DELHI
Congress may distance itself from what Mani Shankar Aiyer is doing in Srinagar but the man has remained a radical voice on Kashmir for a very long time. Primarily for participating in a seminar, Aiyar’s observations were the main take-away from the exercise. Later, however, he met Chief Minister, governor and various separatist leaders. Though JKLFs Yasin Malik refused to meet, Aiyar and his colleagues met Mirwaiz and Geelani. What was interesting was Aiyar becoming a messenger of Raj Bhawan and delivering a message on student welfare to Geelani.
POONCH
It was terrifying when the “news” broke that a school bus with 43 kids skidded into a 500 ft deep gorge. Suddenly toll was as high as 38. Police officials confirmed the mishap but insisted they are yet to reach the spot. By then, six ambulances were rushing towards the spot as Deputy Commissioners of Shopian and Poonch also moved. So did some media teams. Chief Minister’s office was considering flying a chopper to help rescue efforts. It was all on TV. Kashmir Life contacted a journalist who said he has already investigated it and is on spot with the vehicle and the kids on board. It was so far the biggest fake news of 2017. Thank God, kids are with parents, hale and hearty.
BATAMALOO
The sixth standard boy whom police accused of setting on fire a Railway Police Force (RPF) vehicle on April 16, 2017 is finally back to the school. The 12-year-old boy, a resident of Batmaloo, enrolled in Learning Point Educational Institute was picked up by police in Rainawari on May 17. The family says he had gone to visit his grandparents when he was arrested. Chief Judicial Magistrate bailed the boy out after he spent five days in the Juvenile Home. Court did not felt convinced with the police argument as it lacked a clear identification check that would hold the boy responsible for the act as mentioned in the case registered against him.
DELHI
All the three men from separatist camp who bragged about their capacities and influence in Kashmir in a sting operation of a Delhi based TV channel have been arrested by the NIA. While Naeem Ahmad Khan was flown to Delhi, the two others Bitta Karatay and Gazi Baba were held at Humhama for many days. NIA, according to reports, have registered a case against the three and many others in the money laundering. Khan was earlier suspended as a member by the Hurriyat (g) that Syed Ali Geelani leads.
PULWAMA
Since the day, police recovered the iPhone7 of Lashkar militant abu-Dujana, he has ducked yet another cordon and walked safe. This time it was somewhere in Hakripora where the long-haired man is supposed to have fired a few shots and sneaked out of the cordon. Interestingly, the police have not been able to crack into the cell phone that is presumed to hold lot of information. It was sent to Delhi and to Hyderabad. Then, according to a Chennai based newspaper, the phone was handed over to NIA and when it failed, it was shipped to US. Now nobody knows if the Apple, the phone makers, obliges Delhi. It has a history of denying any information that will give in the security system of its products.
KARNAH
LoC across J&K is highly tense. Shells apart, the two sides are fighting with alternative means. They are recording their attacks on each other’s positions and then releasing the videos of their muscular strengths. In the midst of this situation, the army picked up two boys in Samari Jura hamlet in Karnah – Wasalat Ahmad, 13, and Iftikhar Ahmad, 14. Students of a private school, the two boys had lost the track while they were going home after visiting their relatives. They have been handed over to police. After initial investigation, the police said they are sure the boys have strayed into this side. Now repatriation is the major issue.
