Four soldiers, 2 militants killed in Tangdar, Kulgam encounters

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

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SRINAGAR, May 25: Even as security forces suffered a major setback, losing three soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in a fierce encounter with the infiltrating militants on the LoC in Tangdar area of Kupwara district on Monday, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba’s top wanted “District Commander” in South Kashmir, Ayatullah alias Khomeini, got killed in another gunbattle in Kulgam.

Director General of Police K Rajendra Kumar told State Times that an Army patrol was ambushed by a group of heavily armed infiltrating militants around Darshak Post, on the LoC, in Tangdar. Troops retaliated effectively and killed at least one militant. “But, unfortunately our men got possibly exposed and three of them died in the ambush”, DGP said. According to the information available with the DGP, one of three soldiers killed in the encounter was a Subedar.

“The operation is continuing as reinforcement has rushed to the spot. We are sure that more than one militant have died, though we have spotted only one body”, DGP said.

Defence spokesperson at headquarters of 15 Corps, Lt Col. N.N. Joshi said that the patrol, led by a JCO, intercepted an infiltrating group of terrorists. “In the heavy exchange of fire that followed, the infiltrating group was beaten back leaving behind one dead terrorist from whom one AK-47, one Pistol and other administrative items were recovered. During the firefight, four jawan sustained injuries of which three succumbed and one is out of danger. As per last reports, the operation is still in progress”.

DGP Rajendra, who visited the site of another encounter and spoke to State Times from Kulgam late on Monday night, said that a couple of militants ambushed a patrol of rashtriya Rifles 1^st battalion at Kanjikullah, near Yaripora village of Kulgam, in the afternoon. Troops retaliated and at least one militant got injured. However, in the initial shootout, one soldier got critically injured who later succumbed to injuries at Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar.

Residents led the troops to a trail of blood which helped the Army, alongwith Kulgam Police and CRPF 18^th battalion, reach the militant hideout in an orchard. The injured militant engaged troops in another gunfight in which he died. He was later identified as Ayatullah Bhat alias Khomeini of Chinnigam Frisal, a top wanted “District Commander” of LeT.

According to Police records, Khomeini, who also operated with code name of Abu Maaz, was wanted in several militancy related crimes since 2010. He had allegedly shot dead Sarpanch Gul Mohammad Dar of Hawora on February 9, 2012, He was also wanted for allegedly killing one Police and two CRPF personnel at Arwani and Awaneera and the assassination of a civilian, Zakir Sayeed Bhat of Sangas Kulgam.

DGP described Khomeini’s death in Monday’s encounter as a major success for security forces and Police and a significant setback for LeT. He said that apart from planning and carrying out several attacks on soft targets, Police and security forces, Khomeini had also recruited a number of the local youths in his organisation. He was a close associate of LeT’s topmost commander in South Kashmir Abu Qasim.

An official spokesman said that unidentified gunmen, suspected to be militants, fired upon the local subsidiary of BSNL, Iqra Telecom in Naupora Sopore, in the forenoon. Three persons at the business establishment sustained injuries. They were identified as Mohammad Rafeeq of Pohru Handwara, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat of Noorbagh and Imtiyaz Ahmad Lone of Achhabal, Sopore. They were rushed to Srinagar and admitted to SMHS Hospital where Rafeeq succumbed to injuries.

In a significant development, separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani condemned the attack on the unarmed civilians. In an unusual condemnation, Geelani without blaming the government agencies alleged that some people were doing acts of terror to defame Islam and Kashmir’s separatist movement.

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Web Link:  http://news.statetimes.in/militants-strike-at-two-places-in-kashmir-one-killed-4-hurt/

Mufti Govt ridicules Defence Minister, says creating Ikhwan is abetment to mass murder

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR, May 24: Days after the senior BJP leader and union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's suggestion that the  Narendra Modi government should use terrorists to neutralize the terrorists----evoking a deluge of criticism from almost all the opposition parties, media and civil society groups----PDP's leader and Minister of Education Naeem Akhtar on Sunday ruled out the revival of counterinsurgent group Ikhwanul Muslimoon in Jammu and Kashmir. Akhtar is also the Mufti Sayeed government's designated spokesperson.

