SRINAGAR (PTI): Militants tried to blow up the state-held radio and Door darshan (Television) stations in this summer capital of strife torn Jammu and Kashmir state late July 1.
Militants fired five rockets in quick succession aimed to blow up the stations. Three of them fell within the twin complexes of radio and TV but there were no casualties.
However the outer wall of the Doordarshan complex was damaged and splinters hit the window panes of adjoining huts of Door darshan and radio Kashmir an official spokesman said here. Two other rockets which landed on the roof of an adjoining complex owned by former minister Farooq Abdullahs national conference failed to explode.
This was the fifth attack by Kashmiri militants fighting for Secession from India on electronic media centers in the valley during. the past eight months.
The latest attack comes close on the heels of threats held out by almost all pro-Pakistan militant Outfits to the employees of the two stations to desist from character assassination of militants and anti-militancy propaganda allegedly being carried by these stations however no militant organization has owned responsibility for the latest attack so far.
A report from the states winter Capital Jammu said 600 activists Of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party including its former chief Murali Manohar Joshi courted arrest On Saturday the 10th day of party’s Jail Bharo (fill the jails) agitation in support of the demand for declaring Doda as disturbed area and handing it over to the army.
Doda has witnessed a recent spurt in militancy with three BJP leaders and many civilians being killed in militant attacks.
Meanwhile the pro-militant all party Hurriyat conference (an umbrella organization of 27 separatist organizations) has rejected the state governor Gen (retd) K. V. Krishna Rao’s invitation to participate in elections. The conference has set a goal of achieving right of self-determination for the people of the state and not to participate in the elections an APHC spokesman said in Srinagar
The Hurriyat conference asked the people to organize protest demonstrations to foil moves to
Initiate a political process in the state.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 8, 1994
