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Kashmir : Missing persons, Judicial Commission demanded

	September 03, 2007

Parents of those allegedly missing in custody during the last 17 years have demanded the setting up of a judicial commis¬sion to investigate such cases. Members of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons pressed the demand on August 30. On the eve of World Disappearance Day, scores of people, mostly women, gathered in Srinagar to further their demand. They were joined by Human Rights activists, notably Tapan Bose and Sonia Jabbar.



At a sit-in protest led by APDP chairperson Parveena Ahan¬gar, whose son is missing since August 1990 when he was arrested by National Security Guards, the gloomy and tired faces of these hapless parents narrated their tales of woe. Holding photographs of their children, brothers or husbands, the women vowed to continue the struggle till their whereabouts were known.



Defence spokesman Lt. Col. A.K. Mathur, however, does not agree with what the parents say. “It is a propaganda to malign our troops. We are strict about human rights,” he said. Tapan Bose feels that neither the government nor the security forces were sensitive towards the issue. “It is the biggest crime against humanity,” Bose said.





BSF jawans, civilians injured in Srinagar blast



Five BSF jawans and seven civilians were injured when sus¬pected Hizbul militants blew up an explosives laden car in Srinagar city on Sept. 1. Several passing vehicles were also damaged in the devastating explosion which was triggered off.



In another incident, the Army foiled an infiltration bid on August 28 and killed five militants near the Line of Control in Kupwara district. A large quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered from the spot.





Relief for victims of ammunition depot fire



The Centre has sanctioned Rs. 10 crore for the victims of a devastating fire at an ammunition depot near Khandru last month. The decision was taken by Defence Minister A.K. Antony in New Delhi on August 28. Defence Secretary Vijay Singh told media persons later that the Government has decided on a series of measures to provide compensation and relief to the victims. The August 11 explosions in the ammunition depot had spread fear and panic among residents of 18 villages around the camp. Sixteen persons were killed in the fire at the camp.



JK to have Information Commission soon



Both Houses of the Jammu and Kashmir legislature have approved amendments to the Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act, 2004. The amendments bring the Act at part with the Central Act and clear the decks for the setting up of an Information Commission.



Minister for Consumer Affairs Taj Mohiuddin said that it is a step towards greater transparency and will ensure accountabili¬ty in the state.



Kashmir temple reopens after 18 years



A centuries old Shiva temple at Bijbehara, in south Kashmir, which was closed for 18 years after most Kashmiri Pandits left the Valley in 1989 was thrown open to the devotees on August 29. The temple is also known as Prachin Amarnath Shrine.



Like its namesake, this temple is also a cave shrine. Many devotees see it as second only to the Amarnath shrine. As thousands of Kashmiri pandits from all over the country thronged the shrine, the Devaasthan Prabandhak Committee organised a festival to mark the occasion.



Around half a dozen temples have been thrown open for wor¬ship in south Kashmir in the past four months. Over 30,000 Kashmiri pandits participated in Khir Bhavani Mela at Tumullah in Ganderbal district this year.





Uranium discovered in Ladakh



Scientists have for the first time found uranium in “excep¬tionally high concentration” in Ladakh, the icy Himalayan region in Jammu and Kashmir that has strategic significance for India.



Samples of rocks analysed in a German laboratory have re¬vealed uranium content to be as high as 5.36 per cent compared to around 0.1 per cent or less in ores present elsewhere in the country.



India badly needs uranium to fuel its nuclear power plants and the proposed India-US nuclear deal is all about importing it. The Ladakh find may cheer those opposed to the deal even though detailed exploration and mining may take years.



The Ladakh block lies between the Indian plate in the south and the Asian plate in the north and is bounded by the Indus and the Shyok suture zones.” Collision between the two plates 50-60 million years ago formed the Himalayas.