“Whosoever is dishing out such absurd views, is grossly ignorant about both----the ground realities in Kashmir and the law,” Mr Akhtar said in a statement without naming Mr Parrikar.

Mr Akhtar said in a landmark judgment on the issue of Salwa Judam---the government-sponsored gunmen used by Chattisgarh government against Maoists---the Supreme Court in April 2008, declared all such activities illegal and unconstitutional. He said the Supreme Court has, in it judgment, made it clear that arms can’t be given to a civilian to kill and “anybody doing so will be an abettor of the offence under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (murder)".

“So if somebody has made any statement on the issue, he must be completely ignorant about the law,” Mr Akhtar said in probably the PDP's first affront to the coalition partner BJP. He claimed that
PDP had earned its credibility among the masses by rising against and holding back such practices.

“Everybody knows how in 2002, the PDP-led coalition government not only ended the infamous Ikhwan culture in Kashmir but also wound up the dreaded Task Force and the people in every nook and corner of the State at that time acknowledged the substantial relief on the security front,” he said and added that except PDP all other political parties and groups in Kashmir including NC and Congress had ruthlessly used the government-gunmen for political purposes.

“It was NC which for the first time provided political space to Ikhwanis in 1996 by sending them to the legislature and Congress was not far behind in institutionalizing Ikhwan culture by offering some noted Ikhwanis space in the party’s rank and file,” he said and added that not going too far, even a cursory look at the list of candidates of 2014 assembly elections would make it clear which party had most of the Ikhwanis as its frontline cadres.

Significantly, Mr Akhtar spared the BJP and did not mention the names of the one-time Ikhwanis and counter-insurgents who had contested and won, or lost, the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 20 years. Interestingly, at least one of the BJP's MLAs from Kishtwar, having counterinsurgency background, is a Minister in Mufti's government. Even in 2002, Mufti had inducted one of former Ikhwanis, who was then an independent MLA from Bandipore, as a Minister in his PDP-Congress coalition government. Same person, now in Congress, was returned from the same segment in 2014. Even Congress party’s candidates Hilal Shah, who contested against Mufti from Anantnag, was known for his counterinsurgency links.

To begin with, Ikhwan's political arm Awami League had contested Lok Sabha elections of 1996, which were boycotted by National Conference, but lost in all three constituencies in the Valley. Later, it also fielded its candidates in the Assembly elections of 1996. Only one of them---AL's and Ikhwan's founder Kukka Parray---was declared elected, from Sonawari. Subsequently, Parray's ace colleague and Ikhwan's co-founder Javaid Hussain Shah broke away from the Army-sponsored group. On joining NC, then Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah got him elected as MLC.

Armed forces crushed militancy with the help of Ikhwanis and counter-insurgents of Muslim Mujahideen in 1994-1997 period in large-scale violence and bloodletting. More than 3,000 militants are believed to have been killed with the support of these local counter-insurgents who also kidnapped and killed hundreds of unarmed supporters of the separatist movement, particularly those of Jamaat-e-Islami. These groupes ceased to exist and operate after most of their cadres, including the Ikhwan founders Kukka Parray and Javaid Shah, were eliminated by the militants.

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Pro-Pakistan show at Mirwaiz Umar’s religious seat in Srinagar

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR,  May 22: A strong pro-Pakistan demonstration, followed by clashes between the separatists and the Police, marked Friday afternoon congregational prayers at Jamia Masjid---Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's religious seat in Srinagar.

