgam belt. “
We are under instructions from the new government that nobody should be arrested or detained under PSA. We cannot subject any suspect to custodial interrogation even if we have strong evidences and clues of someone’s involvement with militancy. But still we believe that the funeral processions of the dead militants are the biggest stimulant of the militant cadres’ revival and reorganisation. Youths, particularly the younger ones and unemployed, get excited with Pakistani flags and separatist slogans. Some of them later want to pick up the gun”, said the officer.

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‘Hero’ of Shopian agitation booked for 'attempted murder'

Wife Shobi Jan narrates to judge how Shakeel Ahangar sprinkled kerosene oil on her to burn her to death

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR, May 8: In a bizarre development that can turn a many faces of Kashmir's separatist movement red, Police in Shopian have booked middle-aged Shakeel Ahmad Ahangar for allegedly attempting to burn his second wife to death. In 2009, Ahangar had virtually set the Valley on fire with his allegation that Police and security forces had "gangraped and murdered" his wife Neelofar Jan and unmarried sister Asiya Jan. Resultant street turbulence had left half-a-dozen civilians dead and hundreds injured.

Superintendent of Police in Shopian Altaf Khan confirmed that Ahangar had been booked in a matter of attempted murder on his second wife Shobi Jan’s written complaint in case FIR No: 67/2015 under sections 498-A, 323, 354, 342, 307 of Rabir Penal Code. He said that the investigation was underway and the accused could be arrested at an appropriate time.

According to Shobi Jan’s complaint dated May 5, 2015, filed with Police Station Shopian, Shakeel Ahangar, alongwith Manzoor Ahmad Ahangar and Auqib Ahangar sons of Abdul Gani Ahangar and Roomi Jan daughter of Abdul Gani Ahangar, subjected her to immense physical and mental torture on account of her parents' failure to carry dowry to her in-laws. Ahangar and his siblings allegedly sprinkled kerosene oil on her body during the night of May 4th and attempted to burn her to death.

After a preliminary verification, Police filed FIR No: 67 with charge of attemted murder against Ahangar and the other accused persons. After the spot inspection, Police prepared a site plan and got the complainant’s statement recorded before a judicial magistrate under section 161 and 164 of Criminal Procedure Code. Shobi Jan narrated to the judge how Ahangar tried to kill her by sprinkling kerosene oil on her body. Her clothes were seized, sealed and resealed before the Executive Magistrate Ist Class Shopian for FSL examination.

Sources privy to the investigation revealed to State Times that Ahangar and his family members could be arrested any time in the next 24 hours. Senior separatist leader Shabir Shah's visit to Shopian on Friday deferred Ahangar’s arrest for a day.

Shakeel Ahangar shot into prominence in May 2009 when his wife Neelofar and sister Asiya were found dead in mysterious circumstances in Rambiara Nallah and he complained that the duo had been "kidnapped and subjected to gangrape by Police and security forces before the two young women were murdered”.

Ahangar’s allegations triggered off a massive street turbulence across the Valley, leading to torching of properties, shutdown for several weeks, violent clashes between the Police and demonstrators. Over six civilians died in the Police firing.

While the Valley observed bandh on calls of Majlis-e-Mashawarat Shopian and separatist leaders for several days, Shopian district headquarters remained shut down for business for about a month. After some investigation by Police and an inquiry by retired judge of J&K High Court, Muzaffar Ahmad Jan, the investigation was assigned to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The demonstrations led to the arrest and suspension of four Police officials including then S.P. of Shopian Javed Iqbal Matoo.

Omar Abdullah’s government hired the country's most expensive lawyer Harish Salve only to ensure that the detained Police officials did not get bail from any court of law. Interestingly, it was for the first time that Advocate General, other government advocates, Kashmir's separatist Bar Association and Mr Salve were on one page to block the deatainees' release on bail. Government had apprehension of a worse law and order situation if the accused Police officials were released.

Even as Ahangar, residents of Shopian, separatist leaders as well as some mainstream politicians, notably the PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, maintained in one voice that Police and security forces had committed rape and murder of the two women, CBI established in three-month-long investigation that they had been neither raped nor murdered. It concluded that Neelofar and Asiya had died by drowning in Rambiara while returning from their orchard in the evening. After exhumation of the bodies, it was established that the unmarried woman’s hymen was intact and she or her sister-in-law had not been subjected to any physical violence.

