Srinagar, October 7: An Army trooper was killed when his service rifle went off accidentally in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Friday.
The service rifle of the personnel identified as Chander Mohan (28) went off accidently outside a camp at Chatoosa in Sopore area of the north Kashmir district late Thursday evening, they said. (Agencies)

Jammu, October 7:

The Kashmiri Pandit and Dalit employees, who have been protesting in Jammu for nearly four months demanding their relocation out of Kashmir, have been left disheartened with the conclusion of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s three-day UT visit. They were expecting Shah to come up with some announcement regarding their transfer from the Valley to safe areas. They have urged the government to pay heed to their demands at the earliest.

The protests by Dalit and Kashmiri Pandit employees have been going on at different places in Jammu since militants began targeting employees, mostly non-Muslims, in the Valley.

It was the 128th day of protest by the Dalit employees who have been demonstrating under the banner of the All Jammu Based Reserve Category Employees Association, Kashmir. The employees from the community fled to Jammu after terrorists killed a Dalit teacher, Rajni Bala, in Kulgam on May 31 this year.

Similarly, Pandit employees had intensified their protest after a revenue clerk, Rahul Bhat, was gunned down in his office in Chadoora, Budgam, in May this year.

Amit Shah was in J&K from October 3 to 5 and addressed two rallies in Rajouri and Baramulla. The employees were expecting that he would announce their transfer to Jammu.

Naresh Bhagat, a Dalit employee, said, “Some officials of rural, forest and health departments are forcing the employees to resume their duties. They have also warned of strict action despite continuous targeted killing of minorities and policemen. The distressed employees are being further victimised by the officials.”

He said the employees believed that Amit Shah would pass directions to the administration for redressal of their concerns, but to no avail.

Another Dalit employee, who didn’t wish to be named, said Shah should have announced shifting of Hindu employees from Kashmir to Jammu. “It has become clear that frequent terror attacks on non-locals can’t be stopped by the security establishment as these have been going on for long. The only way is to relocate the protesting employees,” he said.

Kashmiri Pandit employees submitted a memorandum through the administration to Amit Shah regarding their transfer to Jammu.

Rubon Saproo, a Kashmiri Pandit employee, said a memorandum was submitted to the Home Minister. “We expect the government to take action on our demand soon. It is understood that the Home Minister was busy in other important matters of J&K during his visit,” said Saproo.

Demonstration goes on for months

The employees intensified their agitation after a clerk, Rahul Bhat, was gunned down in Budgam and a schoolteacher, Rajni Bala, was killed in Kulgam by militants in May this year.

Jammu, October:

Yasir Ahmed, accused of murdering DGP (Prisons) Hemant Kumar Lohia, has been sent on a seven-day police remand. At the same time, senior police officials remain tight-lipped about the reason behind the crime.

Yasir was arrested from fields in Kanachak area on Tuesday. He is being questioned by an SSP-level official. While the police have stated that Yasir had confessed his crime, the reason has not yet been disclosed.

DGP Dilbag Singh and ADGP Mukesh Singh didn’t respond to a query on the murder reason. Mukesh Singh has already informed that there has been no terror angle. Unconfirmed reports stated that Yasir was earlier working as a domestic help with a senior IAS official of J&K. Later, he began working for Rajiv Khajuria at whose house Lohia was murdered.

The police are also awaiting the forensic report on fingerprints on the broken glass bottle that was used to kill Lohia and other evidences in the room where the crime was committed.

The police had earlier informed that after having dinner on Monday evening, Lohia asked Yasir to apply balm on his foot that was swollen. Yasir locked the room from inside and killed Lohia.

ational Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday rejected Union home minister Amit Shah’s charge on regional parties’ links with separatism in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the NC made sacrifices and many of its leaders and workers were killed by terrorists during the past 35 years.

“I do not want to be sidetracked by some of the other things that Shah said about guns and stones. The sacrifices of my colleagues over the last 35 years where scores of NC leaders and workers have been killed or injured by these very guns Amit Shah ji accused us of distributing is the only answer this accusation needs,” Abdullah said in a five-page statement.

At a rally on Wednesday, Shah had said there were two models available for the people — one of Prime Minister Modi which talks about development, peace and unity, and increases employment avenues, and the other one is the Gupkar model which let the Pulwama attack happen.

Abdullah issued a white paper on development undertaken in Jammu and Kashmir during the rule of “Abdullah and Sons” — as Shah referred the family in his speech at a rally in Baramulla district — to counter the allegations of corruption.Enumerating major steps taken by National Conference founder and his father Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah as the head of the state, Farooq said this list is by no means complete but just a snapshot of some of the works done. Among other things, he listed the institution of single-line administration, abolition of landed estates and giving land to landless peasants, free education up to university level, establishment of the University of Jammu and Kashmir, adult education centres, Jabri schools for children and constitution of district development boards constituted in 1970s.The other steps taken by the NC government included setting up the Gujjar and Bakarwal advisory board, tertiary care hospital SKIMS, agricultural universities in Jammu and Srinagar, government colleges for women and 50% reservation for women in medical and dental colleges, he said.