With Mirwaiz being under "house arrest" at his Nageen residence since Wednesday, Imam of Jamia Masjid led the prayers at the mosque in downtown Srinagar smoothly. On every Friday, Mirwaiz delivers a sermon at the gathering before the prayers conducted by the Imam. He speaks on religious and political issues.

When the prayers concluded and the participants were returning to their homes and working places, a group of the people carrying green Islamic flags began shouting pro-Pakistan and pro-Azadi slogans. Soon the Pakistani national flags appeared in the rally with the addition of one flag of the jihadist guerrilla group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba.

Three men, one of them bespectacled and wearing white colour Khan dress and waist-coat, raised pro-Pakistan slogans. The gathering responded with enthusiasm. Thereafter, the bespectacled man, whose identity could not be ascertained, made a brief speech. He said that the Kashmiris would en masse favour accession to Pakistan whenever they would get an opportunity of referendum. "We will all go with Pakistan", he said amid high-pitch slogans in favour of Pakistan and "freedom".

Suddenly, a number of the participants began pelting stones towards the thick deployment of Police and CRPF. As the attack intensified and some youths struck batons on the Police vehicles, forces repulsed the offensive with tearsmoke and baton charge.

Possibly for the first time dince the PDP patron took over as Chief Minister on March 1st, Police and CRPF used pepper gas guns to disperse the unruly gathering. They chased away the stone-throwers in lanes and narrow by-lanes in close vicinity of Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area. The clashes continued for half-an-hour.

Waving of Pakistani flags and shouting of pro-Pakistan slogans returned to the strife-torn Kashmir valley after the year 2010, days after the PDP-BJP alliance assumed power. It was first on April 15 that Pakistan supporters waved dozens of Pakistani national flags in front of J&K Police headquarters at Peerbagh and raised pro-Pakistan and pro-jihadist slogans at a reception rally organised for the separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani. With pressure mounting on BJP from its cadre and media across the country, Mufti was forced to re-arrest Muslim League leader Massarat Alam. Alam, Geelani and others were booked for sedition and unlawful activities.

Later, another strong pro-Pakistan demonstration was witnessed in Tral on occasion of Geelani's visit to the family of a top wanted Hizbul Mujahideen commander whose brother had died at a militant hideout in one of Army’s controversial operations.

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Separatists’ remembrance rally not allowed in Srinagar

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR, May 21: Authorities on Thursday enforced undeclared curfew in the summer capital downtown to prevent the Kashmiri separatists from holding a remembrance rally for the Awwami Action Committee (AAC) chief Mirwaiz Maulvi Mohammad Farooq and the Peoples Conference founder-chairman Abdul Gani Lone at Eidgah Grounds.
 
Cleric-politician Mirwaiz Farooq was gunned down by suspected militants at his home in Nagin area, near Hazratbal, on May 21, 1990, when the paramilitary CRPF later fired upon his funeral procession, killing over 50 mourners near Islamia College in Hawal. For over three years till armed insurgency erupted in 1990, Mirwaiz was part of the ruling alliance with Dr Farooq Abdullah's National Conference and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's Congress party in Jammu and Kashmir. Two MLAs owing allegiance to Mirwaiz were in the coalition. Later, one of them, Pir Mohammad Shafi, who represented Zadibal segment, was shot dead by suspected militants.

Lone was gunned down after his address to the Mirwaiz remembrance rally in broad daylight at Eidgah on May 21, 2002. Suspected militants also left two of Lone's Police guards dead and another injured in the well planned assault. The assassins escaped as the shootout caused panic and stampede in the gathering of over 10,000 people.

Both, Mirwaiz and Lone, are buried in "Mazaar-e-Shuhada" (martyrs’ cemetery) at Eidgah. One of Lone's sons, Bilal, is his successor in the separatist alliance Hurriyat Conference while as his younger son, Sajjad, is now a Minister in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s government with BJP’s support. Mirwaiz Farooq's only son and successor, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, is Chairman of Hurriyat Conference which was created in 1993 and split in 2003.

