Dr Sheikh Jalal to be flown to AIIMS today

Dr. Sheikh Jalal

Srinagar : Not accepting the police claims that Dr Sheikh Jalal Ud Din was not the target of ‘militants’, the family of  Dr. Sheikh Jalal is still apprehensive of possible attack on the ailing doctor. The family according to sources has decided to take him out of state for further treatment apparently because of ‘security reasons’.

Meanwhile, an air ambulance has been arranged to carry Dr Sheikh Jalal for specialized treatment at AIIMS Delhi today.

Comparatively stable after being operated second time on Friday, doctors are hopeful of his survival.

The doctors treating Dr Sheikh  Jalal said he is responding to medication and is stable.
“Dr Sheikh Jalal is stable but his family wants to take him outside for security reasons,” said a doctor wishing not to be named.

“They fear for another possible attack on the doctor,” he added. Dr Sheikh Jalal, a renowned cardiologist and former director of SKIMS was shot along with his two personal security guards by some unidentified person at his ancestral home in Namlabal Pampore. Police claims attack was carried out by militants. The two guards later succumbed to their injuries leaving Dr Sheikh Jalal critically wounded. He was rushed to SKIMS where he is being treated presently.

Immediately after the incident, a team of experts at SKIMS operated upon his brain and abdomen, but he is said to have lost his left eye as bullet has pierced the eye. According to doctors they are not sure whether he would be able to see with his right eye.

The preliminary report of police investigation hinted that Dr Sheikh Jalal was not the target of the militant attack, but it was aimed at his security guards. The two policemen were killed in the attack and the rifle of one of them was snatched.

“It seems that Dr Sheikh Jalal became collateral damage,” said a police officer. “We are investigating whether it was a chance encounter or not,” he added.

Dr Sheikh Jalal

Dr Sheikh Jalal

Dr Sheikh Jalal, a leading cardiologist of South asia, was seriously injured in a militant ambush that left his two police guards dead.

A senior police officer said militants fired at the vehicle of Dr Jalal near Shaheed-e-Azemat Road, Namblabal Pampore in south Kashmir Pulwama district on Thursday afternoon.

“Dr Jalal was seriously injured in the militant attack and has been shifted to hospital for treatment while his two police guards were killed on the spot,” the officer said.

Dr Sheikh Jalal an eminent cardiologist had headed the cardiology department of the states only tertiary medical facility, Soura medical institute for a long time and had been its director for some time.

After his retirement Dr Jalal has been doing private practice in capital Srinagar.

He belonged to the south Kashmir Pulwama district but is presently living in capital Srinagar. He had been provided security by the government.

No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

Police, assisted by security forces, have cordoned off the area and a hunt has been launched to nab the assailants, police said.

The attack comes a day after a top Hizbul Mujahideen militant was killed in a grenade explosion at Batmaloo in central Srinagar while he was being shifted to Baramulla district jail in a police vehicle.

Police blamed militants for the attack, but Hizbul Mujahideen accused the cops of stage managing the attack to eliminate Shakeel Ahmad Kasana, who was arrested last year.

Hizbul spokesman Baliguddin told a local news gathering agency that the outfit will carry out attacks to avenge Kasana's death.

Kunan poshpora mass rape case

Habibullah breaks silence: Govt deleted key portions of my report on J&K mass rape case

Wajahat Habibullah, chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, has said that the government "deleted important portions of his confidential report" on the Kunan poshpora mass rape case in which he had recommended a police probe, upgradation in the level of investigation, entrusting the case to a gazetted police officer and seeking an order from the 15 Corps Commander to ensure Army cooperation in the probe, reprts Muzamil Jaleel on Indian Express.

Habibullah was Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir when troops of 4 Raj Rifles allegedly raped 23 women in the village during a cordon-and-search operation on the night of February 23-24, 1991. The government used his report to give a clean chit to the Army.

More than two decades later, the mass rape case reared its head again last month after a Judicial Magistrate in Kupwara refused to entertain a police case closure report and ordered "further investigation by an officer not below the rank of a Senior Superintendent of Police" and its completion within three months.

