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)
J&K: BJP Sees Change In Valley’s Political Landscape After Large Gathering At Amit Shah’s Meeting In Baramulla
Active Covid cases in country dip to 30,362
New Delhi, Oct 7: India logged 1,997 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,46,06,460, while the active cases declined to 30,362, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.
The death toll climbed to 5,28,754 with nine fatalities which includes three deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The active cases comprise 0.07 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.75 per cent, the ministry said.
A decline of 1,920 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed the four-crore mark on January 25 this year. (Agencies)
Govt asks CJI Lalit to name successor: Sources
New Delhi, Oct 7: The government has written to Chief Justice of India Uday Umesh Lalit to name his successor, sources said on Friday.
The letter was sent this morning, they said.
As part of the procedure, the law minister writes to the CJI to name his or her successor.
Justice Lalit retires as the CJI on November 8.
Justice D Y Chandrachud is the senior-most judge after the CJI.
As per practice, the CJI names the senior-most judge as his or her successor.
Going by the established practice and convention, Justice Chandrachud would be the 50th CJI. (Agencies)
J&K first among UTs, States to achieve the feat of establishing 75 Amrit Sarovars in each district
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.
PIL seeks VC for undertrials, cites public & judicial officers safety; SC to consider on Oct 11
The Supreme Court next week is likely to consider a plea seeking a direction that presence of undertrials before the trial courts should not be ordered as a routine on each and every date, and video conferencing facility should be used in case of gangster, for public safety as well as security of judicial officers.
A bench headed by Chief Justice U.U. Lalit is likely to take up the PIL filed by advocate Rishi Malhotra on October 11.
The PIL raises an issue of power of trial courts for ordering attendance of undertrial prisoners before it as a matter of routine practice without adhering to the statutory mandate as provided in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. The plea contended that it cannot be disputed that an undertrial prisoner has a constitutional right to be present before the trial court when the trial against him is in progress. However, the said right is not an absolute right and is rather qualified by various provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
“The fulcrum of the instant Public Interest Litigation is to prevent the various trial courts across India to not to insist on presence of undertrials on each and every date as a matter of routine practice thereby not only endangering the safety of public as well as judicial officers but also facilitating the opportunity of hardcore prisoners from escaping from the custody of the police”, said the plea.
The plea cited the instance of the Rohini Court firing which happened on September 24, 2021, in which a dreaded gangster was shot dead when he was produced before the trial court for his usual appearance. “Apart from this there have been various instances all across the trial courts in India where during the normal usual course of appearances before the trial court by an undertrial, either the public safety has been put to danger or the said undertrial has fled from the custody of the police”, added the plea.
It added that the Code of Criminal Procedure in various provisions viz. sec.205, 267, 268, 270, 273 and 317 C.R.P.C. have provided powers to the concerned court to dispense the personal presence of undertrial from jails during normal trial proceedings.
The plea contended that even if the trial court deem fit in a particular case presence of an accused as an undertrial before it, it can avail video conferencing facility and especially in the cases of gangsters — so that the public safety as well as the security of the judicial officers remained intact on one hand and the rights of an accused is balanced on the other hand.
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Vikalp SMVDU Celebrates Dussehra on Campus
Vikalp, an SMVDU initiative for the under-privileged children, celebrated Dussehra on campus. A play was also performed narrating why Dussehra is celebrated, and, a session on bad and good habits, and basic etiquettes was conducted. A dance performance was performed by the students. Students also wrote about their cherished memories. The event concluded with providing refreshments to students. Previously, Vikalp celebrated Gandhi Jayanti, and Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan on 2nd October. The students were informed about the second Prime Minister of the country, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, and his teachings. The younger students took part in a drawing competition while the elder students participated in an essay writing competition. The students were filled with patriotic feelings, and they were grateful to all the leaders of the country whose hard work, dedication and sacrifices have enabled us to see the India that we see today succeed in all aspects.
Azad-led DAP begins process to set up zonal, district committees ahead of Assembly polls in J&K
JAMMU, Oct 6: Democratic Azad Party (DAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad has formed various teams for submitting proposals for constituting zonal and district committees of the party ahead of the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
The six panels having senior leaders as members were asked to complete the exercise of their respective zones within 10 days and submit the recommendations of the proposed zonal and district committees by October 18, a party leader said on Thursday.
The former chief minister’s decision to select zonal and district committees of his newly floated party came at a time when Home Minister Amit Shah assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir that the Assembly elections would be held after the completion of the ongoing exercise of electoral rolls.
Azad announced the formation of three teams each for Jammu and Kashmir divisions to cover all the 20 districts.
“Once our zonal and district committees are constituted, zonal and district office bearers will be asked to go to the block and panchayat level to constitute the block committees and panchayat committees,” he said.
An 11-member Central zone Jammu headed by former deputy chief minister Tara Chand will cover Jammu (urban and rural), Kathua, Samba and Udhampur districts, nine-member Chenab valley zone under the leadership of G M Saroori will cover Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar and Reasi districts and six-member Pir Panjal Zone headed by Ashok Sharma will cover Rajouri and Poonch districts in Jammu province, the party leader said quoting a communication from Azad.
