Displaced Gujjars not allowed to return
JAMMU, Nov 29 — About 70 Gujjar families have been denied permission to go back to their ancestral Jorda Farm in Samba sector. These families were evicted following the Kargil conflict, which warranted the deployment of additional forces on the border.

NC block chief shot
SRINAGAR, Nov 29 — Militants shot dead a block President of the ruling National Conference and made an abortive attempt to kidnap another party leader in the Kashmir valley since last night, an official spokesman said here today.

Absence of pickets aids militants
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Nov 29 — Despite the fact that the police authorities concerned and the state government had cautioned the BSF and the Union-Home Ministry against further delay in re-establishing security pickets around Srinagar city so far no decision has been taken. This has allowed freedom to the foreign mercenaries to fortify their position around the summer capital with several groups having sneaked into the interior of the city and some posh areas in the Civil Lines belt.

Official sources said these security pickets had been removed on the recommendations of senior functionaries of the state Home Department a year ago. Some of them had been removed by the BSF. This led to opening of the routes from Ganderbal, Safa pora, Budgam, Tangmarg to Srinagar and the militants found no hurdle in sneaking into the city. It was as a result of this decision that militants, especially foreign mercenaries, resurfaced in several areas of the city and carried out subversive activities, including armed attack on the security pickets and that too in the security zone area.

The sources said the main problem had arisen from the way the Army authorities had refused to place the BSF under the operational command of the Director-General of Police. In other areas of the country the BSF is under the operational command of the police chief during some major operations against rioters or anti-national elements.

The issue of bringing the BSF under the operational command of the police has been raised within the state and with the Union Home Ministry on several occasions but the Army authorities raised objections.

It has been the result of lack of coordination among several security agencies that the state government’s demand for re-establishing security pickets for checking the movement of militants has not been conceded by the BSF.

However, the main blame is laid at the doorstep of the Union Home Ministry on the plea that reduction of paramilitary forces had forced the BSF to delay setting up security pickets. Official sources said six months ago there were 18 BSF battalions in and around Srinagar city and the strength has been reduced to 10 battalions. This has not allowed the BSF authorities to re-establish security bunkers to prevent entry of foreign mercenaries into Srinagar city.

The state authorities are worried over the gradual concentration of militants in Srinagar city because during the past three months the foreign mercenaries were able to carry out gun and grenade attacks at several places in the summer capital, which included the explosion that damaged the National Conference headquarters in the high-security zone of the city near Zero bridge.

Police sources said the rate of infiltration from across the border in Poonch and Rajouri sectors had dropped in recent weeks. But it has picked up from across Uri and Gulmarg sectors and majority of infiltrators have been found sneaking into Srinagar city where they plan to attack vital government installations, including the radio station and Doordarshan Kendra.

The sources referred to a series of Unified Command meetings where emphasis was laid on coordination among different security and intelligence agencies. But the decision has remained on paper with the defence authorities trying to operate on their own.

Displaced Gujjars not allowed to return
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Nov 29 — About 70 Gujjar families have been denied permission to go back to their ancestral Jorda Farm in Samba sector. These families were evicted following the Kargil conflict, which warranted the deployment of additional forces on the border.

These Gujjar families have been pleading with the state authorities since July last to help them to go back to their farm. The State Board of Gujjar and Bakerwal had also held a series of meetings with the Divisional Commissioner, the Deputy Commissioner and the BSF and the Army officers in this connection.

On a couple of occasions the state authorities placed the responsibility of rehabilitation of the Gujjar families on the shoulders of the BSF. When a senior functionary of the Gujjar and Bakerwal Board met the BSF authorities he was told that the BSF had no role to play in allowing the families to go back to their farm. They said the permission had to be secured from the 16 Corps.

When these Gujjar families had been evicted, they were allowed to camp in some nearby areas. The owners of these fields have mounted pressure on these displaced families to vacate their fields as they had to carry our farming in the fields. A senior officer of the Gujjar and Bekarwal Board said over 500 Gujjar families had been displaced from several areas on this side of the International Border between Akhnoor and Samba after the Kargil conflict. He said while several hundred non-Gujjar families were not prepared to go back their native border villages these Gujjars, who were ready to return to their villages, were not being allowed to do so.

The board authorities have even volunteered to allow these displaced families to be screened before being allowed to go back to the border belts and have agreed that those whose bonafides were doubtful should be detained but the innocent people may not be put to hardships.

Protesters stone newspaper office
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Nov 29 — The Editor of a local English daily, "The State Times, was injured when a group of protesters, most of them students of a nursing school, attacked his office here today. The protesters damaged computers and other valuable equipment. Some of the protesters manhandled the Editor, Mr V.I.K. Sarin, and his colleagues.

The management of the newspaper alleged that when the demonstrators started stoning the office, cops, "behaved like passive spectators."

According to the police, the men in khaki resorted to a lathi charge on the protesters which resulted in injuries to some demonstrators. It was the result of the police action that the protesters were preventing from causing further damage to the newspaper office.

However, the management of the newspaper has alleged that the police swung into action only after the demonstrators had damaged a portion of the office and injured the Editor and his colleagues.

The newspaper owner suspects foul play and termed today's incident as part of the conspiracy to muzzle the freedom of the Press. He said the newspaper had published a story on the nursing school. The government had contradicted certain parts of the story. The government version was also published. But it seemed that the students were "incited" by vested interests because among the demonstrators were a large number of those who were not students of the nursing school.

Several political organisation, including the BJP, have condemn the attack on the newspaper office. They have demanded a judicial probe into the incident.

NC block chief shot

SRINAGAR, Nov 29 (PTI) — Militants shot dead a block President of the ruling National Conference and made an abortive attempt to kidnap another party leader in the Kashmir valley since last night, an official spokesman said here today.

Elsewhere in the valley, three persons, including a policeman, were killed and three others injured as militants blasted a cable network unit in Srinagar today.

Militants shot dead the NC leader, Abdul Ahmad Bhat, inside his shop at Kralapora-Chanapora in Badgam district today.

Bhat was shot twice by the gunmen who raided his shop, official sources said, adding the gunmen escaped. Bhat was rushed to hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Militants tried to kidnap another block President, Syed Manzoor, near Halsidar in the Kapran area of Anantnag yesterday.

Manzoor, a resident of Kapran-Duroo was travelling in a car when the militants tried to kidnap him. However, he was saved but the militants torched his car.