M A I N   N E W S

1990 Onwards
J-K to probe rights violations
Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 9
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today announced that all incidents of human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir since 1990, when terrorism started, would be probed.

Azad made the statement in the Assembly while reacting to the objections of the Opposition National Conference (NC) who accused the state government of ignoring the recommendations of the state human rights commission.

He said the government had no intention of hiding facts about such incidents. Arrest of the SSP of Ganderbal was a clear proof of the government’s seriousness towards curbing incidents of human rights violations, he said.

Referring to the difference of figures in incidents of rights violations given by the government and the human rights commission, as claimed by the NC members, Azad said the difference will always be there as the commission's figures were based on the complaints received by it and the government has given the figures about the incidents that were proved to have taken place.

NC’s Rather pointed out that while the commission in its report referred to 39 cases of human rights violation, the government had claimed that there were only six such cases in reply to a question this morning.

The proceedings in the House started on a stormy note today with Usman Majid (Awami League) raising the issue of the killing of a counter-insurgent Mushtaq Ali by terrorists in the valley yesterday.

Majid was supported by members of the Panthers Party, BJP and JSM on the issue.

He claimed that pro-India elements were being eliminated in the valley while the NC was raising the slogans of human rights violations to please the galleries.

He demanded a CBI probe into such killings and claimed that there was a conspiracy to kill those persons who were not toeing the line of the hardliners.

Earlier, in reply to a question, the Chief Minister informed the House that 14 army personnel, including a major, had been dismissed from service since 1994 for indulging in human rights violations.

As many as 133 police personnel were also involved in such incidents and 84 of them were facing trial.

Fortyseven personnel of the BSF, including a DIG, have been punished so far.

3 Army men, civilian killed
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 9
Three Army personnel and a civilian were killed when unidentified militants ambushed a patrol party in the Tral area of Pulwama district in south Kashmir last evening.

The police here said a patrol party of 42 RR was fired upon by suspected militants at Arigam village, near Tral, last evening.

The troops retaliated and during the encounter that ensued, four Army personnel and a civilian were critically injured.

A JCO, two jawans and a civilian, Mohammad Afzal Kumhaar of Arigam village, succumbed to their injuries.