Bus Falls Into 350 Ft Gorge In Jammu
Jammu: At least 18 passengers died and 23 suffered seriously injured, as the bus they were travelling by fell down into a 350-feet deep gorge on Doda-Jammu Highway in Jammu and Kashmir’ Doda District on Monday morning.
The bus (JK 02 D 7339) carrying at least 35 people was on its way to Jammu from Doda when it fell into the gorge.
The incident occurred near Baglihar Dam site, about 145 kilometers from Jammu near Assa, on National highway alpha 1, where a diversion has been given due the sinking of main road in the dam water.
The death toll is expected to increase.
The local police and officials of the district administration reached the incident site and ensured the rescue operation.
The administration has not initiated to upgrade the three-kilometer diversion of rough road even after many media reports.
Bus Falls Into 350 Ft Gorge In Jammu was first posted on September 7, 2009 at 3:52 pm.
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Police Contests Army’s Claims on Terrorists killed: Jammu and Kashmir
Kupwara: The claims by the Army having neutralised a maximum number of militants, who sneaked into Kashmir recently, have been hotly contested by the local police who have picked up trails of militants and the FIRs registered showing only 25 being killed.
Notwithstanding the recent claims of Brigadier General Staff of 15 Corps Gurmeet Singh that 32 militants had been killed and that there were only two infiltration bids since March, the figures with the local police have a different story to tell as they have spotted fresh batches in so far as Ganderbal and Bandipore areas of North Kashmir are concerned.
As per the statement of a local militant who surrendered along with Syed Moinullah Shah, a group of 120 militants, launched by the Hizbul Mujahideen’s Imtiyaz Alam, entered into Kashmir valley through Kel (Neelum Valley) and reached Bunar forest into Gurez through Naushera and Nad areas in North.
Though Army claimed that 12 militants of the group were killed in an avalanche while nearly 82 others had returned, the FIR registered by the Army showed only one unidentified militant was killed. There is no FIR, a mandatory procedure after gunbattle, of the 11 other militants that the Army claimed to have killed.
Army declined to give any clarification and there were no replies to questions mailed to Col JS Brar, spokesman for Srinagar-based 15-Corps, despite repeated reminders.
The Army’s claim that it had arrested Shah, a resident of Dhir district of North West Frontier Province in Pakistan, had loopholes as the FIR numbers 70/2009 and 71/2009 in Gurez area of North Kashmir show that Shah along with a local militant — Iabal Dajeo, a Bandipora resident — had surrendered after being pressurised by the police.
Later, the Army took over Shah’s custody as he was a foreign militant and left the local militant with the police. Shah was paraded before the media in last week of April but the press interaction was cut short after he spilled the beans that he had not been arrested but had surrendered.
About the number of terrorists, the Army claimed that 56 militants had infiltrated into the Valley since March 20, out of which 32 had been killed, one arrested and 17 were still at large. Six were believed to have been buried in an avalanche.
However, the facts registered with various police stations in Kupwara, Bandipore and Tanghdar districts show a different figure in which the causality was only 25 which included death of three terrorists because of extreme cold conditions.
Police Contests Army’s Claims on Terrorists killed: Jammu and Kashmir was first posted on May 10, 2009 at 6:48 pm.
APHC Urges Kashmiris to Boycott Indian Polls
SRINAGAR: In occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of All Parties Hurriyet Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has urged people to totally boycott tomorrow’s Indian Parliamentary polls last stage.
The Hurriyet leader addressing a public gathering here said he hoped that Kashmiris would boycott the so-called elections. He said India wanted to divert the attention of the international community from the Kashmir dispute.
Kashmiris boycotted the previous three phases of Indian polls that resulted in low turnout.
APHC Urges Kashmiris to Boycott Indian Polls was first posted on May 9, 2009 at 1:31 pm.
Jammu Protests Taliban Atrocities on Pakistan Sikhs
Jammu: Normal life was hit in Jammu city on Friday in response to a bandh called by several political, social and trade outfits to protest against the harassment of Sikhs by Taliban in Pakistan’s northwest region.
Shops and commercial establishments were closed and traffic was thin as matadors and autos, the main mode of public transport in the city, kept away from the roads.
Attendance in most government offices, public sector undertakings and banks was thin.
There was no response to the bandh from elsewhere in Jammu region.
About 80 members of Bar Association of Jammu took out a procession from Janipur to Vikram Chowk in the city, where they were joined by activists of other organisations to proceed to UN observers office to lodge protest against the harassment of Sikhs by the Taliban in the neighbouring country.
The bandh has been called by 20 organizations, including VHP, Bajrang Dal, BJP and traders associations.
It has also been supported by several Sikh organisations, which held meeting here yesterday under the banner of Bhai Kanahiya Nishkam Sewa society.
Expressing anguish over the “un-democratic” and “inhuman” action of Taliban, Chief organiser of the society Mohinder Singh appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene in the matter.
State VHP president Ramakant Dubey said the bandh has been called to protest against the imposition of ‘jazia’ (protection tax imposed on non-Muslims under Shariah law) on Sikhs by Taliban in Swat valley in Pakistan.