The incumbent regime has and may again claim credit for all of this but propaganda and facts are two different things, he added.

Srinagar, Oct 7: The special investigation agency (SIA) of J&K Police on Friday raided several places in Shopian and Anantnag districts in connection with terror funding probe.

“These raids are being carried out in Zainapora, Laddi and Melhora villages of Shopian district and in Shangus, Kund Kulgam, Achabal and Poshkeeri villages of Anantnag district”, official sources said.

The local police and CRPF are assisting the SIA in the smooth conduct of these raids.

JAMMU, Oct: With the Election Commission preparing the groundwork for assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, senior BJP leaders Thursday said the large turnout at Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s public meeting in Baramulla was indicative of changing situation in the Valley. With the home minister ruling out any talks with Pakistan, BJP leaders said they will have no truck with any party that advocates dialogue with the neighbouring country or has any links with the Jamaat-e-Islami, which has been banned, or the Hurriyat Conference, a separatist outfit.
”We will have no political association with any such party,” a senior party leader said in an interaction with reporters when asked about the BJP’s strategy in the Union territory.
The Valley’s two main political parties, the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party, have often spoken in favour of a dialogue with Pakistan for restoring peace in the militancy-hit Union territory.
”Why should we speak to Pakistan which has promoted terrorism in our land for bringing peace in a part of our country? In fact, the suggestion that India should speak to Pakistan for ending terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir is an acknowledgement that the country is behind it,” a leader said. ”Out government is working to root out militants,” he asserted.
BJP sources also discounted the possibility of having any alliance with the Democratic Azad Party, which was recently launched by Ghulam Nabi Azad after he quit the Congress. The BJP is confident of doing well in the polls whenever they are held, they said.
A top party leader claimed it was well after three decades that a senior Union cabinet minister has addressed a rally in Baramulla, a north Kashmir district once considered a hotbed of militancy, and said the Centre’s welfare measures like free cooking gas connection and healthcare under ‘Ayushman Bharat’ enjoy a lot of traction on the ground.
Shah’s rallies in Jammu division’s Rajouri on Tuesday and in Baramulla on Wednesday have boosted the party’s morale as it prepares for the polls, which is likely to be announced by the Election Commission after its exercise to prepare the electoral rolls is over.
Rejecting any dialogue with Pakistan on Kashmir, Shah on Wednesday said his government was more interested in talking to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and assured them that the assembly polls will be held with ”full transparency”.
At his first public rally in the Valley after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, Shah, in his 27-minute speech at Showkat Ali stadium in Baramulla district, trained his guns at leaders from opposition parties NC, PDP and Congress with frequent references to the ”three families”, ”Mufti and company” and ”Abdullah and sons”.
”Those people who ruled here for 70 years advise me to talk to Pakistan. I have a clear intention that I don’t want to talk to Pakistan, but I want to talk to my Gujjar, Pahari and Bakerwal brothers of Baramulla,” he said. (Agencies)

SRINAGAR, OCTOBER: In a review meeting of Rural Development Department held by the Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta it was informed that J&K has achieved the milestone of being first to establish at least 75 Amrit Sarovars in each of its districts as per the aspirations of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.
Dr Mehta applauded the department for this unique achievement and asked them not to stop here but work harder to further improve these rural assets throughout J&K. He enjoined upon them to take this mission further.
The UT of J&K had started implementing the scheme in a mission mode at the very beginning of the mission. The UT level committee under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary with the participation of departments like Forest, Culture, Revenue, Jal Shakti was constituted for apex level monitoring and implementation of the scheme.
It was further revealed that as per the guidelines of the mission, the UT had to complete 300 Amrit Sarovars before 15th August,2022 and 1500 Amrit Sarovars by 15th August, 2023. However, the UT completed 1490 Amrit Sarovars on 15th of August, 2022 and hoisted National Flags over them on the occasion of Independence Day. It was informed that at present the UT has completed the work on 1953 Amrit Sarovars.
The UT is endeavoring to create and beautify more Amrit Sarovars and the Finance Department has released Rs 50 crore for the rejuvenation /creation of these Amrit Sarovars.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Mission Amrit Sarovar was launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister on National Panchayati Raj Day on 24th of April this year in Palli Gram Panchayat in District Samba of J&K itself and at the national level, the UT figures at no. 2 in terms of completion of Amrit Sarovars featuring just after the much bigger State of Uttar Pradesh.