Photojournalists working with Al Jazeera, Zuma 'beaten, detained'

Nishwan Rasool:

Two photojournalists, including a foreign national on Friday were allegedly detained, beaten to pulp by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers and policemen during pro-freedom demonstrations in the Old City of Srinagar.



Eyewitnesses told Kashmir Dispatch that Showkat Shafi, who works as a freelancer with Al Jazeera English website and his Mexcian friend- California-based Zuma Press photojournalist Narciso Contreras were allegedly thrashed to the pulp and later detained by the joint team of CRPF and police, when the duo were covering stone pelting protests in Nowhatta area of the Old City this afternoon.

The photojournalists, they said, were dragged by the forces to the police station Nowhatta, where they were detained 'illegally for over five hours'.

Both the photographers received serious injuries due to the beating. They were rushed to the SMHS hospital by their colleagues when released by police 'in an injured and traumatic condition'.

“We were performing our professional duty, when a contingent of CRPF men intercepted us in a lane. Without saying a word they pounced on us. They not only abused us, but beat us with bamboo sticks and gun butts for over 15 minutes,” a visibly shocked Shafi told this correspondent at the SMHS hospital, where he was brought by his colleagues.


The doctors at the hospital later referred Shafi to SK Institute of medical sciences for specialized treatment.

“We were later dragged to the police station. For 5 hours, we were detained. The cops didn’t even stop beating us inside the police station,” he added.

The forces, he said, were furious with their coverage of the protests.



“We were released in injured state. My friend has suffered multiple injuries in the forces action,” he said.

Contreras alleged that besides beating him ruthlessly police took away Rs 50,000 from his bag in the police station.


Meanwhile, police refuted the allegations and said that two photojournalists were released after being detained along with a few stone pelters inside a shop.

“Youth pelted stones on CRPF and our men. When chased, some of them entered a shop. At least six people were arrested from the shop, two among them later turned out to be photojournalists. They were released instantly,” Superintendent of Police (SP) North, Showkat Shah said.

http://aljazeera.com/news/asia/2011/08/201181919133638149.html

Faceless assassins on prowl

Nishwan Rasool:
At about 9.30 on Wednesday night, Mohammad Ashraf Dar quietly ventured out of his house in ChanKhan locality of Sopore town. But, his mother saw him talking on cellular phone while moving out. “We presumed that he was talking to his fiancee,” says a family member.

Dar the eldest among three siblings, including two sisters, had been engaged last week and had plans to solemnize his marriage in near future.



At about 10.15, the silent night was broken by a volley of bullets that triggered panic among the residents. Then there was silence. “We first thought a gun-battle had broken but minutes later the gunfire stopped,” says a local Zubair Khan.

Asharaf’s father, Ghulam Ahmad Dar, who works as a sweeper, tried to venture out but was stopped by the family members. They too thought that a gun-battle had broken out so choose to stay indoors and wait for Ashraf to return.

Till the crack of the dawn, he didnt return and his family went out in search. His bullet ridden body was found few hundred meters away away from his house near Krankshivan Colony.

Ashraf, 28, belonged to a poor family and worked as a labourer at a band saw mill. “He was the only one to have a cellular phone in our family. We could not call him,” says a relative.

“My son has done nothing, he is innocent,” says Ashraf’s mother Sara Begum at her modest house on Muslim Educational Trust road in Sopore.

His body was taken by police for post mortem and later returned to the family for final rites.

“Police recovered a bullet-ridden body of a band saw labourer near Krankshivan Colony, Sopore. A case has been registered in this regard,” a police official said.

Ashraf’s killing comes five days after Mohsin Wani, 35, a businessman was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Kralteng locality of the town.

Despite resentment, protests and strong condemnations from pro-freedom and pro-India parties, the killings at the hands of unknown gunmen have continued in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district since the begining of year.

In the last six months, shockingly, at least eight people, including two teenage sisters were killed and four injured by mysterious gunmen.

The cycle of the killings by the ‘unknown gunmen’ started from one-room house in Muslim Peer locality of Sopore on the evening of January 31. The victims- Kulsuma, 19 and Rehana, 17 were dragged from their house and shot dead in the neighboring Mohalla Rahim Sahab.

The killing led to a blame game between police and the militants. While police accused Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) for the siblings’ killings and even identified the militants involved, the latter rejected the police claims and suspected the hand of the government agencies.

Amid charges and counter charges, the police on March 13, claimed to have killed Lashkar militant, Waseem Ahmad Ganai ‘responsible’ for the sisters’ killing.
Ten days after Muslim Peer killings, unidentified gunmen shot at and injured two youth in two different shootouts in the Apple town.

Majid Ahmad, son of Bashir Ahmad Khan of Badam Bagh was shot at and injured in Chotta Bazar area while Mohammad Arif, son of Abdul Gaffar Reshi of Watlab was fired upon near the Sopore bus stand.

