Reasi

The pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir remained suspended for the 11th consecutive day on Friday. The yatra was suspended after a landslide on August 26 claimed 34 lives and left 20 others injured.Though the weather has improved significantly with the sun shining brightly after ten days of heavy rains, flash floods, and landslides, the authorities are yet to take a call on resuming the yatra. Yatra is still suspended. This is due to the decision taken by authorities last week, keeping in view the safety of pilgrims, an official said. The decision to resume the yatra will be taken at an appropriate time after assessing all aspects, the official added. The suspension is the longest since the COVID-19 restrictions, with authorities prioritising pilgrim safety and conducting restoration work on the damaged pilgrimage track and commercial structures in Katra. The landslide at Adhkuwari in the Trikuta hills of the Katra belt on Augu

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday visited the flood-hit areas of Jammu, officials said. He will also visit Manguchak, the worst-hit village of the district. Accompanied by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Shah stopped on the Tawi bridge near Bikram Chowk and inspected the damage along the riverbanks. Shah had reached Jammu on Sunday night to assess the flood situation and the relief efforts. He is likely to undertake an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas later in the day. He will also chair two separate meetings at Raj Bhawan on flood relief and the damage caused to the border security grid by the flash floods, officials said. More than 130 people have been killed and 33 have gone missing in cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods in Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi, and Ramban districts since August 14. Record rainfall during August 26-27 caused flash floods in low-lying areas in Jammu and other plains, causing heavy damage to infrastructure. The dead

Seven members of a family were killed when a landslide struck a house in a remote village in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir early on Saturday, officials said. The landslide was triggered by heavy rains in Badder village of Mahore, and all seven bodies have been recovered, the officials said. The deceased have been identified as Nazir Ahmad (38), his wife Wazira Begum (35) and their sons Bilal Ahmed (13), Mohd Mustafa (11), Mohd Adil (8), Mohd Mubarak (6) and Mohd Wasim (5). Officials said Nazir and his family were asleep when their house on a hill slope came under the debris brought down by the landslide, burying them alive. The locals frantically searched the debris and were later joined by police, but only managed to pull out the bodies. Moderate to heavy rains lashed wide parts of Jammu and Kashmir overnight.

Firefighting teams from the Forest Department and Fire and Emergency Services were deployed to control the blaze

Security forces launched a search operation following reports of suspected movement in a forest area of Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, officials said. Acting on information that a woman spotted two suspected persons in Bhaga area of the district Wednesday night, a joint search operation was launched in the forest belt, they said. The operation is being carried out by the a joint team security forces with aerial support, they said. Authorities are conducting thorough security measures to ensure the area's safety. Security forces also continued their search operation in Kathua district for the second day after a woman reported suspicious movement of two persons on Wednesday, officials said. The joint search operation by police and paramilitary forces was underway in Gaghwal and its adjoining areas, they said. A local woman told police that two persons wearing army uniforms came to her home and asked for water before leaving, saying they were returning to their camp, the offic

Two persons, including a woman, were killed and another woman sustained injuries after they were struck by lightning in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on Saturday, officials said. They said that over 100 houses suffered damages due to gusty winds in Rajouri district. Two women, identified as Shahnaz Begum and Rasheed Ahmad, lost their lives when lightning hit their Dharhote village in Arnas area of Reasi late Saturday evening, the officials said. Another woman -- Gulzara Begum -- was also injured in the incident, which also perished nearly 50 sheep and goats, they added. In another incident, over 100 residential houses suffered minor to partial damages after high velocity winds swept Kalakote in Rajouri district. Confirming the damage, Kalakote Additional Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Tanveer told PTI that the rooftops of majority of the residential houses were swept away by the gusty winds. However, there was no report of any casualty, he said, adding the

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Assembly constituency falls in the Reasi district of Jammu division. It had entered into the poll in the second phase of the Assembly elections on September 25

Doda terror attack: Officials informed that the encounter operation, still underway, began when troops launched a search operation in Desa forest belt of Doda