Giving clean chit to Javed Matoo and other detainees, CBI filed a voluminous charge-sheet against 13 persons, including 11 Shopian-based lawyers and doctors, for hatching up a conspiracy and trying to frame innocent Police officials in a false criminal case for ulterior motives. The case is under hearing with a CBI designated court in Srinagar.

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‘Hero’ of Shopian agitation, Shakeel Ahangar booked for ‘attempted murder'

Wife Shobi Jan complains he sprinkled kerosene oil on her body to burn her to death

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR, May 7: Shakeel Ahmad Ahangar of Bongam Shopian, who in 2009 alleged that his wife Neelofar Jan and unmarried sister Asiya Jan, had been “gangraped and murdered” by Police and security forces, is likely to be arrested in a serious matter of domestic violence and attempt to murder on Friday. On his second wife Shobi Jan’s written complaint, Police have booked Ahangar in case FIR No: 67/2015 under sections 498-A, 323, 354, 342, 307 of Rabir Penal Code.

According to Shobi Jan’s complaint dated May 5, 2015, filed with Police Station Shopian, Shakeel Ahangar alongwith Manzoor Ahmad Ahangar and Auqib Ahangar sons of Abdul Gani Ahangar and Roomi Jan daughter of Abdul Gani Ahangar did beat her up mercilessly while demanding dowry. They allegedly tried to burn her to death after sprinkling kerosene oil on her body during the night of May 4, 2015.

After a preliminary verification, Police filed FIR No: 67 with charge of attemted murder against Ahangar and the other accused persons. After the spot inspection, Police prepared a site plan and got the complainant’s statement recorded before a judicial magistrate under section 161 and 164 of Criminal Procedure Code. Shobi Jan narrated how Ahangar tried to kill her by sprinkling kerosene oil on her body. Her clothes were seized, sealed and resealed before the Executive Magistrate Ist Class Shopian for FSL examination.

Shakeel Ahangar shot into prominence in May 2009 when his wife Neelofar and sister Asiya were found dead in mysterious circumstances in Rambiara Nallah and he complained that the duo had been kidnapped and subjected to gangrape by Police and security forces before the two young women were “murdered”.

Ahangar’s allegations triggered off a massive street turmoil which left half a dozen civilians dead and hundreds injured across Kashmir. While the Valley observed bandh on calls of Majlis-e-Mashawarat Shopian and separatist leaders for several days, Shopian district headquarters remained shut down for business for about a month. After some investigation by Police and an inquiry by retired judge of J&K High Court, Muzaffar Ahmad Jan, the investigation was assigned to Central Bureau of Investigation.

Even as Ahangar, residents of Shopian, separatist leaders as well as some mainstream politicians maintained that Police and security forces had committed rape and murder of the two women, CBI established in three-month-long investigation that they had been neither raped nor murdered. CBI concluded that Neelofar and Asiya had died by drowning in Rambiara while returning from their orchard in the evening. After exhumation of the bodies, it was established that the unmarried woman’s hymen was intact and she or her sister-in-law had not been subjected to any physical violence.

CBI filed a lengthy charge-sheet against 13 persons, including 11 Shopian-based lawyers and doctors for hatching up a conspiracy and trying to frame innocent Police officials in a false criminal case for ulterior motives. The case is under hearing with a CBI designated court in Srinagar.

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Mother of two cubs, leopard brought down dead from tree top by AK-47 in Budgam

Wildlife officials say predator was man-eater, residents claim leopard groups of Damodhar Karewa, Abhinav Gupta caves have never harmed human beings

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 1: On an order issued by the State Wildlife authorities in controversial conditions, Police have shot dead a female leopard, who was mother to two cubs, in Ichhigam village, close to the district headquarters of Budgam in Central Kashmir on Thursday. The common leopard weighing around 100 kg, which was brought down from the top of a 70 ft tall popular tree with AK-47 gunshots, is officially declared as endangered species and stands protected by virtue of its inclusion in the top critical schedules of the State and the Central wildlife law.