On the evening of February 15, the horror of unknown gunmen visited Kreeri area of the district.

Two girls, including a minor were injured after being shot at by unidentified pistol-borne men in Duderhama village of Kreeri.

The girls, Shaista, 18, daughter of Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Akhoon and 6-year-old Monisa, miraculously survived in the shootout.

The police arrested three people, including Shaista’s sister-in-law, Haseena Badroo for hatching the conspiracy with the help of pro-government gunmen, popularly known as Ikhwanis.

On February 28, unidentified gunmen again resurfaced in Kreeri. Their target: A businessman. Haji Nazir Ahmad Lone, 45, son of Mohammad Abdullah of Thindam was shot dead from close range inside his office in broad day light.

The locals took to streets demanding the identification of the ‘unidentified killers’.

As the police probed the incident, starling revelations came into the light. The killing, according to the police was carried out by Lone’s competitor to settle personal scores.

Interestingly, in this ‘contract killing’ plot, the names of former militants and police sources surfaced surprising even the police department.\



Twenty-one-year old, Sajad Ahmad Dar, son of Abdul Rahman Dar of Kraleteng was the third victim of unknown gunmen this year.

A school drop-out, Sajad was shot dead near Mohalla Rahim Sahib, Sopore on April 10.

Fourteen days after Sajad’s killing, unidentified gunmen again stuck in Kreeri village killing an Imam.

Hafiz Mohammad Ashraf Lone, 30, of Chattipora, Sopore was shot in the head, three days after he reportedly went missing. The killing was widely condemned across political circles.

However, the condemnations and the calls for probe did not put an end to the killings.

On the evening of April 30, unidentified gunmen appeared in Chankhan locality of the Apple town and shot at and critically injured Shams ud din Parray, 24, son of Ghulam Hassan.

Contractual lecturers protest govt ‘indifference’, get batons

Nishwan Rasool:

Dozens of contractual lecturers of different degree colleges in the Kashmir valley received injuries as police resorted to baton charge on them while they were protesting against the government indifference towards their demands at press enclave here.

The lecturers were holding a protest demonstration demanding increased salary and regularisation of services.

“We were trying to hold a peaceful demonstration for acceptance of our demands but police resorted to stern baton charge,” Ameen, a contractual lecturer said.



He further added, “We hadn’t done anything wrong. We are only raising voice for our rights, but our voices are always being suppressed with force.”

The lecturers, having Masters degrees and holding Ph.D are paid ‘not more than Rs 8000 per month, while a regular 4th class employee’ earns up to Rs 15000 per month in the same degree college, he alleged.

“Is this justified in a democratic state?” he asked.

Chanting vociferous slogans against the government 'mismanagement', the teachers were demanding a ‘smooth and transparent process of promotion’ when they were baton charged.

“Even woman lecturers weren’t spared and were brutally thrashed and manhandled by the police,” said another lecturer who wished to remain anonymous.




“When political magnates take out rallies and disrupt traffic for 3 hours, the state machinery does nothing, but when it is about teachers or any other sector we are met with force,” he added.

In colleges in the summer capital here, an estimated 80 per cent of the class work is affected due to the strike, given the workload shared by the contractual staff.

Around 650 contractual lecturers have been on indefinite strike since Monday. They are demanding revocation of the nomenclature, terming them academic arrangement lecturers and teaching assistants instead of contractual lecturers; monthly stipends equivalent to the basic salary of the post on which they are engaged; and end to new norm of six classes per day.

When contacted, the president college contractual teachers association (CCTA), Fayaz Ahmad, said the strike was being observed with commitment. He hinted that there was no possibility of calling off the strike soon.




“There has been no response from the government. Therefore, the strike will continue,” he said.

Asked about the government response, he said: “So far we have not received any invitation for negotiations.”

'Opertaion Blue Tossed' ,Trouble for Politicians and Babus

Nishwan Rasool:-

Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), an amalgam of government employee unions, here, ‘has threatened to launch a campaign aimed to uncover the massive bungling by bureaucrats and politicians by disclosing their undisclosed assets’.

Termed as ‘Operation Blue’, Qayoom Wani, Employees Joint Action Committee (Q) told Kashmir Dispatch, “We have the monetary information of all the politicians and the bureaucrats of our so called democratic state, and if our demands would not be fulfilled within a given deadline we would divert all the information to media and central government.”


Wani said they would go ahead ‘with the unraveling of the illegal assets of the politicians and bureaucrats’ if the government failed to meet their demands by August 6.

Thousands of employees on Monday on the call of JCC had gathered at Exhibition crossing in the heart of the city and started marching towards the nearby Civil Secretariat in the afternoon.

The JCC had announced “Secretariat Gherao” and threatened to intensify the agitation if the demands of the employees were not met immediately.

