JAMMU
The Village Defence Committees(VDCs), which are already under scanner for their role in Kishtwar riots have come to the rescue of police in Hiranagar, Kathua district after September 26 twin attacks, a Jammu daily has reported. Fifty VDCs comprising about 300 to 350 personnel have once again been activated and deployed along all possible infiltration routes leading from Hiranagar sector to Jammu-Pathankote National Highway. As a precautionary measure police authorities have also deployed two police constables with each VDC to ensure that in case of an encounter with the militants the latter didn’t manage to escape. During past few months, police had deployed some of the VDCs in the villages, where the people had reported movement of mysterious thieves. The sources say number of the VDCs was presently sufficient to man the infiltration routes but if need arises, we would have more VDCs.
KULGAM
The 90’s style cordon and search operations which includes identification parades, crackdown, is back to haunt Kashmiris. Early this week army carried out a crackdown in Gratbal and Goafbal villages of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, conducting door-to-door searches and carrying out identification checks. The forces, locals said, used announcement systems installed in local mosques to order men, including youth and elderly to come out of their houses and assemble at one place. However, they said the women were told to remain indoors.”Much to our inconvenience we were made to sit on the dust for nearly 6 hours. The forces did not allow us to move. It was a crackdown like the ones we witnessed during 90s,” said another local.
USA
An Kashmiri-American poet, Rafiq Kathwari’s collection of 20 unpublished debut poems has been selected for 2013 Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award. Kathwari is the first non-Irish person to win the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award. Among 20 unpublished poems ‘In Another Country’ was selected for the coveted award amidst the work of 112 contestant across the world. Kathwari’s work includes poems mostly inspired by loss of innocence in Kashmir and from his mother’s long time illness. Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award was founded by the Patrick Kavanagh Society in 1971 to commemorate the Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh. The award is meant for unpublished collection of poems in English.
GUJRAT
Narender Modi, met a group of 20 students from Jammu and Kashmir. The students have embarked on a ‘Bharat Darshan’ journey across the nation. The journey organised by the Border Security Force (BSF) gave these children the opportunity to visit various places in Gujrat. The 20 member group lauded the peace and progress in Gujrat after they met Modi, a BSF official was quoted saying.
SHIMLA
Five teams from Jammu and Kashmir will participate in car rally ‘Raid-De-Himalyas’ which would be held from October 4 to 12 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh with other Indian and international acclaimed teams. The team of Jammu and Kashmir would be sponsored by Gallon Builders Private India Limited and will have a total of five crew members participating in the rally with 10 members including 2 women participants. All five teams will leave for Shimla for the rally on October 3 evening and will be flagged off by sponsor Gallon Builders Private Limited. Last year the rally race was took place in Jammu and Kashmir along Mughal road.
KERALA
After Kerala court acquitted five people for want of evidence, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court is going to pronounce the verdict on Kashmir terror recruitment case in which terror mastermind Thadiyantevide Nazeer and 12 others from Kerala were also found guilty. The conviction of Nazeer and his men by NIA special court in Kochi points out the fact that sleeper cells of the terror groups are very much active in the state of Kerala. It is said that Nazeer, a native of Kannur, Kerala, was instrumental in recruiting Kerala men for terror camps in Jammu and Kashmir. He is accused of selecting five youngsters from the state to attend a terror training camp. On October 4, 2008 the Indian forces gunned downed two of them in Kupwara and a week later three others were killed in an encounter at Lolab while they were trying cross the border into Pakistan administered Kashmir.
More than 300 para-shooters were called to combat 30-40 militants who allegedly have occupied three Indian observation posts near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district.
The Jammu Income tax department has collected a record Rs 433.92 crores of tax so far in the current financial year.