Wildlife Warden (Wetlands) Imtiyaz Ahmad Lone claimed that the female leopard was a "man-eater" as it had killed a girl in Beerwah area of upper Budgam sometime back and the big cat had grown as a threat to the life of human population. He said that the men of Police Station Budgam shot dead the leopard, hiding under the foliage of a tall poplar tree, after a team of the Department of Wildlife Protection failed in "repeated attempts" to tranqulise and seize the animal alive.

"I issued the order of killing this leopard after getting reasonably convinced that it was the same predator which had killed a girl at Sutaharan and injured over a dozen men in another attack at Hayyatpora in Beerwah area. I issued the order only after it was under law approved by Chief Wildlife Warden (Deepak Khanna)", Mr Lone told State Times. He said that the animal was lawfully destroyed after burial in a deep pit so as to ensure that nobody takes out it's precious skin or organs for trade, trophy or other purposes. He said even on attacking and injuring a human being, the leopard needs to be declared as "man-eater" and killed as after such an experience it prefers to target humans rather than the animals, like dogs, cows and deer it usually sustains on.

"Over 10,000 people had gathered around the spot. Their hysterical actions frightened the leopard. Our team fired tranquiliser dots but it was too high to be hit. Thereafter we were left with no option than to kill her with a rifle", Mr Lone said.

However two senior officials, who have served in Department of Wildlife Protection insisted on condition of anonymity that the endangered animals cannot be shot dead in this manner. "It's a serious violation of the wildlife law. We can issue order of elimination only after getting substantial evidence of the animal being a man-eater. The attack on a girl has happened long back at Sutaharan which is 25 Km from Ichhigam. Those injured in Hayyatpora, 20 km away, were attacked in self defence by the leopard who was later lynched to death and hanged in an extremely objectionable manner", said a former official. He suggested that the leopards seen in Beerwah were a different group.

Mr Lone maintained that the same animal had attacked men around Beerwah. He, however, admitted that the people of Hayyatpora lynched a leopard in unlawful manner as it had only intruded into a stable and killed 13 sheeps of one Habib Sheikh.

"Two teams from our department were on the look out for the man-eater. We are sure it alone had killed a girl at Sutaharan. We laid cages with bait at several places in Budgam-Beerwah belt but it couldn't be seized alive", he said. He disclosed that Range Officer Wildlife had taken note of the objectionable pictures and written to SHO Beerwah that a criminal case should be registered under law against the people who had killed and put a leopard on exhibition on the day when a civilian died in Police firing in Narbal last fortnight.

Eyewitnesses in Ichhigam and adjoining villages claimed that a big leopard with two cubs had been spotted in movement at several places in last two months. They said the predator group seemed to have taken shelter on western side of Damodhar Karewa outside the fencing wall of Indian Air Force base and Srinagar Airport. Ghulam Mohammad Dar of Khanpora Budgam said that these leopards had not attacked anybody in the whole area.

Mohammad Yousuf Dar of Beerwah town told State Times that residents would routinely spot 6 leopards, sometimes in a group, in the last 4 years. "We see them four to six times a month regularly. Their shelter is in the famous Abhinav Gupta caves atop a hillock over Beerwah. It is less than 500 metres from my home. Once I spotted a leopard just 20 ft from me. I turned my torch on it and it ran away. They eat dogs and sometimes cows or sheep but they never attack humans", Mr Dar said. He said on December 5 last year, one of the 6 leopards was captured in an iron cage by officials but it escaped. Ten days later, it's body was recovered from a stream. "It had perhaps jumped down the slope and died while escaping", he said.

According to Mr Dar, residents of Hayyatpora killed another leopard, without reasonable provocation last fortnight. "If two of the leopards have been killed and a cub has been captured in Goripora, only three of this group are now left at Abhinav Gupta caves. I don't think the leopards spotted around Srinagar Airfield and the one shot dead in Ichhigam do belong to the Beerwah group", he maintained.

Official statistics in Central Kashmir mention that only two leopards died due to "natural death" while as 26 were chased away from April 2014 to March 2015.

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