Police used baton and water-canons against the protesting employees. Many among them were detained also.

Stating that yesterday’s act as “brutal and undemocratic”, Khursheed Alam member JCC said, “The state has always used its forces against the poor and destitute employee who are pushing for their genuine demands.”



Both the employee leaders have now asked their members from the three divisions of the state not to attend offices on August 5 and hold sit-in protests outside their offices on August 6.

After prolonged agitation till May last year, the employees had called off their strike after the assurance by the government and cabinet sub-committee that their demands would be fulfilled in due course of time.

The demands included release of arrears in cash in favour of the retiree employees, enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60, regularization of about 50000 ad hoc and other temporary employees, and redressal of pay anomalies in different cadres.



Both the leaders have demanded chief minister, Omar Abdullah to immediately address the employees’ demands.

Child unsuccessfully operated thrice in 30 days at SMHS

Nishwan Rasool:

In a case of alleged negligence, a three-year-old child was operated thrice after repeated failed surgeries by different doctors at the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS), hospital here. Azhar Jan, 3, daughter of Fayaz Ahmad of Handwara was operated for appendix by a doctor at the SMHS hospital here on March 14, this year, her father Fayaz Ahmad said.

After surgery, the girl child was kept in the observation ward for the next ten days. However, the condition of the child deteriorated.



The doctors at the hospital told the family that the baby has to be operated once again.

On March 24, Azhar Jan was operated again. The surgery was performed by another doctor.

“The doctor told me that the operation was successful. He said my daughter needs to remain under observation for two days, before she could be taken home,” Ahmad said.

However, he said his happiness to see her daughter recuperating did not last long.

Hours after the surgery, Ahmad said, blood and septic started oozing out of her wounds.

The alleged failed surgery, Fayaz said, shattered the family.

He said the head of the department on March 30 visited the ward where his daughter was recuperating.

Ahmad said asked him to take an undertaking as the doctors decided to go for another surgery.

“The third surgery failed as well. More than the much needed medicare, my daughter was made a scapegoat. The doctors experimented with her,” he alleged.

The doctors, he said, did not even stop after the third surgery. He said he was asked by the doctors that his daughter has to go another surgery on July 5.

“I’ve just lost faith in the doctors. They won’t rest till my daughter is dead,” he said.

Ahmad said that he sold his land to meet the expenses for the treatment of his daughter.

However, he said not only economic loss, but the family has undergone psychological trauma due to the alleged negligence of the doctors.

Lecturers boycott classes, students suffer

Nishwan Rasool:

The face-off between state government and the contractual lecturers is affecting education of many students studying at various graduate colleges across the Kashmir valley. The contractual lecturers are on an indefinite strike and have boycotted the classes as Government ‘has failed to fulfil their long-pending demands’.

Many classes at almost every college have not been going on from last three days – since the strike began.

“Class work remained suspended as the contractual teaching staff, which is a major workforce in the colleges, stayed away from teaching,” says Khurram Ahmad, a student at Sri Pratap College here.


For students covering long distances, the strike has added to the inconvenience. “We cover a distance of almost 70 kilometres from Srinagar to Baramulla and since last three days the classes are not taking place,” says Ifra Shaikh, who is pursuing Bachelors in Computer Application at Women’s Degree College, Baramulla in North Kashmir.

Ifra, who is in the third year of her graduation, feels teachers must realize that very less time is left to prepare for final examination. “If the strike goes on it can really prove perilous for our future,” she says.

In all the major colleges in Srinagar, unaware about the ongoing strike, students were seen outside the classes waiting for teachers.

“We, don’t know what exactly the problem between the government and the teachers is, but, in this tug of war students are the sole sufferers,” says Hamid Ali, who is pursuing graduation at Valley’s oldest institution- Amar Singh College.

Students particularly in the final years of their graduation are finding it hard to comprehend as for three successive years colleges during summer have hardly functioned.

“My graduation has been affected by something or the other. First the Amarnath land row which was followed by Shopian rape and murder case, the last year civil unrest and now the indefinite strike,” says an engineering student Munsheeb Shah.

“I can count my attendance on finger-tips for the number of times I had lectures in last 1095 days,” he says with an evident sarcasm.

But the fears of students are too little for the community of contractual lecturers, 'whose woes have hardly been tendered by the government'.

At least 850 lecturers working in various colleges are demanding revocation of an order of the Higher Education that asks them to teach 150- 200 students.

These teachers believe the order is against the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms and had rendered 1100 of their colleagues jobless.

“The workload circular has reduced a teacher’s job to that of a Munshi (record-keeper) as we have to teach 150 to 200 students which is a gross violation of UGC norms,” says a contractual teacher Mohammad Wasim.

The teachers believe that the government’s decision has forced them to go on strike. “We have been observing silent protests, wearing black arm bands in colleges and submitting appeals to the principals, but the government did not comply with our demands,” says Tanveer Hussain, a contractual teacher.

