Monday, March 10News and updates from Kashmir

Month: February 2023

Kathua: Prisoner lodged in drug-peddling case dies, Family alleges ‘custodial death’

Kathua: Prisoner lodged in drug-peddling case dies, Family alleges ‘custodial death’

REGIONAL
On Monday, Sonu Kumar, 42, son of Jagdish Chander of Sakta Chak, Kathua, arrested in a drug peddling case and lodged at Police Post (PP) Nagri in Kathua died mysteriously in custody itself. After which, his body was shifted to GMC Kathua for postmortem, Daily Excelsior reported. Meanwhile, his family members have claimed that it was a custodial death as the deceased was physically fit when they met him some time prior to his death in the Police Post today. As per the Daily Excelsior report, the nephew of the deceased, Rahul Kumar said his uncle’s death is a mystery and it was purely a custodial death as there was no sign of any physically illness when the family members met him in the Police Post Nagri during the day. The deceased has left behind three minor children and a wife. H...

Kashmiri activists stage protest at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against demolition drives

REGIONAL
Scores of Kashmiris joined by non-Kashmiri activists on Tuesday reached New Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding an immediate halt to the ongoing demolition drive launched across Jammu Kashmir. Several people led by Aadil Nazir Khan, Waqar H Bhatti Dr. Abdul Bari Naik & O.P. Shah ( Peace activist) against the "politically motivated anti-encroachment" drive in Jammu Kashmir, one of the activists at the sit-in told The Kashmiriyat, They said that the drive was politically motivated and had created a scare among people across the region. "It needs to be immediately stopped," the activists demanded. Pertinently, an eviction drive has been launched across Jammu Kashmir, which admin says, has been launched to remove "encroachments" from the state land.

Mainly dry weather during next 24 hours in Kashmir: MeT

REGIONAL
Barring Srinagar and Qazigund, the minimum temperature recorded a fall in Jammu and Kashmir with Gulmarg being the coldest place in the J&K at 7.0°C on Tuesday. A meteorological department official here told GNS that Srinagar recorded a low of 2.7°C against 1.8°C on the previous night. Today’s minimum temperature, he said, was above normal by 3.1°C for the summer capital. Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 0.4°C against minus 1.6°C °C on the previous night and it was 1.9°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir. Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 5.9°C against minus 0.2°C on the previous night and it was 0.3°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Kokernag recorded a low of minus 0.7°C against 1.1°C on the previous ...

Srinagar resident injured during fire succumbs to injuries

REGIONAL
A man from Srinagar succumbed in the hospital after reportedly sustaining burn injuries due to the firepot (Kangri) at his home. Police have taken cognizance of the incident and are ascertaining the cause of the death. Hospital sources told news agency Kashmir News Trust that a man from the Qamarwari area of Srinagar identified as Bashir Gani Baba was brought to the SMHS hospital with critical burn injuries. The man succumbed in the hospital shortly after his arrival. Reports said that the victim sustained burn injuries after using traditional ‘kangri’ at his home. [KNT]

Fourth powerful earthquake hits Syria, Turkey, Death toll climbs to 4300

INTERNATIONAL
Another powerful earthquake of 5.6 magnitude struck Turkey, making it the fourth since Monday morning's major quake that struck Syria and Turkey. A powerful earthquake of 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday morning followed by three more earthquakes killing more than 4,300 people. Officials in Turkey said that the quake was centered about 33 kilometers (20 miles) from Gaziantep about 26 kilometers (16 miles) from the town of Nurdagi. Hours later, a second earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck southeastern Turkey's Kahramanmaras region. It occurred at a depth of 7 km earthquake and the epicenter of the quake was the Elbistan region of Kahramanmaras province. The earthquake of magnitude 6.0 strikes central Turkey later in the evening.

Encroached ‘State land’ retrieved in Dooru, say officials

REGIONAL
Sheikh Nadeem Officials in Mir Maidan Dooru "retrieved" state land at Maharaja Hara Singh road in the Dooru area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district. Headed by Tehsildar Dooru Khalid Zafar, a team of revenue officials with huge contingents of Police reached the spot on Monday morning and retrieved the "roadside" land at Dooru. The official said it was a "long-pending" demand of residents that the land which was encroached upon by locals shall be freed as it interfered in building a pathway on the roadside. "A strong message has been sent to all encroachers who have occupied and encroached upon such embankments to immediately relinquish such illegal occupations otherwise they shall be evicted at their own cost," the Tehsildar warned.

Admin inventing homelessness, humiliating people in Jammu Kashmir: Sajad Lone

REGIONAL
Accusing the Jammu Kashmir administration of creating homelessness, Peoples Conference President Sajad Gani Lone on Monday said that “New Delhi shouldn’t be represented by bulldozers in Kashmir, but by love and compassion.” Addressing a news conference here, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Lone said the objective of the ongoing eviction drive seems humiliation of Kashmiris. “What is the objective of the government? Do they want to retrieve land or humiliate people? I think humiliation is more important for them,” he said. Lone said that the current administration in J&K is not an elected regime and should leave bigger decisions for an elected government. “(President’s Rule) It is a temporary arrangement. They cannot take decisions on behalf of the people of ...

JK produces over 51,000 tonnes plastic waste per annum

REGIONAL
Jammu Kashmir is generating over 51,000 tonnes of plastic waste with Kashmir producing 31,000 and Jammu over 20,000 tonnes in a year. Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic amorphous solid materials derived from oil and natural gas. A senior Scientist from JK Pollution Control Board told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that 51,710.60 tons of plastic waste is being generated in JK per year. He said that Kashmir generates 31,375.60 tons plastic waste per annum while Jammu division generates 20,335 tons plastic waste per annum. He said that due to lack of proper collection and management, the 'throw away culture' of plastic results in bags finding their way in the city drainage system and thus choking the drains. He s...

Bandipora Court rejects bail plea of police driver in ‘fake encounter’ case

REGIONAL
A local court in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Monday rejected the bail plea of a former police driver for his involvement in a ‘fake encounter’ 16 years ago. Principal Sessions Judge Bandipora Amit Sharma in an order rejected the bail plea of accused police officer Farooq Ahmad Padroo, stating that bail cannot be granted to a person who has shaken the basic faith and confidence of the common man in the working of the police organization. “The accused persons involved in this FIR are none other than the police officers/officials and under the garb of the police uniform such type of 'fake encounter' was committed, definitely shaken the basic faith and confidence of the common man in the working of the police organization and the said crime committed by this accused person beco...

DDC Shopian inaugurates Training/ Orientation program for effective implementation of HADP

REGIONAL
The District Development Commissioner, (DDC) Shopian, Sachin Kumar Vaishya today inaugurated district level Training and Orientation program for effective Implementation of 29 projects under Holistic Agriculture Development Plan (HADP) in the district at Meeting Hall of Mini-Secretariat Shopian, officials said. In an official press release, the Shopian admin said, a total of 29 training schedules are planned at the district level for the next one month, in which all technical staff of Agriculture and allied sectors will be trained by resource persons of the departments and KVK Shopian. Speaking on the occasion, DDC said that capacity-building programmes will ensure the availability of quality human resources and provide necessary ground support for the implementation of holistic agri...