Fearing pro-Pakistan slogans and waving of flags, authorities did not permit the remembrance rally where a large number of the Hurriyat leaders were scheduled to deliver speeches. Some of the top separatist leaders, including heads of the Hurriyat's two factions, Mirwaiz Umar and Syed Ali Shah Geelani, were placed under "house arrest" as Police did not allow them to proceed towards Eidgah. Officials claimed there were only "restrictions in movement" in some areas of the downtown to maintain law and order.  However, blocking of all roads to downtown with Concertina wires and heavy deployment of Police and CRPF were suggestive of curfew. Police and CRPF allowed only a limited movement.

Some of the separatist leaders, besides MLA of Langet and President of Awwami Ittihad Party Engineer Rashid, were taken into custody while attempting march towards Eidgah. They were reportedly released in the evening.

Both factions of Hurriyat had called for a shutdown in the Valley. While as most of the shops, business establishments and even some education institutions remained closed, only skeletal vehicular traffic operated in Srinagar and other district headquarters. However, almost all the government offices and banks functioned smoothly.

A spokesman of Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat condemned enforcement of undeclared curfew and the separatist leaders' detention. He alleged in a statement that Police conducted raids on the residences of some separatist leaders even as many of them were detained and arrested at different places. He alleged that Mufti’s government had adopted the policy of detaining and silencing the separatist opposition with force.

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Govt seeks High Court’s permission for judge’s appointment as PSC member

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

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SRINAGAR, May 20: Attempting to clear decks for constituting the State Public Service Commission will full strength of eight members and Chairman, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s coalition government on Wednesday began the mandatory process of seeking J&K High Court’s permission for the appointment of a sitting judge as one of its members.

Informed sources revealed to State Times that the Cabinet meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, had on last Monday accorded sanction to recommending eight persons as members and an IAS officer as Chairman. However, it was decided that the names would not be disclosed until obtaining permission of Chief Justice of J&K High Court for the recommendation and appointment of Suresh Kumar Sharma, who happens to be a judicial officer of the rank of District & Sessions Judge. Mr Sharma is currently posted as Special Judge Anti-Corruption, CBI cases, in Jammu.

“But unfortunately Deputy Chief Minister disclosed the names of the BJP quota to Press. PDP had withheld the names only for the fact that one of the BJP recommendees was a sitting judge”, said a well-placed source in the government. He said that late in the evening today, Government wrote a letter, seeking the permission of Chief Justice for Mr Sharma’s appointment.

However, Law Secretary Mohammad Ashraf Mir maintained that he had no knowledge whether the letter had gone or not. “It was ready today. It must have gone in the evening or would go tomorrow morning”, he told State Times.

Bureaucrats in General Administration Department said that the Government would forward the panel of the nine names to Governor only after obtaining High Court’s no objection to Mr Sharma’s nomination. These sources said that of the previous panel, only the name of IAS officer Lateef-uz-Zaman Deva had been approved by the Cabinet for the post of Chairman while as Mushtaq Ahmad Wani, retired Principal of a Degree College in Kashmir, had been repeated for the post of a member.

From Kashmir Division, a retired Chief Engineer of R&B, Mushtaq Ahmad Lone had also been cleared by the Cabinet. Tashi Dorje, who is being recommended in the third panel, hails from Leh, Ladakh. Remaining five---retired KAS officer J.P. Singh who was originally a resident of Singhpora Baramulla (and has settled in Jammu), Posh Charak a Professor of University of Jammu who is known for her proximity to the wife of Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, BJP activist Dr Beas Dev Dogra who was reportedly a contender of the party’s ticket from Samba in last year’s Assembly elections, Asgar Ali Choudhary of Rajouri---are all from Jammu.