A solution if not reached fast could put career of many students in jeopardy, he remarks emphatically.

Fun dive that turned fatal

Nishwan Rasool:

Last Friday when people in adjacent areas of City Centre here were going to offer Friday prayers, Shakir Bhat, 15, stopped in the middle of the footbridge that connects the Bund with Raj Bagh locality. Accompanied by a friend, the teen from Tyndale Biscoe School was about to do the impossible – he was going to jump into Jehlum. The lads were joined by other friends at the footbridge. “Initially there appeared chaos, we tried to stop them,” says one of the Shakir’s friend.



Two boys from Biscoe School watch Jehlum waters from the spot where Shakir jumped on Friday last

Perhaps, he had second thoughts, but the other boy who set out with Shakir to jump from the bridge had dived moments before jumping from the dangerous spot.

Shakir’s friends asked him not to jump. “We shouted at him not to jump but a group of girls who were passing by egged him on” says the friend.

Despite being a dangerous stunt the boy who had jumped before him had credentials to do so, he says.

According to his friends the applause prompted to alter his decision and jump into the deadly river never to return again.

While Shakir’s relatives continue to camp at the site of incident, his classmates are finding it almost impossible to comprehend the loss. He is remembered and missed every moment. In his class room- 10th Red, the third desk as one enters- where Shakir would sit has been left empty. Even his close friends have been shifted to another section of the class.



But that hasn’t helped. “We start the day thinking when will his body be fished out and we sleep with the same thoughts,” say his friends who spend time waiting at the banks after the school gets over.

Shakir’s classmates, who shared a bench with him, remember him as a ‘person with a good heart’, endeared to everyone who knew him.

“Seven days have passed, but the episode is still roving in our minds, it is our worst nightmare,” say Shakir’s friends.

The shock and despair on their face is far too evident even after eight days of the incident. “He always used to carry lunch from home, which we stole,” says a close friend.

The students are angry at the lack of interest shown by the school. “When the principal’s son got married, we had a week long holiday. But when one of our classmates drowned, no one is even bothered to talk about it,” the students say.

Their anger hasn’t found a vent. About four days ago a solidarity rally arranged through social networking site was scuttled using repressive measures. “As we came out of the school, the police team intercepted and prevented us from taking out the rally. The students, including girls offered stiff resistance and tried to move to footbridge, where Shakir's family is camping for the last eight days,” says a student.

“We had arranged a peaceful solidarity rally but police, chased and beat us outside the school, they even didn’t leave the students of 5th and 6th class they were also beaten,” Omer a student adds.

“We received batons and abuses for holding a solidarity rally. Is this what we call a justice and a democratic state,” he questions.

They believe that the government is not taking the search operation seriously and see it just as a river-rafting exercise. “At the end of the day they come out with perplexed faces after cleaning the garbage from the river,” says a disgruntled student.

Stating the act as imprudent, a senior staff member at Tyndale Biscoe school was told after the incident by some students, “12 students were planning to jump from the footbridge on the same day to see who among them could swim fastest to the banks. However, the unfortunate incident acted as a deterrent for them.”

He expresses need for a rescue point to be set up near the bridges as most drowning incidents occur there. “More they delay in doing so, lesser are he chances of salvaging the lives of people,” he says.

Faheem Bakhtoo is a former student at Biscoe School. He has been watching the rescue operation since the incident took place and he seems visibly disappointed. “I believe that the government hasn’t taken their jobs seriously. It looks as if they are enjoying boat rafting there,” he says.

The strategy employed by various rescue teams from different departments is to create whirlpool in the river by moving boats in circular motion and putting hooks.

However, experts say that such strategies are faulty when applied in a moving water body like a river.


Abdul Ahad (name changed), an official of the State’s Water Transportation Department feels that such incidents could be prevented but lack of resources rescue are major constraint.

Ahad says that Kashmir has Asia’s two biggest fresh water lakes and three major river and the resources deployed to guard such mammoth territory is miniscule.

It is pertinent to mention that the river rescue team has not for the first time failed to fish out the drowned. Recently, Omar Farooq, 10, who drowned after a pack of stray dogs chased him in Old City, was fished out by locals in Sumbal in North Kashmir after 23 days.

In such cases locals living near the banks are informed about the drowned person. Ahad says, “Identification and contact details are given to people living along the banks of Jehlum in North Kashmir and are asked to inform the relatives if the body comes up.”

However, the state administration claims that they are well equipped to carry out such rescue operations. “We have a sufficient number of boats for the operation. But we need professional water divers who could search below the water and would be good enough to use the underwater equipments,” says Amir Ali, Officer on Special Duty at Divisional Commissioners office.

He says, “We are trying our level best to find out the body. We are hoping to fish out his body at the Chattabal Weir.”