SRINAGAR, MAY 15: Director School Education, Kashmir, Younis Malik, has issued a fervent appeal to the students to resume their normal class work so that the ongoing academic session is not disturbed which shall put the students in a disadvantageous position.

In a statement, the Director School Education said that the law enforcing agencies have taken cognizance and ordered inquiry into the unfortunate incident that took place in Sumbal, Bandipora recently.

He also directed the Chief Education Officers and Principals of Higher Secondary Schools of all the districts in Kashmir Division to ensure that normal class work is resumed in all educational institutions at the earliest.

The accused in the rape of a minor girl in Bandipora has been booked under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offence) Act, a day after the district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) asked the police to register the rape case under POSCO and not Ranbir Penal Code.

The POCSO Act calls for the designation of special courts to put offenders on trial. The law also contains detailed guidelines on how to report a case of child sexual abuse as well as how the victim needs to be cared for and protected by special juvenile police unit or local police.

It also aims at providing protection to children (individual below the age of 18) from sexual violence including sexual assault, sexual harassment, and the inclusion of children in pornography and provides for establishment of special courts for trials of such offenders.

The law also lays down punishment for offenders of penetrative sexual assault and aggravated penetrative sexual assault and provides for rigorous imprisonment for life, and a fine.

The child welfare panel had also asked police to furnish the medical report of the minor girl to the committee at the earliest. The report, however, has not been submitted before the panel yet.

A police official, who has been monitoring the case of the minor girl, said, “The final report is yet to come, but the preliminary investigation reveals that the girl has been raped. But we can only say it with surety once the final report is with us.”

The alleged rape of the minor girl has triggered protests in the Valley and many have demanded stringent punishment for the accused, who has been detained.                         
 The police, however, have constituted a special team to investigate the case.

A B Wani

Srinagar, May 15 : The family members of Kralpora woman, who died on Tuesday after allegedly consuming poison at her in-laws’ house, staged a protest on Wednesday, alleging it was a “murder”.

The family and relatives of the deceased Yasmeena Akthar daughter of Mohammad Ramzan Kumar of Kralpora blocked the Alamdar Charisharief – Srinagar road at Kralpora in Central Kashmir’s Budgam District for some time and demanded justice.

“It is a baseless story that Yasmeena died after committing suicide. She was poisoned to death by her in-laws,” the family alleged.

Yasmeena according to the family was 4-month-old pregnant.

As per her family, she died at her husband’s residence at Charisharief during the intervening night of May 13 and 14. She was declared brought dead by doctors at SMHS.

“The in-laws including the husband of the deceased woman are giving different versions with regard to her death,” they said, adding that since Yasmeena’s wedding last year she was being harrased by in-laws and termed her death as murder.

The family said that they have approached police station concerned with regard to the murder and urged police to file an FIR and initiate an inquiry into it.

Meanwhile, on the assurance of SHO concerned that police will probe the matter, the protesting family dispersed off peacefully. (GNS)

The authorities have ordered suspension of classwork in three higher secondary schools and seven colleges of Srinagar today on May 15.

The institutions where classwork will remain suspended include SP Higher Secondary School MA Road, Islamia Higher Secondary School Rajouri Kadal, MPML Higher Secondary School Baghi Dilawar Khan, Amar Singh College Gogji Bagh, SP College MA Road, Gandhi Memorial College Fateh Kadal, Islamia College Hawal, Degree College Bemina, Women’s College MA Road and Women’s College Nawakadal, said an official.

He said the decision to suspend classwork in these institutions was necessitated by yesterday’s violence during students’ protests in which public property was damaged and to ensure safety of students.

The decision was taken after obtaining feedback from the head of these institutions during a review meeting held yesterday, said the official.

Agencies

‘Work with dedication, close coordination for smooth conduct of yatra’

KD NEWS SERVICE

SRINAGAR, May 14: Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan today chaired a high level meeting of officers to review the arrangements for the smooth conduct of Amarnath Yatra-2019.

Threadbare discussion were held for the smooth conduct of the yatra and various aspects related to the snow clearance on the track, registration, accommodation, medicare facilities, ration, transport facilities, boarding and lodging facilities, provision of safe drinking water, sanitation and cleanliness besides establishment of control rooms at all the halting stations, fixation of rates of ponies and tents, ATMs facilities, basic amenities in Base and Transit camps, installation of Bio-tiolets and communication facilities, deployment of officials on duty, issuance of passes were also deliberated upon in the meeting.

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir emphasized upon the officers to work with coordination and enthusiasm to put in place all the arrangements.

He stressed for ensuring adequate stocks of essentials, medicare facilities and ensuring cleanliness enroute stations to the Holy Cave and adhere quality control on tents and bedding. Animal Husbandry department will ensure to conduct health audit of all ponies, horses and mules well before the start of Yatra, the meeting was informed.

Disaster Management authority was directed to conduct Mock drills on Baltal and Sheshnaag tracks from June 10 with NDRF, SDRF, Mountaineering school, HAWS, civil defence besides purchase sophisticated tools and equipments.

Khan also directed for clearance of track from Pahalgam as well as Baltal sides well before Yatra commences and asked for better communication facilities to be made available at all the stations.

He also directed to establish joint control rooms shall be set up at Pahalgam and Baltal, besides weather advisory shall be issued after every 3 hours by the Metrology department through Doppler weather system for the convenience of Yatris.

