DEAD: Satpal Sahini (1922-2010), journalist who became DG Information and drafted Dr Farooq Abdullah’s book ‘My Dismissal’ died at 88. Son of settlers from Rawalpandi, he had his education in Srinagar and his first appointment as a reporter for Times of India in 1948 was also in Kashmir. A photo-journalist, Sahini later became UNI bureau chief in 1967. His last book ‘Kashmir Underground’ was about militancy in Kashmir. He has clicked some of the best pictures of the happenings in Kashmir mostly during his early years of career. After eruption of armed militancy he lived at Jammu.
REGISTERED: Police have registered 1514 FIRs against army during last 20 years for violating human rights and army says they have investigated 1508 and found 1473 as ‘false and baseless’. In 35 cases which were found true, 104 soldiers including 39 officers, nine JCOs and 56 other ranks were punished.
NOSEDIVED: India’s rank in 2010 World Press Freedom Index nosedived to 122nd position in 178 countries surveyed by the Paris based Reporters Without Borders. It lost 17 positions as compared to its last year rank reportedly for gagging the media in Kashmir.
NOMINATED: State Health Ministry has nominated nearly 600 candidates for various paramedical courses in the state without any written test, interview or meritorial considerations. It excludes 13 nominations for MBBS to different non-local medical colleges.
APPOINTED: Government appointed Prof I A Hamal, Rector, University of Jammu, Bhaderwah Campus as new VC of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University. He replaced Masud Choudhary, the founder VC of the University who created an example by setting up a university despite being from police background. Hamal’s initial appointment is for three years.
SHORTLISTED: Infrastructure major IL&FS Transportation Networks was shortlisted by the National Highways Authority of India as the lowest bidder for Rs 971 crore road project in J&K. After bagging a major stretch of the new highway earlier, it has bagged the contract for “rehabilitation, strengthening and four-laning of Udhampur to Ramban section” as well.
HECKLED: Seperataist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was heckled by Kashmiri Pandits in a Delhi seminar which he was going to address. He was visiting Delhi after a long time. Geelani was recently re-elected as chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat-e-Kashmir, the party he founded after falling out with Jamat-e-Islami.
PETITIONED: Two NGOs have filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the High Court seeking directions to separatist leaders not to disrupt normal life in the Valley by calling for frequent strikes. Petitioners are J&K Tameer-e-Muashra Executive member Mohammad Sidiq Malik and Akhil Bharatiya Priyanka and Rahul Foundation state president Ghulam Qadir Kullay.
APPOINTED: Anirudh Uppal was appointed as Special Director General of CRPF who will lead CRPF in J&K. A 1976-batch IPS Himachal Pradesh cadre officer, Uppal was Additional DG, ITBP and prior to that an IGP with NSG.
LIMITED: Twelve alleged stone pelters who are to be freed after their detention under PSA was suspended, will be free only for three months. They run the risk of being booked again if they resort to pelting stones, a home ministry order said while terming it a “temporary release”. They can not leave the jurisdiction of their respective districts. Interestingly only four of them have been set free as the families are busy preparing documents for the remaining detainees.
TREKKED: Forest Minister Mian Altaf, and MLA Gurez, Nazir Gurezi, travelled on a new 120-kms road that connects Drass with Gurez via Tulail. It is being built by BRO as one of the defence roads. They travelled 60 kilometres between Drass and Tulail in three hours and it took them another two hours to reach Gurez. The road is expected to open for traffic in 2011.
SURVIVED: Minister Nasir Aslam and Director Information department Farooq Renzu escaped with bruises when the car they were travelling in collided with a JCB earth mover at Ganderbal.
CHALLENGED: PSC has been directed to make available the records of the KAS selections to the high court on November 4. The direction came from Mr Justice Sunil Hali in a petition filed by Anil Kumar and others challenging the result of main examination of KAS issued on September 30, 2010 on various grounds.
