Jammu Srinagar

Bullet-proof gear for J&K cops
JAMMU, Dec 18 — In the wake of a series of attacks on men in uniform most police stations in sensitive areas are to be provided better weapons and facilities.

Two militants shot in valley

SRINAGAR, Dec 18 (UNI, PTI) — A Sikh was among two suspected militants killed by security forces for their attempt on the life of a senior officer of the Special Operations Group (SOG) here last evening, the police claimed.

Official sources said the ‘militants’ had hurled a hand grenade followed by firing on the vehicle of Mr Mukesh Kumar, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (SOG), near the transport yard.

Security forces retaliated and the gunfire from the two sides continued for about an hour.

Later, the bodies of Avtar Singh and Mudasir Ahmad, besides one AK rifle, one pistol, three grenades and one wireless set were recovered near the site of the encounter.

Avtar Singh and Mudasir were ‘militants’ and were responsible for the attack on Mr Kumar, the police claimed.

This is for the first time in 10 years of militancy in the valley that a Sikh ‘militant’ was killed in an encounter with the forces. Mr Kumar was unhurt in the attack.

The police claimed that Avtar Singh and Mudasir were closely associated with Ustad Jehadi, chief commander of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.

“These militants were involved in the killing of police personnel in Srinagar,” a police press note said, adding Avtar Singh had been active in the militancy since 1995 and was behind a number of militancy-related crimes.

However, the relatives of the victims disowned the police version and said they were not militants. In fact, the duo was working with the Special Operations Group (SOG), they claimed.

Security forces killed a militant identified as Sajjad Ahmad during a search operation at Ganderbal this morning.

A report from Baramula said one jawan was killed in a militant attack at Devar Lolab early this morning.

Panic gripped the Budshah chowk near Srinagar when militants hurled a hand grenade on a security force party this afternoon. It exploded on the roadside, causing injuries to a police constable and a civilian.

However, normalcy returned to the area after half an hour.

JAMMU: Four Pakistani troops, including a Major, were killed in retaliatory fire by Indian troops across Poonch sector in Jammu division, a defence spokesman said here on Saturday.

The Indian soldiers retaliated when the Pakistani troops opened fire on forward posts in Poonch sector on Friday, he said, adding the four died during the ensuring crossfire. He said their bodies were seen lying across the Line of Control.

Doctor suspected of rape absconds
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Dec 18 — The police is yet to apprehend a doctor of the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura here, who has absconded after allegedly raping a minor girl at the institute on Thursday.

An FIR was lodged at the police station, Soura, under Section 376, Ranbir penal code. The police has already launched a manhunt for the doctor, Ishfaq Hassan. The victim is undergoing treatment at the institute. The police raided his residential quarter on the premises of the institute and the residence at Sheikh Colony in Anantnag district, South Kashmir.

The doctor has been suspended on the basis of a preliminary report against him. According to the Director of the institute, Prof Merajuddin, the incident was "unfortunate" and stern action would be taken against the guilty. A departmental inquiry had been ordered into the alleged rape case against the doctor and a four-member committee constituted to investigate the matter.

A medical check-up conducted on the victim at Lal Ded Hospital, the only maternity hospital here, has confirmed rape.

The reports said the girl was accompanied by one of her uncles, who was attending to his ailing grandmother at the institute, for the past one week. The patient was discharged from the hospital yesterday.

The doctor reportedly called the girl to his chamber and allegedly raped her. The screams of the girl were heard by the paramedical staff who broke open the door of the chamber, but the doctor absconded.

However, the police stated that the incident took place at 9 p.m. when majority of the paramedical staff and attendants were not present.

Bullet-proof gear for J&K cops
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 18 — In the wake of a series of attacks on men in uniform most police stations in sensitive areas are to be provided better weapons and facilities.

The decision was taken by the Director General Police Mr Gurbachan Jagat, who toured various districts in Kashmir Valley, where he held detailed discussions with police officials from constable rank upwards. Five police officials were killed in Srinagar city on a single day by militants recently.

From now on each police official will be provided with a bulletproof jacket, bullet-proof headgear and an assault rifle. This facility will also be extended to policemen on duty outside.

During the past three months militants, specially foreign mercenaries, have stepped up attacks on police posts, and pickets in order to demoralise the force.

During the past three years the police force has been fully revamped with the results that several hundred militants have been killed or arrested and large quantities of arms and ammunition recovered. The police also assisted the paramilitary forces in operations against militants in different parts of the state.

In another decision the DGP also decided to increase the number of Special Operation Groups (SOG) by adding several companies from the armed police. The SOG has been in the forefront in containing insurgency.

Following the Centre's refusal to make available additional battalions of paramilitary forces the state government has decided to raise two more police battalions.

Senior police officials complained that teams from the Union Home Ministry visit the state after every major incident. "We explain our problems to them. We seek additional forces. They agree. But in the end there is no response from the Centre," they said.

They said that the rate of strikes by militants had increased after the Kargil conflict and the Lok Sabha poll. But despite our persistent demand for sending additional forces, the Centre withdrew more than 20 battalions of paramilitary forces.

They said the armed forces were operating under limitations and even company commanders were afraid of ordering flushing out operations on the plea that if there was more than one army casualty the commander would receive an adverse remark on his ACR, sealing his promotion avenues.

Others feared that if during operations against the militants some civilians were killed they would be booked on charges of having violated human rights.

The fallout is that paramilitary forces and the troops are on the defensive.

A senior officer of an intelligence agency said "we give specific information about the militant hideouts. But it takes more than 24 hours for the security forces to decide on the mode of the operation. And by the time the forces are near the spot the militants vanish into thin air".

Senior functionaries of the state government are pessimistic about the current security scenario saying if additional forces are not sent the situation may roll back to the 1990-93 era when foreign mercenaries managed to sneak into Srinagar city, following removal of security checkposts and bunkers. After dusk one finds not a single security personnel on patrol, they added.