Page 27 - Jammu And Kashmir

Encounter underway between security forces, terrorists in J-K's Kathua

A gunfight broke out on Sunday after security forces intercepted a group of terrorists who had infiltrated and taken shelter in a dense nursery near the International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The encounter started when the Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a search operation in the nursery in Sanyal village, one-and-a-half kilometres from the border in Hiranagar sector, after receiving information in the evening about the presence of terrorists in the area, the officials said. They said the hiding terrorists opened heavy fire on the police party, which retaliated. There was no report of any casualty in the initial exchange of fire, which went on for nearly half an hour. Reinforcements from police, Army and paramilitary forces were rushed to the area, the officials said. The cordon around the nursery has been strengthened and efforts are on to neutralise the terrorists, they said. Some village women, who had gone to

SC upholds acquittal of JKSLF members in 1990 kidnapping, murder case

The Supreme Court has upheld the acquittal of alleged members of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Students Liberation Front (JKSLF) in the sensational 1990 kidnapping and murder case of the then Kashmir University Vice Chancellor, Mushir-ul-Haq, and his personal secretary. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan dismissed the appeals filed by the CBI challenging the acquittal of seven persons in the case registered under the now-repealed Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987 (TADA). The court criticised the handling of the case, saying procedural safeguards were given a "complete go-bye" and truth and justice remained elusive, both for the accused and the victims. The top court said the legislature had reposed great faith in the fairness and uprightness of the higher police officials in the rank of SP and above while conferring the drastic power of recording confessional statements of the accused upon them making the same admissible in evidence subject to t

Bids invited for DPRs to set up ropeway to Amarnath cave shrine in J&K

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday said bids have been invited for preparing detailed project reports (DPRs) for development of three ropeways, including 11.60 kms Baltal to 3,880 meter high holy cave shrine of Amarnath, to facilitate the easy movement of pilgrims during the annual pilgrimage. In addition, bids for preparation of DPRs are also being invited by the National Highways Logistics Management Ltd (NHLML) for three more ropeway projects -- two in Budgam and one in Ramban district, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a written reply in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Abdullah, who is also minister in-charge tourism, gave the information in response to unstarred question by National Conference legislator Sajjad Shaheen, who referred to the March 15, 2022 decision of the lieutenant governor led administrative council and subsequent government order dated September 6, 2023 about the development of ropeway projects through the NHLML under Parvatmala initiative. a list

CM Abdullah extends power amnesty scheme for domestic consumers in J&K

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced on Thursday the extension of the power amnesty scheme for domestic consumers but stressed that frequent waivers are unfair to those who pay their bills on time. This marks the third time in the last three years that the J&K government has introduced the power amnesty scheme for domestic consumers. Responding to demands regarding the power department's grants in the assembly, Abdullah said, "We have decided to extend the amnesty scheme by another year, but this will come with some changes." The chief minister emphasised that frequent waivers are unfair to those who pay their bills on time, and said "giving repeated amnesties like this is not advisable. It would be unjust to those who pay their power bills on time." Abdullah said that this is the seventh extension, adding, "I will not grant any more amnesty to domestic consumers in the future. We will make sure of that." He further remarked, "We have provided amnesty multiple

Panel formed to look into daily wagers' regularisation: J&K CM Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said a panel has been formed to address the issue of regularisation of daily wagers in the Union Territory, which will submit its recommendations to the government in six months. The chief minister also said the National Conference government is committed to ensuring speedy recruitment to fill the vacant posts in government services in Jammu and Kashmir. Responding to a question by BJP MLA Satish Sharma in the Assembly, Abdullah said, "A committee was announced in the Assembly last time, and a formal order was issued (for its formation). The committee has been constituted under the chief secretary to examine the issue." The panel has been given a six-month time frame to assess the matter, and once the recommendations are received, the government will act accordingly, the chief minister said. The J-K government on Wednesday constituted the six-member committee to examine the issues related to the regularisation of daily wage