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Tral girls grab top positions in Matric

Both toppers belong to Dadsar---the Jamaat stronghold that produced the highest number of militants in Valley, and also a Major General



Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

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SRINAGAR, May 19: Hajira alias Haja started her career of promoting education for the have-nots five years after her husband Abdul Ahad Bhat of Awantipore, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, retired from the Government service in 1995. Named after the couple in year 2000, ‘Hajira-Ahad Public School’ grew popular in a short span of time and came to be called affectionately as ‘Haja-Ahad Public School’. Declaration of results for Matriculation (Regular annual) by Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education [BOSE] on Tuesday brought cheer and festivity to entire Awantipore-Tral belt of South Kashmir as Haja-Ahad grabbed both the top positions in an examination in which 50,535 boys and girls appeared in Kashmir province.

Sixteen-year-olds AneekaShabir and ShaheeraShamim stood the First and the Second respectively in order of merit. Out of 500 marks, Aneeka secured an incredible 494 [98.80%] and Shaheera 491 [98.20%]. Both are friends and neighbours to each other in Dadsar, the dusty village in Tral that has the ‘distinction’ of having produced the maximum number of militants---‘200 plus’, according to eminent academic JauharQuddusi who teaches Urdu literature at a government college in Pampore. “Arguably, no other village in Kashmir has produced this number of militants. More than 40---militants and civilians---killed in this village in the last 25 years lay buried here”, Quddusi revealed.

Another resident Manzoor said that some civilians and militants were killed by Army and Police in encounters, some like Jamaat functionary Ghulam Mohammad Paul were seized alive and killed in custody while as some civilians were shot dead by militants as “informants” and “suspected Indian agents”.

Dadsar was, and continues to be, a stronghold of pro-Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest contributor of human resource to the formidable guerrilla group HizbulMujahideen. Mainstream Congress and National Conference [NC] activists like bureaucrat-turned-politician Ghulam NabiNayak and Ghulam Hassan Bhat lived as an exception.

Bhat, the NC’s potential candidate for 1996 Assembly elections, survived the first ambush and his Personal Security Officers got killed as he was not in the vehicle targeted near Noorpora. Later, he was blown up in an IED blast. NC’s ex-MLA Subhan Bhat, who lived in Tral, had been gunned down in the very beginning of militancy. Subsequently, two of his sons, who planned to contest the elections, were also shot dead. Still, his third son Ghulam Nabi resigned as a government physician and was elected MLA in 2002. His fourth son Ashraf lost two elections but is still a contender for NC’s ticket.

Like the gun, education is ubiquitous in Dadsar. According to the residents, Hizb’s most prominent commander of the area Adil, who was killed in an encounter with Army last year, as well as his cousin Burhan, who currently figures as the outfit’s most wanted militant after his brother Khalid was killed in a controversial encounter last month, were graduates. Nayak, who served as Kashmir’s Divisional Commissioner before a term as MLA of Congress party, has one of his sons as Divisional Forest Officer and another, Amin Nayak, a Major General in the Indian Army. His son-in-law Dr Muzaffar retired as Director Health Services. Neighbour Mir Mohammad Kazim retired as Director of Education and his son Mir Mushtaq as Director of Food & Supplies. Another neighbour Nisar Mir is Kashmir’s first Joint Secretary in University Grants Commission. The list of post-graduates, doctors, engineers and teachers is infinite.

But both, Aneeka as well as Shaheera, are from a modest family background. “We take only those students who do not afford to arrange tuitions. Usually, they are from middle and lower middle class”, Haja-Ahad’s Principal and proprietor Imtiyaz Bhat told State Times. Shaheera’s father Shabir Ahmad Rather is a Works Supervisor in the State-owned J&K Projects Construction Corporation. Her mother Fareeda Akhtar works as Female Multipurpose Health Worker.

“Our joy knew no bounds when the results came out. I and Shaheera my friend were confident that we would be in the top 20 but neither of us imagined to be on the top First and Second”, Aneeka said in a conversation with State Times.