The NIA's interrogation of an arrested accused in the attack on a bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi last month has pointed towards the role of Pakistan-based handlers of banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, officials said on Tuesday. Nine people were killed and 41 injured on June 9 when terrorists opened fire at a 53-seater bus, which was on its way from the Shiv Khori temple to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, causing it to veer off the road and fall into a deep gorge in Reasi. NIA officials said at least three terrorists could have been involved in the attack on the bus. Interrogation of Hakam Khan alias Hakin Din has revealed that he provided shelter, logistics and food to the terrorists, they said. Khan also helped terrorists in conducting a recce of the area and even accompanied them, the officials said, adding the terrorists involved in the attack stayed with Khan on at least three occasions since June 1. Based on details provided by Khan, the NIA on J

Indian Railways conducted the first trial run on the Chenab Rail Bridge, the world's highest railway bridge, connecting Sangaldan in Ramban district to Reasi

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has assumed control of the investigation into the Reasi bus attack and filed its own FIR on Sunday

In another escalation of violence in Jammu and Kashmir, a terrorist attack hit Doda district on Wednesday, injuring five army soldiers and one special police officer in an exchange of fire. Watch the

The Congress on Wednesday said the BJP's chest-thumping and "hollow" claims of return of peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir have been thoroughly exposed by the three terror attacks in the region in the past three days. Congress leader and in-charge of media and publicity department Pawan Khera also questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter, claiming he has time to respond to Pakistani leaders, but no time to condemn the brutal terror attacks. "BJP's loudmouth chest-thumping and hollow claims of return of peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir have been thoroughly exposed. The fact that BJP did not even bother to fight elections in Kashmir valley is a testament to the fact that their 'Naya Kashmir' policy is an abject failure," Khera said in a statement. His remarks come amid a rise in terror incidents in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch. Khera claimed that in the past 10 years, "loud chest-thumping" by the Modi government has made ...

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday released a sketch of a terrorist involved in the attack on a passenger bus in Reasi district and announced a Rs 20 lakh reward for information about him. On Sunday, terrorists opened fire at the 53-seater bus carrying pilgrims when it was en route from the Shiv Khori temple to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra near Teryath village in the Poni area. The bus, which was ferrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi, plunged into a deep gorge following the gunfire, killing nine people and injuring 41 others. "Reasi police announce a reward of Rs 20 lakh for any fruitful information about the whereabouts of the terrorist involved in the recent attack on the yatri bus in the area of Pouni," a police spokesman said. The sketch of the terrorist was prepared based on the description given by eyewitnesses, he said and appealed to people provide information. Extensive efforts to track down the terrorists involved in the attack was under

On Sunday, a bus carrying pilgrims from Shiv Khori in J&K’s Reasi to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine was attacked by terrorists, killing at least 10 tourists. Watch the video to know more.

Eyewitnesses narrated the incident as an orchestrated chaos, detailing how the terrorists, numbering between six to seven, unleashed terror on them from all sides of the road

Reasi bus accident: Reasi SSP Mohita Sharma said due to the open firing by terrorists, the bus carrying pilgrims lost balance and fell into a gorge

The world's highest steel arch rail bridge over the Chenab River in Reasi district here is being developed as a tourist spot with authorities calling for necessary measures for increasing the visitors' footfall, officials said on Sunday. The 1.3-km rail bridge located 359 metres above the riverbed -- 35 metres higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris -- forms a crucial link in the 111-km stretch from Katra to Banihal, which is part of the ongoing prestigious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project. Chief Secretary A K Mehta along with Deputy Commissioner, Reasi Babila Rakwal and other officers visited the bridge site near Jyotipuram, 42 km from Reasi town, on Saturday, the officials said. Mehta had a detailed inspection of the bridge in the presence of the engineers of the executing agency and officers of Indian Railways who apprised him about the unique features of this engineering marvel having no parallel in the world, they said. Appreciating the engineering

The bus carrying 45 passengers from Reasi to Bakkle turned turtle and fell into a deep gorge