Fire breaks out at hospital in J-K's Rajouri, 150 patients evacuated

A fire broke out at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Tuesday, prompting the evacuation of more than 150 patients from the hospital, officials said. The fire was noticed in the basement of the hospital in Rajouri town on Tuesday morning. It was controlled within one hour without reports of any casualty, assistant director of Fire and Emergency Services, Himanshu Gupta, said. The patients and their attendants were taken out of the hospital building as smoke filled the wards, he said. Three fire tenders were pressed into service to put off the blaze, the official said, adding that a probe is on to ascertain the exact cause of the fire Deputy commissioner of Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma, visited the hospital along with his team to assess the situation. "Our priority is to restore normal operations, including OPD services, at the hospital," Sharma said. On the alleged failure of the hospital's internal fire safety mechanism, the deputy ...

J-K on high security alert following recent terror attacks in Pakistan

A high-security alert has been sounded across Jammu and Kashmir in view of the recent terror attacks in Pakistan, including the killing of a top commander of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), officials said on Tuesday. All the protected persons, including politicians, have been advised to be conscious and strictly follow the security protocols for their safety, the officials in the security establishment said. They said the forces have been directed to maintain a close watch and "extraordinary" vigil to thwart any attempt by anti-national elements to carry out any attack, especially on soft targets, by intensifying area domination patrolling and search operations. Several recent terror attacks in Balochistan, including a train hijacking and the killing of top LeT commander Zia-ur-Rehman alias Nadeem alias Abu Qatal alias Qatal Sindhi have prompted the security alert, the officials said. Rehman, who was wanted by the Indian security agencies for several deadly terror attacks in

One terrorist killed in Army, Police's joint operation in J&K's Kupwara

The terrorists opened indiscriminate firing on the army, following which the troops retaliated. 1 AK rifle was also seized during the operation

Manipur ethnic violence: Cases to be tried in Guwahati itself, says SC

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna also extended till July 31, 2025, the tenure of a committee headed by Justice Gita Mittal

J&K Assembly passes Rs 7,019 crore grants for five key departments

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Saturday passed grants amounting to over Rs 7,019.18 crore for five key departments, including mining, industries and commerce, public works, labour and employment, and skill development. The grants, introduced by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary in the assembly, include Rs 70.51 crore for the mining department, Rs 1,086.03 crore for the industries and commerce department, Rs 5,283.74 crore for the public works department, Rs 353.44 crore for the labour and employment department, and Rs 225.61 crore for the skill development department. During discussions, the deputy chief minister highlighted that the public works department oversees a 40,000-km road network and is set to blacktop 4,000 kilometres of roads in 2025-26. He emphasised infrastructure expansion, with the public works department targeting the blacktopping of 4,000 kilometers of roads in 2025-26. Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), 2,132 of 2,140 identified village

J&K received 8,500+ investment proposals worth over Rs 1.69 trn: Dy CM

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday said it has received over 8,500 applications with an investment proposal worth over Rs 1.69 lakh crore and employment proposals for over 6 lakh jobs with regard to the development of industrial units in the Union Territory. The government has provided land measuring for industrial purposes to 213 non-local people and 1,751 locals under the Industrial Policy 2016-26 and Industrial Land Allotment Policy 2021-30. Replying to the cut motion of CPIM member M Y Tarigami in the assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said a total of 8,532 applications have been received through the Single Window System with proposed investment of Rs 1,69,282.22 crore and 6,06,203 employment proposals. He said a requirement of 80,668.91 kanals (10,083.61 acres) of land has been sought. Giving further details, Choudhary said the government has received 2,209 and 6,323 applications with investment proposals of Rs 1,18,918.47 crore and Rs 50,363.75 crore

Highlights: PM Modi to visit Sri Lanka next month to finalise bilateral deals

Latest news updates: Catch all the latest news developments from around the world here

PDP leader targets govt over 'broken promise' of industrialisation in J&K

People's Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Waheed Para on Saturday criticized the government over the post-abrogation promise of development and industrialization in Jammu and Kashmir and said no major investment has taken place so far in the Union Territory. He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have expressed concerns that current development will lead to destruction in the region. "While discussing allocations here over the last five years following the abrogation of Article 370, this move was justified with the claim that there would be large-scale development, industrialization and significant investments in J&K. However, this has not materialized," Para said during discussions on departmental allocations in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Taking a swipe at the government, he added, "The reality is that 50 per cent investment has gone down, with very little investment actually taking place as far as industrialisation is concerned." The PDP leader said there is a growing ...