He also emphasized for the registration of ponnywalas and potters at specified locations.

The Divisional Commissioner also asked all the officers of concerned departments to submit the actual Yatra plan to the Deputy Commissioners of Anantnag and Ganderbal immediately. Ensure that all the facilities shall be made available to the Yatries and the concerned departments shall project their requirements well before time for smooth conduct of the Yatra, he said.

Khan asked DC Srinagar to identify holding areas of transport and hotels in the city for the yatries.

Additional Chief Executive Officer, Shrine Board, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Chief Engineers of PHE, R&B, PDD Directors of Health Services, Animal Husbandry & Disaster Management, CEO Sonamarg, Joint Director Tourism, DGM BSNL, Deputy Directors of Fire & emergency services & MET, Deputy Commandant NDRF, SP Traffic (Rural), Assistant Commissioner (central), and other concerned officers of various departments participated in the meeting whereas Deputy Commissioners of Anantnag and Ganderbal participated the meeting through video conferencing.

‘Stray dogs, bad roads, powers cuts, price rise giving tough time’

KD NEWS SERVICE

SRINAGAR, May 14: Former Finance Minister Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Tuesday urged the governor led administration to ensure the sufferings of people for want of basic amenities are reduced especially in the Srinagar city.

“Normally the administration was expected to be on toes in view the sanctity of month of Ramadan. But people of the city are decrying about dilapidated roads, pesky power situation, skyrocketing of prices of essential items and acute shortage of potable water,” he observed.

Bukhari said the Srinagar Municipal Corporation seems in deep slumber as hundreds of stray dogs are on prowl in different areas of the city. “School going children and old aged persons are under constant threat of dog bites. Presence of large number of stray dogs especially during morning and evening hours hampers the movement of people who fear to attend congregational prayers in mosques,” he remarked, while demanding effective measures for controlling fast growing population of stray dogs in the city.

He said that since the first day of Ramadan, people in the valley especially in various parts of Srinagar city have been facing frequent power cuts and unprecedented price hike in essentials items.

“The power cuts at the time of Sehri and Iftaar are giving a tough time to the people. Despite announcements made by the district administration about formation of committees to check the undue price rise, the people are being compelled to purchase the essential items on exorbitant rates in absence of any effective mechanism on the ground,” he added.

The former minister demanded that the price list of all essential items including fruits, vegetables and other Ramadan specific items like Dates etc should be conspicuously displayed at all market places and shops.

Similarly, he said that roads in various parts of city especially the link roads in Chanapora, Mehjoor Nagar, Natipora, Naikbagh, Eidgah, Noorbagh, Firdous Abad, Bal Garden, Nund Reshi Colony Bemina, Shalteng, Sonwar are in dilapidated condition. “Today is the eighth day of the holy month of Ramadan, however our problems keep on compounding as the government seems to be making people to suffer for want of potable water, electricity, availability of essential items and smooth roads,” Bukhari said.

Bukhari also emphasized on the administration to provide hassle free parking facilities at various places in particular near the prominent mosques and shrines in the city. Bukhari also demanded the repair of street lights wherever found defunct especially on the roads and allied links leading to mosques and shrines in the city so that people don’t face any difficulty during evening and early morning hours.

KD NEWS SERVICE

SRINAGAR, May 14: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today said that it is not in favour of delaying assembly elections in the state but said that some political parties want polls to be conducted immediately is not possible. “We are not in favour of deferring or delaying assembly elections. Had assembly polls been held together with Parliamentary elections, it will have favoured our party,” BJP senior leader Ashok Koul told a local news gathering agency.

“However, some parties demand holding of assembly elections immediately is not possible because Gujjar and Bakerwal, which are about 30 lakh voters are in migration phase these days. We can’t deprive them of their voting rights. So once they return back from grazing their stock from hills, assembly polls can be held,” Koul said.

State based political parties including Congress and NC have demanded that assembly elections should be held in the state after Parliamentary polls were conducted recently. Over the prevailing security situation in the Valley, Koul said that out of 10 districts of Kashmir “only 3 districts are witnessing violative situation.”

“In rest of the districts of Kashmir, situation has improved and the centre government will deal with the situation to bring peace in these three districts,” he said. On the withdrawal of his security on protest, the BJP leader said that he surrendered his security to protest the “wrong information provided by police to Governor.”

“Some officials in Police had given wrong information to Governor about the security of slain BJP member Gul Mir of Anantnag. I wrote to the governor to clarify him about the security of late Mir. Governor has assured that security will be provided to all those political activists after proper verification by police,” he said.

Asked that opposition parties accuse BJP of polarising voters and threatening minorities, he said that Congress is “polarising voters in the country and did recently in Jammu and Kashmir Parliamentary polls”. “Regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir and Congress in the country are playing political games to create insecure atmosphere among them and then blame BJP.

In recent Parliamentary polls, all regional parties including Congress, PDP and NC polarised votes against us, but still people voted for Modi and BJP,” he said. The BJP leader lashed out at Congress for not taking any action against its leader Asgar Ali Karbalaie in Kargil who contested elections against the Congress official candidate.

“Karbalaie went against Congress party. Yet Congress didn’t take any action against him for his anti-party activity. Congress is playing double policy. We threw Lal Singh out of the party after he went against party lines. Lal Singh is no more a member of BJP,” he said.