News Analysis India

Tag: Jammu and Kashmir

  • 3,195 gram panchayats to be provided with internet connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir

    By PTI

    JAMMU: Set to roll out e-governance at the grass root level in Jammu and Kashmir, the administration will provide internet connectivity to 3,195 additional gram panchayats under Bharat Broadband Scheme (BBS), according to officials.

    Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta on Thursday held a meeting to review the progress of projects related to the Tawi River front development and implementation of the Bharat net scheme in Jammu and Kashmir, a release said.

    While reviewing the implementation of the Bharat broadband scheme in Jammu and Kashmir in rural areas, the chief secretary was informed that 408 gram panchayats and 14 block headquarters have been provided with internet connection through optical fiber cable while 658 gram panchayats have been VSAT enabled for internet connectivity, officials said.

    As many as 3,195 additional gram panchayats will be provided with internet connectivity in phase II of the project, they said.

    Underscoring the importance of digital inclusion in rural areas, Mehta impressed upon the Rural Development Department (RDD) to ensure that net enabled gram panchayats function properly, so that they could be used as hubs to connect youth clubs, anganwadi centres and other important public sector installations for awareness campaigns and for promoting government schemes and programmes.

    Mehta directed the planning development and monitoring department to verify the functionality and efficiency of the internet facilities already established in 1081 gram panchayats by holding interactions with the officers either through video conferences or google meet.

  • Encounter breaks out between security personnel, militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: An encounter broke out between security forces and militants in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, police said.

    Acting on specific inputs about the presence of militants in Chawalgam area of Kulgam in south Kashmir, security forces launched a cordon and search operation there, a police official said.

    As the forces were conducting the searches in the area, the militants fired upon them, he said.

    The forces retaliated leading to an encounter, the official said, adding that the exchange of fire is going on.

    Further details were awaited.

  • Militant gunned down by security personnel in encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: An unidentified militant was killed on Thursday in an encounter with security forces in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

    Acting on specific inputs about the presence of militants in Chawalgam area of Kulgam in south Kashmir, security forces launched a cordon and search operation there, a police official said.

    As the forces were conducting the searches in the area, the militants fired upon them, he said.

    The forces retaliated leading to an encounter in which a militant was killed, the official said.

    He said the identity and group affiliation of the slain ultra was being ascertained.

    The operation is going on and further details were awaited.

  • More fear this time than 1990s when J&K militancy was at peak: Pandits

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR:  After the recent spate in targeted killings of civilians and minority community members by militants in Srinagar, the Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley said there is more fear this time as compared to 1990 when militancy had erupted in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the Pandit businessman, whose salesman was shot dead by militants near his shop on Monday evening, has asserted that he won’t leave Kashmir.

    Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti president Sanjay Tickoo told this newspaper that there is more fear, especially in Srinagar, now as compared to early 1990s. “The killings today are taking place at will. This is very dangerous. In the 1990s, the militants were identifiable but today nobody knows anything about these militants,” Tickoo said.

    At least 808 Pandit families had not migrated from the Valley after eruption of militancy in early 1990s.“Earlier, I used to go out but nowadays I have restricted my movement. The main door of my house used to remain open during the day but nowadays it remains locked 24×7 and we peep through the window whenever somebody knocks at the door before opening the door,” said another Kashmiri Pandit.

    He said this situation was not this alarming when militancy was at its peak in the 1990s. The Kashmiri Pandit businessman Dr Sandip Mawa, whose salesman was shot dead by militants in an apparent mistaken identity by militants on Monday, said he had been alerted by the police about eight months back that he and his father were facing threat. 

    He said the majority community is also in fear as they are unable to do anything. “They are trying to scare the minority and majority communities”. Sandeep, however, said there is no question of him leaving this place. 

  • Innocents getting killed in Jammu & Kashmir despite ‘repressive measures’ taken: Mehbooba Mufti

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday claimed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has deteriorated to a point where innocents are getting killed despite “repressive measures” taken by the government in the name of security.

    Security situation in J&K has deteriorated to an extent where not a week goes by when an innocent doesn’t lose his life.Unfortunate that despite repressive measures taken in name of security, people are being killed & have no sense of dignity or normalcy.Condolences to his family https://t.co/hZIhM2pHua
    — Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) November 9, 2021
    “Security situation in J&K has deteriorated to an extent where not a week goes by when an innocent doesn’t lose his life. Unfortunate that despite repressive measures taken in name of security, people are being killed & have no sense of dignity or normalcy. Condolences to his family,” Mufti tweeted.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief was reacting to the killing of a salesman in Bohri Kadal area of the city on Monday evening. The killing of Mohammad Ibrahim Khan came within 24 hours of militants shooting dead a policeman in Batamaloo area of the city.

  • Lashkar terrorist arrested in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag, weapons recovered

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: Security forces on Monday arrested a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist from Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

    A team of police and Army apprehended the active terrorist from Wahadan village of Ashmuqam area in Anantnag during a search operation, the officials said.

    They said the arrested terrorist was identified as Hafiz Abdullah Malik, who was affiliated with The Resistance Front (TRF), which is believed to be a shadow outfit of LeT.

