Suhail Khan

Srinagar, Feb 24 (GNS): Two days after the gunfight, the police on Sunday said that three militants were killed at Warpora area of Sopore and credence to its claims was lend by the recovery of third weapon from the scene of the gunfight. 

Sources said that police and army recovered Ak-47 and one UBGL grenade from the debris of encounter site after being spotted by locals during the clearance of the rubble of houses razed during the encounter on Friday. 

They said locals informed the police about the weapon and the grenade following which a team of police and army rushed to the area.

Police had recovered two bodies along with as many weapons to conclude the “operation”. However, some body parts were recovered by locals, nearly two hours after police and army teams withdrew from the Warpora. Then the police said that the body parts were that of the two slain militants. 

On Sunday a police officer told GNS that based on “corroboration of intelligence inputs” and recovery of the third weapon, it has been established that three militants had been killed during the encounter. He said that bodies were completely charred during the gun battle, making it difficult to differentiate the body parts. The bodies have been buried at Rajpora forests in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. (GNS)

JAMMU, FEBRUARY 24: J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB) has approved selections for 2154 posts of Teachers for 14 districts of Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Kupwara, Pulwama, Shopian, Srinagar, Samba, Udhampur, Reasi and Rajouri. The Board also accorded approval to the inclusion of more than a thousand candidates in wait lists against these selections.

“The selections were approved at 148^th marathon meeting of the Board convened here on 21 and 22 February, under Chairmanship of Zubair Ahmad, Chairman, J&K Services Selection Board. The meeting was attended by the Members of the Board, Rachna Sharma, Vivek Sharma, Prof Tasleema Peer, Ajay Kumar Sharma, Dr Nirupa Rai and Abdul Aziz Sheikh. Controller of Examinations, JKSSB, Musheer Ahmad Mirza, Secretary, JKSSB, Ranjeet Singh and other officers of the Board also attended the meeting,” said Malik Suhail, PRO, JKSSB in a statement issued here today.

He said the selections of Teachers have been approved in three disciplines of General Line, Science/Math and Urdu.

Malik said these selections were confronted with many issues, which included massive litigations, unmentioned degrees in online application forms, seeking of change of categories mentioned in the online application forms, degrees with overlapping periods of studies, preferences sought from the candidates, besides huge number of claims and counter claims made by the candidates. “The Board sorted out these issues in consultation with the General Administration Department and the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and disposed of 387 representations/claims of the candidates accordingly and cleared the selections accordingly,” he said.

He said given the fact that a substantial number of candidates figuring in selections/waitlist zones were having degrees with overlapping periods of study, the Board decided that in respect of candidates with overlapping periods of studies, recommendations shall be subject to further detailed scrutiny, for which a mechanism shall be laid down, separately. “Based on that scrutiny, the release or further action on these recommendations shall be taken,” he said.

Malik said to benefit maximum number of candidates, the Board decided to issue selections of a particular District Cadre in all the three disciplines simultaneously, so as to obviate the chances of any candidate joining against more than one post, which was the aim for seeking preferences. “In the interest of such candidates, it was also decided to request the School Education Department, to consider issuance of formal appointment orders in respect of selected candidates, simultaneously, in respect of a particular district cadre in all the disciplines, so as to ensure that no candidate who figures in more than one selection list is able to join and undertake his/her process of document verification in the indenting department, against more than one post, due to time lag in issuance of selection lists/appointment orders,” he said.

Malik said these selections also witnessed huge litigations and till date nearly 30 court cases have come to fore and appropriate action has been taken in such cases. “The Board has already filed five LPAs in the matter, and applications for modification of interim orders of the Courts in another 05 cases, alongwith objections have also been filed,” he said and added that however, in light of the advice of the Law Department, the Board decided that in court cases, where the SSB has filed LPAs and applications for modification of orders, the Board shall, pending consideration of such LPAs and applications, assess the claims of petitioners in terms of these court orders and reserve posts in selection/slots in waitlists, wherever required till the LPAs and applications filed by SSB are considered by the Court.

These selections having witnessed different issues, and claims and counter claims of the candidates, the Board in consultation with General Administration Department and the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, tried its best to align these selections strictly in order of merit and as per law laid down on the issue and rules and regulations governing the process of selections.

The selections shall be uploaded on the official website of the J&K Services Selection Board,www.jkssb.nic.in from tomorrow, he said. 

Press Trust of India

Srinagar

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti Sunday said any tinkering with Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution, which provide special status to Jammu and Kashmir, will render null and void the state’s Instrument of Accession with India.

“Article 370 is the constitutional connection between J&K & Indian Union. Instrument of accession is contingent on Article 370 which is inextricably linked to Article 35A. Any tampering will render Treaty of Accession null & void,” Mehbooba said in a series of tweets.She said Kashmir Valley is rife with speculation about the status of Article 35A.

“Before taking a decision, GoI (Government of India) must consider that J&K was the only Muslim-majority state that chose a secular India over Pak during partition,” she added.

Mehbooba cautioned that Kashmiris should not be blamed for the developments if the special provision was scrapped.

“Those frothing at the mouth & calling for its removal shouldn’t blame Kashmiris for the developments that will follow such a hare-brained decision,” she said.