Asking the international community to take a serious note of happenings in Pakistan, he said the government should intervene in the matter, failing which it will have serious repercussions in India.
Taliban had imposed ‘Jaziya’ and destroyed houses of 11 Sikh families who failed to pay the huge tax of Rs 50 million each till April 29 when the deadline expired.
Jammu Protests Taliban Atrocities on Pakistan Sikhs was first posted on May 8, 2009 at 1:06 pm.
Clashes in Jammu and Kashmir Polling Station
One person was killed in a bomb attack on his way home after casting his vote and two died of sunstroke while waiting in a queue outside a polling booth during the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal on Thursday.
In Murshidabad district, a 28-year-old CPM worker identified as Kashinath Mondal was killed when some unidentified miscreants hurled a bomb at him while he was on his way home after casting vote at Eroali village under Jangipur parliamentary constituency, SP BL Meena said.
External affairs minister and Congress heavyweight Pranab Mukherjee is contesting from Jangipur.
In East Midnapore district, two persons died of sun stroke while waiting in a queue outside a polling booth, DSP Pallab Kanti Ghosh said.
A youth received splinter injuries during a clash between CPM and Trinamool Congress workers at Aadhikaripara in Nandigram under Tamluk constituency, he added.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leader in Nandigram, Abu Taher claimed that CPM supporters fired at his party workers at Gokulnagar.
But, CPM’s Gokulnagar Zonal Committee secretary Ashok Guria said that it was the TC workers who fired at their party members.
However, police denied reports of any firing in the area. There were also reports of voters boycotting polls at one booth each in Bardhaman, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts on local issues, Joint CEO Sahana said, adding that 101 EVMs had been replaced because of technical snags.
In Rajasthan, one person was killed in police firing after an attempt to capture a booth at Olwara village Sawaimadhopur district.
An independent candidate received minor injuries when some unidentified persons pelted stones at his convoy near Bhadarej village polling booth, 15 kms from Dausa district headquarter, the police said.
Independent candidate Kirorilal Meena along with his supporters was attacked during a visit to the polling booth, they said, adding an FIR is yet to be lodged in this connection.
Meena received minor bruises on his limbs in the attack. In another incident, polling was disrupted at booth number 45 at Rajgarh in Dausa Lok Sabha seat due to some technical problem at the booth, the police said.
Clashes, protests in Kashmir mar voting
Scores of protesters clashed with government troops in Kashmir’s main city on Thursday as residents there and elsewhere went to polls in a month-long parliamentary election.
Nearly 95 million voters are eligible to vote in Thursday’s election for 85 seats in 543-seat lower house of Parliament.
Polls were open in New Delhi and seven states, including parts of the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh and Kashmir.
Thousands of troops wearing bulletproof jackets and carrying assault rifles patrolled the streets and guarded polling stations in Kashmiri city of Srinagar amid separatist calls for a poll boycott and a general strike.
Security forces fired tear gas to disperse at least one group of rock-throwing protesters, said Prabhakar Tripathy, a spokesman for the paramilitary CRPF. The protesters chanted slogans against the elections.
Suspected rebels also lobbed a petrol bomb at a polling booth in Srinagar, but there was no damage, Tripathy said.
The final round of voting will take place on May 13. Results of the massive election, which will use more than 1.3 million electronic voting machines in 828,804 polling stations, are expected May 16.
According to the constitution, a new parliament has to be in place by June 2.
But few expect a clear mandate from voters after a lackluster campaign that has been devoid of resonant, central issues.
Polls indicate neither the Congress party, which leads the current governing coalition, nor the main opposition, the BJP, will win enough seats to rule on its own.
Clashes in Jammu and Kashmir Polling Station was first posted on May 7, 2009 at 4:19 pm.
1 Militant killed in Pulwama Encounter
Pulwama: One militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’’s Pulwama District on Sunday.
According to sources, the encounter, which is still going on, is taking place at Aglar village.
During search operation, militants, who were hiding in a house, opened fire on security forces, sources added.
Militant, who was killed in a retaliatory fire, is yet to be identified.
1 Militant killed in Pulwama Encounter was first posted on April 12, 2009 at 12:09 pm.
Lashkar-e-Taiba Militant Arrested in Jammu And Kashmir
Security forces have arrested a suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, police officials said here Thursday.
On a tip off, army laid an ambush and intercepted LeT militant Mohmmad Yasin Boru alias Nora Bhai on Jammu-Srinagar national highway at Batote area in Ramban district last night, they said.
Boru was arrested when he was on his way to Banihal forest belt from Doda, they said, adding one chinese pistol, 70 rounds, three sim cards and some money was recovered from him.
The militant revealed during interrogation that he was going to deliver pistol, ammunition and sim card to self styled Lashkar district commander Abu musa in Chamalwas forest belt in Banihal, they said.
Lashkar-e-Taiba Militant Arrested in Jammu And Kashmir was first posted on February 19, 2009 at 1:09 pm.
