DELHI
It seems the lease of life for a series of killers awaiting hangman’s noose was somehow blocked by Afzal Guru. A year after Guru was hanged in haste, the apex court has commuted the death sentence of Rajiv Gandhi assassins and now Devinder Pal Bhullar who was involved in 1993 serial blasts. It naturally had a reaction from Srinagar. With elections in mind, both NC and PDP said it was a case of judicial double standard. This has brought Guru to the campaigning daises across Kashmir but Congress is silent. Insiders in the party feel while Guru’s death showered life on many, the party is in dire straits. Is it natural justice?
SRINAGAR
The system gave the concession to disgraced Congressman Shabir Khan but made him to resign after a senior lady doctor accused him of wayward behavior. He was supposed to get arrested but he was not. Now police have submitted the charge-sheet against him. And the Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar V S Bhau has issued notice to Khan seeking his presence on May 5. He is booked under sections 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of RPC. Khan should have been present at the time of filing of charge sheet but he was absent apparently because he is busy campaigning for his party.
URI
It was a chance discovery of fake currency notes from an ATM that police started investigating the case. A month after and around 15 people cooling their heels in jail, the police never knew they had embarked on an international racket that has links from Dubai to Pakistan to Hyderabad. It was deadly cartel of fake currency and drugs. Finally, when the police zeroed in on the apparent kingpin, Muneer Manhas from Kamal Kote, a TA soldier, he drove to the police and told whatever the police could listen. As the interrogators went home for the night, the accused used his socks to hang himself. The case has hit a dead end but cops say they still have a major link who is safe and in custody.
JAMMU
Temperature is down and it is still cloudy. But people see a son-rise in Jammu. Ghulam Nabi Azad’s London-educated Saddam Nabi Azad was seen, for the first time, publicly out supporting his dad. Nobody knows if the rare appearance was a guest appearance for the businessman. The 30 something was seen with Azad and mom Shameema in Kathua. Donning traditional Dogra saffron turban, Saddam stood behind his father in the open jeep and zealously waved to the crowds during the road show. But will he join politics. No, many say in Congress. Azad is still young!
DAMHAL
Social media made the best of election news last week when Omar’s lone female minister and NCs only South Kashmir lawmaker was found in a 3.11 minute video invoking faith to get an estranged party worker back to the fold. She was seen compelling the old man to swear by the Koran and recite the Kalima to reassure her support as her party-men were asking him to swear upon his family. The old man was annoyed and was resisting. As the PDP sent the video to the election commission as a violation of model code of conduct, Omar came out to defend her invoking the culture of the place!
PUNJAB
Four Kashmiri engineering students Showkat, Danish, Ishfaq and Adil (all B Tech ECE students) currently perusing their students in a Punjab education institution have designed a “Life Saving Glove” that could help cardiac patients have their pulse rate detected automatically. They collaborated with the institute’s nursing and medical staff to make this happen. The glove to be worn by the patient possesses the technology that checks the pulse rate of the patient at frequent intervals and an embedded SIM flashes any exceptional change to the doctors or attendants. With the Institute offering Rs 100 thousand grant, the students would improve the glove so that it becomes cordless.
GANDERBAL
The erstwhile ‘king’s’ constituency that was represented by Sheikh family for a long time is undergoing a crisis. First, it was said Omar has decided against contesting from the place in 2014 election. Next came a Congress man joining NC. Thirdly, came the shock of NCs senior leader of the belt Ghulam Ahmad Saloora quitting the party. And last week, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat quit the party after more than three decades. The last one is serious because it is the same Bhat who claims to be witness of the killing of Haji Yousuf, the NC worker at Omar’s official residence. Though Omar got a clean chit from a commission of enquiry, Bhat says he will reveal all. Somebody wrote on facebook: “ghar ka bedi lanka dayay”. And it was quickly reacted by another one: “No, it is ghar ka bedi versus justice Bedi’. Justice Bedi presided over the Commission that gave Omar a clean chit.
Rs 1058 crore is the amount that J&K paid as income tax. It is Rs 177.47 crore more than the government was expecting. Last year, IT collections were at Rs 696.43 crore.
Kashmir recorded a rainfall of 212 mm in March alone which is nearly double the average of 115.6 mm rainfall. March was the coldest in last 10 years.
