The Hindu : Militants step up activities

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 03, 2002

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Other States - Jammu & Kashmir

Militants step up activities

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR AUG. 2. On the day the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election schedule was announced, militants stepped up their activities and killed a BSF commandant along with his guard. And on the Line of Control, shelling from across the border resumed and a girl was killed. A grenade was thrown at the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) office, but none was injured.

The Commandant of the 171 BSF battalion, V.P. Parohit, was killed after he conducted an operation early on Friday and killed two militants in the Loolipora area of Budgam district. He had briefed mediapersons about the encounter at the Nagam headquarters of the battalion along with the DIG, P.S. Dhillon and left for Malpora with a promise to return with something new. However, as soon as he entered Malpora village militants hiding in a house opened fire on his vehicle. He faced a volley of bullets along with his two guards, Krishan Kumar Hooda and Ramesh Kumar. While Krishan died on the spot both Parohit and Ramesh were critically injured. Parohit was taken to the Army Hospital in Srinagar, where he died. Ramesh is battling for his life.

The BSF spokesman, Tirath Acharya, described Parohit as a highly motivated officer who "commanded a battalion with an extremely good record of fighting militants.'' Two militants were killed in an encounter which followed the attack on the Commandant.

Meanwhile, a woman identified as Hajra Begum was killed as India and Pakistan exchanged heavy shelling in Keran, Machil and Gurez sectors during the past 24 hours. Police said Pakistani troops resorted to heavy shelling in these sectors and one woman was hit and killed in Machil. Four civilians were injured.

Militants lobbed a grenade towards the PCC office here this afternoon. It exploded in the compound but none was hurt. Congress leaders have condemned the attack.

An Army column raided the office-cum-residence of the North India correspondent of the BBC, Altaf Hussain, last night.

According to Hussain, Armymen (who were later identified as men from the Rashtriya Rifles) arrived at his house at around 10.30 last night and wanted to question him because his telephone number had cropped up during a wireless conversation between two militants which had been intercepted by them. "I explained to the Army officers that there was nothing unusual for a variety of groups to have the telephone numbers of journalists as they often contact the media after acts of violence have taken place,'' he said adding "I am anguished that this investigation at my house should have taken place particularly so late at night''. But I must add that Army officers acted with complete professionalism. Though the Control Room failed to send any help it was IGP, K. Rajindra Kumar, who rang up Altaf's office during the incident.

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