J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Sex racket: another minor in CBI custody
Srinagar, July 4
The CBI has taken in protective custody another minor girl, alleged to have been sexually exploited by top politicians, bureaucrats and police officials, according to a local media report.

10 hurt in anti-CRPF protests
Srinagar, July 4
Life was crippled in the civil lines, including the historic Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the summer capital, due to a strike called in protest against beating up of a youth by the Central Reserve Police Force.

Hizbul commanders among six arrested
Srinagar, July 4
A Hizbul Mujahideen module, responsible for causing car and hand grenade blasts in the valley was jointly busted by the Jammu and Kashmir police and the Central Reserve Police Force.

Don’t share weapons with local youths, mercenaries told
Jammu, July 4
Pakistani agencies have directed foreign mercenaries, operating in Jammu and Kashmir, against sharing weapons and ammunition with Kashmiri boys because a sizeable number of local militants have been lured by the government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy.

Sex racket: another minor in CBI custody

Srinagar, July 4
The CBI has taken in protective custody another minor girl, alleged to have been sexually exploited by top politicians, bureaucrats and police officials, according to a local media report.

Greater Kashmir, a leading English daily here, said the victim, aged atout 15 years, was picked up by the CBI from her residence in a downtown locality three days ago after Sabeena, the kingpin of the sex racket, divulged her name during interrogation.

The minor victim was put to questioning and examination to confirm her and Sabeena’s statements, the report said, adding the number of victims taken in custody by the CBI so far had reached 24.

The newspaper said some of the victims were initially suspected to be suffering from AIDS which on intensive testing proved wrong.

However, the girls have been declared suffering from various sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and put under treatment, it said, adding the CBI had provided a female inspector for the victims.

The report, quoting highly placed sources, said the sex scandal was being monitored by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, both of whom were determined to take the investigation into the racket to its logical conclusion.

Meanwhile, a lower court today deferred till July 7 the bail applications of six accused, including former minister Ghulam Ahmed Mir and senior IAS officer Iqbal Khanday, in the sex racket case.

The other four whose bail applications have been deferred are Mehrajuddin Malik, Shabir Ahmed Laweay, BSF DIG K.C. Padhi, Jammu and Kashmir Police DSP Mohammad Ashraf Mir.

The court had yesterday given special power to the CJM, Srinagar, Mr Mohammad Yousuf Akhoon, to hear and decide about the bail applications of the sex racket accused.

The CJM asked the petitioners to engage lawyers before the next date of hearing.

Others who have been arrested so far include former minister and sitting legislator Raman Mattoo, Additional Advocate General Anil Sethi, J&K Police Cunter-Insurgency Kashmir (CIK) wing DSP Mohammad Yousuf Mir and Naaz Hotel owner Riyaz Kawa. — UNI

10 hurt in anti-CRPF protests

Srinagar, July 4
Life was crippled in the civil lines, including the historic Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the summer capital, due to a strike called in protest against beating up of a youth by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Meanwhile, life remained paralysed at Munwarabad and its adjoining areas for the fourth day today in protest against the killing of a singer allegedly by the CRPF personnel on June 30.

Official sources said trouble in the civil lines started after a CRPF personnel beat up a youth when he was checking his identity card near Palladium cinema bunker today. He was also joined by other CRPF personnel present in the area.

Later, a large number of people, including shopkeepers, rescued the youth and took him to hospital in a critical condition.

Shopkeepers downed their shutters in Lal Chowk, Budshah Chowk, Court Road and nearby areas in protest against the incident. The demonstrators also pelted stones on security personnel.

The trouble started in nearby Maisuma and other areas where youths clashed with the police. As many as 10 persons were injured in police lathicharge and stone throwing by demonstrators.

Sources said half a dozen demonstrators were taken into custody by the police at different places.

Traffic on the busy route was also disrupted and vehicles were diverted via Lal Mandi and downtown. The incident came barely four days after CRPF allegedly shot dead a youth at Munarabad. — UNI

Hizbul commanders among six arrested

Srinagar, July 4
A Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) module, responsible for causing car and hand grenade blasts in the valley was jointly busted by the Jammu and Kashmir police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Addressing media persons, the Director-General of Police, Mr Gopal Sharma, and the Inspector-General of CRPF, Mr A.P. Maheswari, said working on leads provided by the militants arrested earlier, the police and the CRPF arrested six more militants of Hizbul Mujahideen, including a self-styled divisional commander, a district commander and in charge, finance, and an expert in car blasts. — UNI

Don’t share weapons with local youths, mercenaries told
Our Correspondent

Jammu, July 4
Pakistani agencies have directed foreign mercenaries, operating in Jammu and Kashmir, against sharing weapons and ammunition with Kashmiri boys because a sizeable number of local militants have been lured by the government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy.

According to official sources here, the agencies, engaged in providing moral and material support to the militants, have instructed rebels from the Pakistan occupied Kashmir and other countries to carry out armed strikes against the Indian security forces and political leaders on their own and avoid passing on arms and explosives to local militants.

The sources said that this information was gathered from the interrogation of a group of 15 militants who had surrendered before the security forces in Uri recently.

These youths, according to the sources, were local boys and had informed the security forces that it was now difficult for Kashmiri boys to get weapons from across the border as the Pakistani agencies feared that more weapons and ammunition could be recovered by the Indian security forces if the surrender of local youths continued.

Those who had surrendered in Uri had informed the security forces that the infrastructure for imparting arms training to militants existed at a number of places in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

The Army Chief, Gen. J.J.Singh recently disclosed that between 1500 and 1600 militants were active in Jammu and Kashmir. Referring to this statement senior police officers said that more than 70 per cent of these militants were foreign mercenaries belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba,Al Badr, the Jash-e-Mohammad and the Tehrikul Mujaideen.

These groups have instructions to suppress the Hizb-ul- Mujahideen so that the main string of the ongoing jehad was in the hands of foreign mercenaries who were not prepared to accept the surrender policy because they know that in no circumstances they could be rehabilitated in Jammu and Kashmir since they were non-state subjects.

Police sources said that the recent clash between foreign mercenaries and local militants in Jammu’s Kotbhalwal jail was the manifestation of the growing rift between the boys belonging to Jammu and Kashmir and those from the Pakistan and occupied Kashmir.