"The Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara had received reports from the villagers of Konan that a mass rape had been committed in the village on the night of 23/24 February during cordon-and-search operations conducted by elements of the 4 Raj Rifles. He (Deputy Commissioner) had visited the spot on 5th March and according to his preliminary investigations, it appeared to him prima facie that an offence of monstrous proportions had been committed,'' Habibullah's confidential report stated.

"Consequently, on being approached by the DG, Police, J&K, the Corps Commander deputed Brigadier H K Sharma, Commander 19 Arty Brigade, to visit the village and report. The Brigadier made some local enquiries on 10/3 and came to the conclusion that the report (of mass rape) was baseless. His report does not, however, discuss in detail why he has altogether dismissed the statements made before him by a number of village women," the report stated.

Latest Human rights situation in Kashmir

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Srinagar: Palhalan, nearly 30 km away from the Srinagar city on the Srinagar-Baramulla national highway in Pattan constituency of Baramulla district is a picturesque area having a cluster of villages and apple orchards and serene atmosphere, cogent enough to draw one to poetry praising nature for its creativity and piety. However, unfortunately the fairy tale feeling vanishes off as soon as one enters a house or interacts with any local of that area. The region has known nothing but killings and mayhem. There will hardly be a family which must have not suffered any loss in the form of their dear ones or property during the ongoing struggle, for the last two decades. As such, on the account of the ongoing and lingering Kashmir conflict humanity has been dealt hard blows over here. One simply feels pathetic, miserable, gasped and suffocated when one enters one of the worst pain stricken and browbeaten area (Palhalan). Palhalan over past 25 years of the struggle against oppressed occupation has seen the worst tragedies and has been reduced to a concentration camp. With every family having lost a son, a father, a brother, a sister, a daughter, a mother and what not. Getting beaten up by the security agencies, being called for questioning, detaining without reason, and much more by the security agencies is the order of the day at Palhalan.
 

It is worth mentioning here that the recently martyred brave hero of Kashmir (Mufti Hilal) also hailed from the same area. As soon as one meets his family, one can’t do anything but burst into tears and cries, such is the saga of pain and agony and it is not the only family nor is the first one in the area, which has such deep gashes in the bosom.
 

Pertinently, J&K Police on its part had stated that Hilal Molvi (Mufti Hilal) of LeT was martyred in an encounter with the police in Narparistan (Fateh Kadal) area of old Srinagar city. But, as per the family members the veracity of the police version about the encounter is doubtful rather concocted and engineered. They also allege that it actually was the torture and brutality of the security agencies that forced Hilal into militancy.
 

Hilal’s father, Mr.Ali Mohammad Rather states in a painful note–“We doubt the veracity of encounter as a dozen bullets were pumped in his chest alone. During these months our house was continuously raided and we were mentally harassed .My world has finished due to Hilal’s martyrdom. Both me and his mother are in great distress.” Rather further states that the torture and suppression forced his son into militancy. “My son was a learned scholar and his only crime was that he dared to tell the truth in the mosques and aware people about the great teachings of Islam. He was a learned Mufti (Islamic Scholar) and had studied in Gujarat and Deoband in this regard. The oppressive system in our part of the world believes in silencing with the use of brute force those voices which propagate the real teachings of our great religion ‘Islam’ and similarly Hilal was also harassed by security agencies for propagating the truth,” states Ali Mohammad Rather.
 

On the other part his mother who always keeps shedding tears for his son is in a state of deep shock. “My son believed in telling truth and has been martyred for the same. His power of his knowledge irked the Indian oppressors and they brutally silenced his truthful voice,” states his mother.
 

According to his family, two Public Safety Acts were slapped on him resulting in him being in prison for more than 21 months. His brother and Uncle are also shattered and depressed to the core. They state that with Hilal’s martyrdom their world has been shattered. His father sums up the pain of Palhallan in these words- “Telling truth in Kashmir is a grave crime and we the people of Palhallan are annihilated and killed for telling and upholding the truth.”
 

Ground analysis suggests that suffocating scenario of Palhallan needs to be pondered upon in a thought provoking manner. (Kashmir Media Watch)