    A pistol and seven rounds were recovered from Malik’s possession at the time of his arrest while on his disclosure, the security forces recovered one AK rifle, two magazines and 40 rounds from Katsu forests.

  • COVID-19: Jammu and Kashmir records 95 cases, no deaths

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday recorded 95 fresh cases of the coronavirus, taking the number of infected persons to 3,32,651 while no fresh death due to the virus was reported from the union territory in the past 24 hours, officials said.

    Out of the 95 fresh cases, 14 were from the Jammu division and 81 from the Kashmir division of the union territory, the officials said.

    They said Srinagar district recorded the highest number of 35 cases, followed by 14 cases in Baramulla district.

    There are 981 active cases in the union territory, while the number of recovered patients was 3,27,232, the officials said.

    The death toll in the union territory due to the pandemic stood at 4,438 as no fresh death was reported in the past 24 hours.

    Meanwhile, the officials said, there were 49 confirmed cases of Mucormycosis (black fungus) in the union territory as no fresh case was reported since last evening.

  • Army chief in Jammu to review security situation, operational preparedness

    By PTI

    JAMMU: Army Chief General M M Naravane is on a two-day visit to Jammu from Wednesday where he will review security situation and operational preparedness, officials said.

    This is his second visit to Jammu in the past over two weeks amid an ongoing operation against terrorists in a forest belt in twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri, which is the longest in the recent past that has entered 24th day on Wednesday.

    “General MM Naravane #COAS (Chief of Army Staff) is on a visit to Jammu region wherein he will be given an update on security situation & operational preparedness. #COAS will visit forward areas & interact with troops and commanders on ground,” the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) of the Indian Army tweeted.

    Earlier, the Army chief conducted a two-day tour of the Jammu region on October 18 and 19 and reviewed the ground situation and the ongoing counter-infiltration operations.

    He had also visited the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, where a massive operation to track down terrorists hiding in the forest areas of Mendhar, Surankote and Thanamandi has been going on since October 11.

    The operation started in Surankote forest on October 11, following the killing of five soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO).

    and was subsequently extended to Mendhar to neutralise the fleeing terrorists where another encounter took place on October 14, leaving four soldiers, including another JCO, killed.

    Pakistani terrorist Zia Mustafa, who was shifted from Kot Bhalwal Central Jail Jammu to Mendhar on police remand for questioning in connection with the operation, was killed when the security forces accompanying him to identify a hideout came under fire from hiding terrorists on October 24.

    Police have arrested a terrorist associate allegedly having links with Mustafa and the terrorist handlers across the border, while over a dozen others are also being questioned in connection with providing logistic support to the terrorists in the forest belt.

    Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region have witnessed a rise in infiltration attempts since June this year, resulting in the killing of nine terrorists in separate encounters.

  • Jammu and Kashmir: Deputy superintendent of jails, govt school principal sacked for alleged terror links

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir administration sacked a deputy superintendent of jails and a government school’s principal in South Kashmir for having alleged terror links, officials said on Tuesday.

    The government has terminated their services by invoking Article 311 of the Constitution under which no inquiry is conducted before sacking.

    Feroz Ahmad Lone of the Prisons Department and Javid Ahmad Shah, principal of the Government Girls Higher Secondary School at Bijbehara, have been terminated from service for allegedly actively working with terrorist outfits, they said.

  • Jammu and Kashmir BJP leader booked for hurting religious sentiments

    By PTI

    JAMMU: An FIR has been registered against a senior Jammu and Kashmir BJP leader for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of a community, officials said on Tuesday.

    The case was registered after a video, which surfaced online, purportedly showed Vikram Randhawa making the remarks, they said.

    The party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit has taken note of the video of former MLC Randhawa and served him a show cause notice on Monday, asking him to explain his position within 48 hours and submit a public apology.

    “An FIR has been registered against Randhawa at a police station here under section 295-A and 505 (2) of the Indian Penal Code and further investigation is on,” a police official said.

    Section 295-A pertains to deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious belief, while section 505 (2) gives powers to the police to arrest anyone who makes a statement which creates or promotes enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes.

    Randhawa is accused of making disparaging comments over the incidents of celebration of Pakistan’s win over India in a cricket match in the ongoing T20 world cup in Dubai.

    In the show cause notice served to Randhawa on Monday, the BJP disciplinary committee, headed by Sunil Sethi, asked him o explain his position within 48 hours.

    “A video has gone viral in social media in which you are seen making absolutely reckless and hatred promoting remarks against a particular community. This is unacceptable to the party and has brought disrepute and embarrassment to the party,” the notice read.

    BJP Jammu and Kashmir president Ravinder Raina, who ordered the disciplinary action against the former legislator, had said he was personally hurt after hearing the comments of Randhawa.

    He said that the remarks “are totally against the basic principles of the party which believes in respecting all faiths and taking everyone along in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas’”.

    Randhawa’s remarks have caused an outrage across Jammu and Kashmir with people demanding action against him in accordance with the law.

    PTI TAS AB National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah has said, “So good to see this man making friends with Kashmiri people! He should be made an example out of and the law should deal with him firmly to dissuade others from being as abusive as this man has been.”