SRINAGAR: The legislative assembly of the northern border state of Jammu and Kashmir was dissolved Monday after being kept in suspended animation for a month by state governor Jagmohan, PTI reports.

Governor’s rule was promulgated in the state on January 19 following the resignation of Dr. Faroog Abdullah led Congress (I) national conference alliance government.

The order to dissolve the assembly was issued under clause (B) of sub-section (two) of section 53 of the Jammu and Kashmir constitution which empowers only the governor of a state to dissolve the state assembly.

The state assembly was constituted in March 1987 when the National Conference Congress I alliance had swept the polls.

In the dissolved house, the strength of the alliance partners (National Conference and Congress I) was 66, BJP (two) independents (three) Muslim United Front (one) and four seats were vacant in the 76 member house.

While three MUF members had resigned their seats in August last year, the fourth seat fell vacant following the election of PL Handoo to the Lok Sabha (Lower house) in November,

According to the governor, “the events of the last one or two years have clearly demonstrated the assembly could not even pretend that it had a representative character. As regards the working of the state government, its catalog of maladministration was unending.”

When asked as to when the elections could be held, Jagmohan said that this depends upon the speed with which complete peace and normalcy was brought about in the state.

Jagmohan said he wanted the people of the state to remember that India’s destiny lay not in incipient barbarism but in compassion, not in ruptured cultural fabric but in unities amidst diversities.

He specially appealed to the youth to see the futility of the cult of gun. He said terrorism was Hydra headed evil, which usually consumed its own propagators.

He advised the youth to play a positive role in building a strong and just state by making use of enlightened and liberal provisions of the Indian constitution, the corner stone of which is justice to all sections and communities.

At the same time, the governor made it clear that no vested interest and unpatriotic element could be allowed to trifle with the national integrity and sovereignty and hoodwink the people by negative and subversive slogans.

Jagmohan said, “‘let us make a new beginning and move from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light.”

SRINAGAR: Three people, including a militant, were killed and eight injured in firing by security forces and other acts of violence, while explosions rocked the valley on Feb 16, PTI reports,

However, official sources confirmed only two deaths including that of militant Ahmed Rangrez in an encounter with security forces at Khaniyar, and said four people were injured. Rangrez had threatened to kill the station house officer of the locality and was involved in at least 10 criminal cases, an official spokesman said.

A civilian, Anil Bhan, was shot at in a firing incident at Habbakadal and seriously wounded. He later died in hospital, the spokesman said.

Another person, Rashid Teli, whom subversives suspected to be police informer, was shot dead at point blank range by two unidentified militants in his shop in Kanikadal area on Friday morning. An attempt was made on his life some two months ago, reports said.

Unofficial sources said eight People, including a senior police official, were injured.

During searches and raids at militants’ hideouts on Friday Morning in the suburbs of this summer capital of the state, 13 live bombs, foreign-made detonators and chords were seized and four people arrested, the official spokesman said,

A lot of subversive material was seized and coded Messages recovered have been deciphered. For the first time, searches and raids have yielded results, he added.

Article extracted from this publication >> February 23, 1990