In Kashmir valley, Taj Mohi-ud-din led north Kashmir Zone will cover Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed-led south Kashmir zone will cover Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian districts, while the members of central Kashmir zone comprising Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts are being finalised.
On criteria for the selection of president and office bearers of the zonal committees and district committees, the leader said Azad had made it clear that each office bearer, particularly the president of the zone and district, should be able to dedicate minimum 20 days per month for the party, especially till the elections are over.
“The office bearers, particularly the presidents of zonal and district committees, must have their own transport to visit their respective areas. The president and office bearers should be educated enough to receive and pass on messages in English, Hindi and Urdu,” he said quoting the guidelines issued by Azad.
He said the youth representation in committees has been set at a minimum 50 percent, both as office bearers and members, while a minimum 20 percent of office bearers and members shall be women.
All regions and castes should be given due representation in respective committees, the leader said. (Agencies)
Jammu and Kashmir: Policeman arrested after accidental fire
SRINAGAR: A J&K police personnel was arrested on Wednesday after his rifle went off “accidentally” at a check-post in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, resulting in the death of a civilian. Additional DGP, Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar said a case had been registered against the policeman and further investigation was on.
Police said Mohd Asif Padroo, a resident of Poterwaal village in Shopian, sustained bullet wounds in the accidental fire at the police check-post at Haal and was rushed to a nearby hospital. He was referred to Srinagar’s SMHS Hospital, where he succumbed later.
Uttarkashi avalanche: 9 bodies retrieved so far, 29 still trapped, says NIM
The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) on Thursday said that a total of nine bodies which were trapped in the Uttarkashi avalanche have been recovered and retrieved now, while 29 other trainees continue to remain stranded.
According to the NIM, the nine bodies retrieved today include four dead bodies that were already brought down on Tuesday (October 4) and Wednesday (October 5).
The update on recovered bodies came hours after a team of experts from Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir, High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS), joined the operation with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and NIM to rescue mountaineers that were stranded on Draupadi’s Danda-II mountain peak in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi after the avalanche hit them on Tuesday.
However, more teams have been sent to the advance base camp from ITBP Matli in Uttarkashi.
An advance helicopter landing ground was also prepared at 16,000 ft and a trial landing was successfully conducted in the morning.
According to ITBP PRO Vivek Pandey, the advanced helipad has been made at high altitudes and helicopters are out for rescue operations.
“The dead bodies are present at the base and some of them are expected to be brought down today itself,” the ITBP PRO said adding that the measures are being hampered due to bad weather conditions but efforts to find the missing mountaineers are still underway.
On Wednesday, the survivors of the avalanche in Uttarkashi narrated their horrific experiences.
Deep Thakur, a trainee from Gujarat, who survived the accident while undergoing treatment at the district hospital, said that the avalanche came all of a sudden while he was climbing to Draupadi’s Danda Peak for a summit at around 9.45 am, which he along with his companions fell into the crevasses about 60 feet deep, where he struggled between death and life for about 3 hours.
Another survivor, Akash Lalvani, a trainee from Mumbai, told that he was only about 100 meters below the summit of Draupadi’s Danda and the only plan was to summit the peak and get down after being photographed there, because the weather was also clear. But the sudden avalanche has left them with an unforgettable sorrow.
On Tuesday, about 41 trainees and instructors of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering were in the grip of Draupadi’s avalanche in Danda of Dokrani glacier at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters.
In view of the safety of the trekking and mountaineering teams in Uttarkashi, district magistrate Abhishek Ruhela on Thursday banned trekking activities here for the next three days.
Ruhela has banned these activities in Uttarkashi from October 6 (today) to October 8 (Saturday) ahead of the India Meteorological Department’s alert for intense rainfall in the state over the upcoming days.
BJP may have broken glass ceiling with successful Baramulla rally
Srinagar, Oct 6: The successful rally in Baramulla, which saw a record participation of 40, 000 people, at a time when rural Kashmir remains mostly busy with harvesting, suggests the acceptance of BJP in the valley and symbolizes the dawn of a new hope, said a party leader.
“People were standing along and singing national anthem together and the whole atmosphere was filled with slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jay’, he said, adding that the “new India envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking shape to unite everyone and pledging together in this Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to make Swarnim Bharat.”
He said renewed energy was felt among the youth when Home Minister Amit Shah gave a clarion call to them to come and make India and Kashmir great.
On the record participation in the rally, another party leader said that it should convince the rest of the world about its acceptance in the Kashmir valley.
He said even the organizers of the rally admitted privately that they never expected such a huge gathering, especially when people were busy with the harvesting season.
Praising the LG, he said that the incident-free rally will also be a huge feather in Sinha’s cap who is believed to have planned every bit to the minutest detail.
Whether these numbers can convert into votes for the saffron party in the upcoming assembly polls in J&K remains to be seen, Shah along with Sinha will believe they have delivered for the PM through imagery and messaging, and broken the glass ceiling too, said the BJP leader.