“I was at a hostel in Rajbagh(Srinagar) where I am preparing for CET when I got the good news. I ruturned to my school in Awantipore to participate in the celebration”. Over a thousand residents gathered to greet Imtiyaz and the two brilliant students. They were later taken in a procession to Dadsar where literally everybody turned up with enthusiasm and a sense of pride. Women showered candies, walnuts and almonds on the two girls and their proud parents.

Shaheera’s parents, Shamim Ahmad Shamim and Tasleema are both teachers. Neither of them is upset over Shaheera missing the top First by just three marks. “Aneeka is our daughter like Shaheera”, quipped a relative.

Aneeka attributed her achievement to “Allah’s benevolence, hard work, perseverance, good luck, good quality education and support and guidance from my parents”. What was she planning for the future? “I want to pursue high degrees in Medicine and work as a professor of Medicine. I want to create the best of our physicians and surgeons”, said the altruist-minded pupil.

The family of the Haja-Ahad promoters is a great success story and role models for youngsters like Aneeka and Shaheera. While Abdul Ahad Bhat held top positions in the State administration and retired as J&K’s Transport Commissioner, all of his seven sons and one daughter, Nighat, who is married to a Kashmiri aeronautical engineer and settled in United States of America, excelled in diverse fields.

Mr Bhat’s sons Mushtaq and Parvez are Executive Engineers in Prime Minister’s Gram SadakYojana and Economic Reconstruction Authority, respectively. Dr Javed and Dr Mudassar are Associate Professors in SKIMS Medical College. Dr Majid is a dental surgeon and Nodal Office of a scheme in the office of Chief Medical Officer Pulwama. Shabir is a Divisional Forest Officer in Ganderbal. B.E. in Electronics from a prestigious university in Banhalore, Imtiyaz has opted not to join any government service.

“I want to provide the best of education to the students whose parents can’t dream of admission in the elitist DPS and top Christian Missionary schools”, said the man whose achievement must have turned a many faces pale in the Capital’s upscale education business. “Last year too, we got the 5th, 11th and 20th position in Matric and a large number of Distinction grades”.

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Director Health Kashmir Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman attached

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, May 19: In a dramatic development, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s government has attached Director Health Services Kashmir Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman within days of Chief Minister’s visit to District Hospital of Baramulla.

Official sources revealed to State Times that the Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister on Monday discussed briefly and accorded sanction to the proposal of Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman's removal and attachment. However, the administrative order was issued late around midnight when Commissioner-Secretary Health & Medical Education Shantmanu was on an official visit in Leh.

Shantmanu himself was replaced by Mandeep Bhandari. Cabinet did not decide about his new place of posting.

Minister for Health & Medical Education Lal Singh confirmed Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman's attachment to State Times but didn't specify reason of the director's removal. "Nothing special", Lal Singh said when asked what made the government attach a major Head of Department. Source's said that Commissioner-Secretary Health and Medical Education would hold the charge till the appointment of the new Director.

Even as the bureaucracy remained tightlipped, some of the well placed sources insisted that Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman's removal had been decided a few days back when Chief Minister was on a tour in Baramulla. According to these sources, CM as well Lok Sabha member ftom North Kashmir Muzaffar Hussain Baig were not satisfied with Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman's leadership. He was sidelined and CM alongwith Mr Baig interacted only with Chief Medical Officer Dr Bashir Ahmad Chalkoo.

Yet another official source added that Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman was known for his proxity to Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Taj Mohiuddin and Sham Lal who had played key role in his elevation from Assistant Director to incharge Deputy Director and incharge Director, all within a couple of years. Former Health Minister had provided extraordinary support to Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman when a nurse posted in Anantnag district levelled allegations of sexual harassment against the Director in 2013.

While as the accused was given a clean chit, first by Minister and later by former Health Commissioner Gazanffar Hussain, Police too dismissed the nurse's allegations as unsubstantiated and vlosed the matter as "not admitted". Thereupon, the complaints nurse also approached a court of law.

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