Srinagar diary: Separatists at SHRC, Newborn on road, advisory for school operators

Separatists approach SHRC

In a surprising development, separatist leaders in Kashmir have approached the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and filed a petition against shifting of prisoners from the Valley to jails outside the state. The separatists termed the shifting of prisoners a “grave human rights violations” and violation of the Supreme Court’s guidelines.

After the escape of LeT militant Naveed Jhatt from police captivity in a Srinagar hospital last year, authorities have shifted over 40 prisoners to jails outside Kashmir. In their petition, the separatist leaders have stated that many prisoners have been shifted to jails which are situated more than 300 km away from their homes.

Newborn found abandoned on road

In a shocking incident, a newborn baby was found abandoned in the middle of a road near a graveyard in Nowhatta area in downtown Srinagar on March 2. The locals who found the baby informed the police and the infant was taken to hospital, where doctors declared it brought dead. Police have launched an investigation into the incident to ascertain who threw the baby on the road.

It is the first such incident when a baby was abandoned on a road near a graveyard and left to die. Earlier, there have been instances of people abandoning babies inside hospitals and shrines. In January, five newborns were found abandoned in premises of Lal Ded maternity hospital in Srinagar.

Government warns employees

The PDP-BJP coalition government has warned its employees not to play truant and attend work daily. The government has said it would not tolerate any sort of negligence or lack of punctuality and wants its employees to be sincere in their jobs. It warned the employees of action if they shirk official responsibilities. The government has already introduced bio-metric attendance system in the offices to keep check on attendance if its employees. Since the government is presently working from Jammu, the winter capital of the State, there have been reports that officials deployed in the Kashmir Valley were not taking jobs seriously and remain absent from duties.

Advisory for school bus operators

With schools set to open on March 5 after nearly three months’ winter break, the traffic police have issued an advisory to school bus and van operators ferrying schoolchildren. As per the advisory, ‘School Bus’ must be clearly written on the rare and front of the bus and if it is a hired vehicle, it should clearly read ‘On School Duty’. It also directed that school buses should be painted yellow, and must have a first aid box and a fire extinguisher. The advisory states that the windows of the buses should be fitted with horizontal grills.

Fayaz Wani

Our correspondent in Jammu and Kashmir

fayazwani123 @gmail.com