Month: November 2018

‘No longer a symbol of hope’ Amnesty International strips Aung San Suu Kyi of highest honour

Editor

Amnesty International on Monday stripped Aung San Suu Kyi of its highest honour over the de facto Myanmar leader’s “indifference” to the atrocities committed by the military against Rohingya Muslims. It was the latest in a string of awards the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner lost since Myanmar’s military drove 720,000 Rohingya out of the Buddhist majority country in what the United Nations has called an act of genocide. The London-based global human rights organisation said it was revoking the Ambassador of Conscience Award it gave Suu Kyi in 2009…

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Dont allow Kashmiri youth to join militant ranks: Bipin Rawat

Editor

Army chief Bipin Rawat on Monday said while the government’s policy was that those triggering terrorism in Kashmir should be neutralised, the Army’s focus was to ensure that the Kashmiri youths do not join militancy. The Army chief said infiltration was going on from across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. “The government has a clear cut policy that it will not allow terrorists to create violence. Anybody who creates violence will be neutralised,” he told reporters here. Rawat, who was on a two-day visit to Pathankot, presided…

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Fleecing students, panel set to tighten noose around private schools

Editor

The Directorate of School Education, Jammu, has taken note of the parents being allegedly forced by private schools to purchase textbooks and uniforms from designated shops at exorbitant rates. It has constituted a four-member committee to take action against the defaulting institutions in the Jammu region. The Chief Education Officer (CEO) will be the chairman of the committee in each district. The panel members include the Deputy CEO, seniormost principal of the higher secondary schools and the Assistant Director from the CEO office. Sources said all private schools in the…

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Sushil Pandit, Madhu Kishwar others concerned about upcoming Muslim colonies in Jammu

Editor

Prominent Hindu right-wing leaders including Madhu Kishwar and Sushil Pandit on Sunday unanimously alleged that growth of Muslim colonies in Jammu and around Jammu was a concerted effort to change its demography. During a seminar ‘Shankhnaad’ organized by IKKJUTH Jammu, a right wing organization, most of the speakers including Madhu Purnima Kishwar, Sushil Pandit, MLA Udhampur, Pawan Gupta and others alleged that there was an “Islamic invasion” in Jammu. They alleged that Muslim colonies around the winter capital were “threat to Dogras”. “There is need to take emergency steps in…

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Overpricing of essentials continues to burden consumers as CAPD fails to fix rates

Editor

With the failure of the CAPD to enforce the rates of essential commodities, the overpricing of food items like vegetables, pulses, mutton and chicken has became a order of the day in the valley. Under the pretext of Srinagar-Jammu Highway closure due to ongoing inclement weather, traders and hawkers are over charging in absence of a rate list, consumers say. Food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department or CAPD is supposed to revise the list of essential commodities but the consumers say the department has failed to fix the rates…

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City traffic in mess after closure of Jehangir Chowk-Naaz Cinema road

Editor

The failure to complete the construction of the Jehangir Chowk-Ram Bagh flyover is taking a toll on traffic in the city as the administration has adopted another faulty plan to deal with the issue. The latest diversion plan, which became effective last week, has shut a key road and pushed the vehicular traffic through the narrow lanes of Batamaloo. According to the new plan, the Jehangir Chowk-Naaz Cinema road, which is the feeder road for traffic coming from south, has been shut for the two-way traffic. Instead, the traffic movement…

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A forgotten story of how over 2 lakh Muslims were killed in Jammu which led to Kashmir Issue

Editor

After the Partition of India, during October–November 1947 in the Jammu region of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, a large number of Muslims were massacred and others driven away to West Punjab. The killings were carried out by extremist Hindus and Sikhs, aided and abetted by the forces of the Dogra State headed by the Maharaja Hari Singh. The activists of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) played a key role in planning and executing the riots. In November 1947, thousands of Muslims were massacred in Jammu region by…

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Kashmiri Students heading home post Jalandhar arrests

Editor

Following the arrest of two Kashmiri students of St Soldier College here last week in connection with the Maqsudan police station blast case, students from the Valley have either vacated their paying guest (PG) accommodation or have gone on extended leave. A few, who have stayed back for examinations, are ill at ease. Manbir Singh, managing-director of the CT Group of Institutions, says: “Many students went on leave immediately after the arrests. We persistently called up their parents, insisting that they send their wards back. There is bound to be…

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Jamyang Namgyal elected as Leh Council CEC by BJP

Editor

Against the backdrop of a major debacle of the party in the recently held civic elections in the Ladakh region, the BJP on Friday sprang a surprise and elected its young district party president Jamyang Tsering Namgyal as the new Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of the powerful Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh. In a special meeting, the general council elected Martselang councillor Namgyal as the new CEC and Chairman of the Leh Council unopposed. Namgyal, 34, is the youngest CEC of the Leh Council. Deputy Commissioner and Chief…

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Post Kashmir meet, Ram Madhav pushing for 3rd front

Editor

BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav, concluded his two-day visit to Kashmir and among others held a meeting with Peoples Conference (PC) chief Sajad Lone, pushing for a third front ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in the State. Emerging as permanent partners, the PC and BJP leaders uploaded pictures on social media of their meetings with Srinagar Mayor Mattu, PC’s councillors and Lone. “I interacted with newly-elected councillors of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). It’s a team of youngsters led by young Mayor Mattu from Sajjad Lone’s PC. He…

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