Reservation rules: No deadline set for review panel yet, says J&K govt

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday informed the legislative assembly that no specific timeline has been fixed for the three-member cabinet sub-committee, which was formed last year to look into grievances against the present reservation policy in the Union Territory. The information was given by Sakeena Itoo, the minister in-charge social welfare, in a written reply to a starred question by Peoples Conference legislator Sajad Gani Lone in the House. The cabinet sub-committee headed by Itoo with ministers Satish Sharma and Javed Rana as its members was constituted in December last year and is going to submit its report to the council of ministers headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Reservation has become a major issue in Jammu and Kashmir following the Central government's decision to add more communities to the reserved category and expand quotas in the UT over the past five years. There are increasing objections to the Centre's move to push the reservation quota to 70

India slams Pak for 'unjustified' reference to Jammu and Kashmir in UNGA

India has slammed Pakistan for its "unjustified" reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the UN General Assembly, with New Delhi asserting that such remarks will neither validate the country's claim nor justify its practice of cross-border terrorism. "As is their habit, the former foreign secretary of Pakistan today has made an unjustified reference to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador P Harish, said in remarks on Friday in the General Assembly at the informal meeting of the plenary to commemorate the International Day to combat Islamophobia. Harish said frequent references by Pakistan will "neither validate their claim nor justify their practice of cross-border terrorism". "The fanatical mindset of this nation is well known, as also its record of bigotry. Such efforts will not change the reality that Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will always be an integral part of India," he said. Harish's strong retort came after ..

Army, Police, CRPF launch joint search operation in J-K's Bandipora; 2 held

One Pistol, one Pistol Magazine, two Hand Grenades, one AK Magazine, and other ammunition were recovered by the security forces in the joint operation

No new liquor vends allotted in Jammu-Kashmir: CM Omar Abdullah

The remaining 34 locations are being put up for re-auction through public notice issued on March 7

Govt bans J-K's Awami Action Committee, Ittihadul Muslimeen for 5 years

The central government on Tuesday declared two Jammu and Kashmir-based groups as banned organisations for five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The two groups are Awami Action Committee (AAC) headed by Umar Farooq and Jammu and Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen (JKIM) led by Masroor Abbas Ansari. In a notification, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said members of the AAC have remained involved in supporting terrorist activities and anti-India propaganda for fuelling secessionism in J-K. The outfit is also indulging in unlawful activities that are prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country. In a separate notification, the MHA said the JKIM is indulging in unlawful activities, which are prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country. Its members have remained involved in supporting terrorist activities and anti-India propaganda for fuelling secessionism in J-K, it noted. Considering all the facts availabl

'Country can be called Bharat, India or Hindustan': CM Omar Abdullah to RSS

Abdullah also noted that both 'Bharat' and 'India' are written on the Prime Minister's plane and highlighted the names of the armed forces

No control over police, says J-K CM as Opposition walks out of House

Asserting that the lathi charge on the protesting daily wage employees of the Jal Shakti department should not have happened, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said he does not hold control over the police. As the House assembled for the day, opposition members highlighted the massive protests by the daily wagers demanding release of wages and regularisation of jobs, and criticised the lathi charge on them. The BJP members staged a walkout as a ruckus erupted, when the BJP and National Conference members engaged in a verbal duel over the matter. Intervening, Abdullah said, "You (BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa) have asked a question, please wait for the answer." "As far as the police's treatment of the protesters is concerned, I would like to remind Randhawa Sahab, who is making a noise about this issue, that unfortunately, neither you nor I have control over the police," he said. The Chief Minister further said that instead of creating a ruckus inside the House, i