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Muzammil Bashir An RTI filed by two students of Kashmir University has revealed that the jails in Jammu Kashmir are overcrowded during the times of global pandemic despite the supreme court orders of decongesting the Jails. Earlier in April, as the global pandemic spread in India, a three-member committee headed by J-K State Legal Services Authority Executive Chairman Justice Rajesh Bindal ordered the release of jail inmates, except those involved in militancy-related cases to decongest the prisons in the Union Territory. The figures reveal that a total of 4031 prisoners are lodged in fourteen jails across Jammu Kashmir against a capacity of 3660 persons. The data accessed by The Kashmiriyat also reveals that a total of 747 prisoners are lodged across the 14 jails in Militancy ...

Mohsina Malik A joint team of the officers of Pahalgam Development Authority, Wildlife, Forest, Revenue, Police, and Pahalgam Development Authority on 7th November launched an anti-encroachment drive at several areas of Pahalgam of Anantnag and retrieved 110 Kanals of land. The CEO PDA Mushtaq Ahmad Semnani, DFO Wildlife Rouf Ahmad Zargar, Forest Range officer Pahalgam, Tehsildar Pahalgam and other senior officers of the concerned departments were present during the demolition drive. https://youtu.be/TesykOER2nY On 8th November, The Pahalgam Development Authority demolished 13 more structures in various places of the tourist resort. PDA officials said the demolition drive was undertaken in accordance with orders of the High Court in a Public Interest Litigat...

Republic TV's editor-in-chief, Arnab Goswami was granted bail eight days after he was arrested by the Mumbai Police, however many are questioning the dual standards of the Government who maintained silence on arrests of various Journalists. There are various journalists who have been in jail for months, Asif Sultan, a Kashmiri journalist has been in jail for 808 days. The Committee to protect journalists has been campaigning for his release, along with his family and friends. The apex court criticized the Maharashtra state government and granted Arnab bail, However, Arnab was supported by the BJP government at the Center and others. Justice YV Chandrachud of the Supreme Court said that it is the duty of the court to protect freedom of expression. On the other hand, many jour...

Sheetal Banchariya After the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A on August 5, 2019, which took away the special status of the state of Jammu Kashmir, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on October 26, 2020, announced several amendments to the land laws for Jammu Kashmir (J&K). ALSO READ: ADMINISTRATION IN JAMMU KASHMIR CONVERTS FOREST CORPORATION INTO PUBLIC SECTOR Following the amendments in the land laws, anyone from any part of the country can now buy land in Jammu Kashmir, including agricultural land.  While the ruling government may be celebrating the introduction of new land laws, the young population across the country are directly or indirectly opposing the amendments. Ayushman Koul, a Kashmiri pandit who is studying in a Delhi college, says that people of Jammu, w...

The Bhartiya Janta party, as per stats, has failed to contain home grown Militancy in Jammu Kashmir since it rose to power in 2014. Data reveals that the Congress led UPA Government saw as many as 154 local youth taking up arms to join Militant groups, however, the number has drastically rose to 659 during the Modi Led NDA Government till December 2019. In 2014, the number of Locals joining Militancy was 53, in 2015, it reached 66 before touching the highest mark of 88 in 2016, in 2017, the number rose further to 126 and in 2018, 191 Local youth joined Militancy. Following the killing of popular commander, Burhan Wani, Militancy rose heights, however stats reveal that since the rise of BJP into power, Locals have been joining Militancy at a fast pace. Following Burhan Wani’s ki...

Mir Musavir From border district of Rajouri, three cousins Abrar (25), Imtiyaz (22) and Abrar (16), crossing the beautiful mountains of Peer Panjal reached Shopian. They came to earn their livelihood, without knowing that they will never be returning to their families. Shopian Encounter came into public attention on 10th August, 2020, almost a month after the encounter. Two social activists who championed the Campaign for returning the last remains of the three Rajouri youth spoke to The Kashmiriyat. They have been tirelessly campaigning for justice to prevail.  Guftar Ahmad, a socio- political activist based in Rajouri, was the first person the family approached after realizing that the three cousins have gone missing.  He filed the missing report for the family. Guftar went f...

Mubashir Naik With the number of increased attacks against journalists and voices of dissent being stifled, Raqib Hameed Naik, a young Kashmir based journalist is fearing for his life after his name was put on a hit list by a website “Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network” (SHHAN). There have been over 198 serious attacks on journalists in the past 5 years in India.SHHAN labeled Raqib a Hindu hater, terror-sympathiser & supporter of Kashmiri separatism. The group blamed Raqib for lying about new domicile laws in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He had said that it will alienate local Kashmiris and make them dispossessed. On 27th of September 2020 Raqib Hameed, Director of website TwoCircles wrote to the Delhi police, complaining about the possible threat to his life. I...

Nearly two months post their children left home, the families of the three Rajouri youth  in complete disbelief of the news that hit the media about the killing of these cousins during an encounter in the Shopian’s Amshipora, await the Monday, “the administration has promised that the DNA samples will be out by Monday.” Distressed and discouraged like millions of labourers in India, Abrar left for Kashmir in search of work on 17th of July along with his cousin named Abrar too. Packing a small bag, he handed over a cellphone to his wife, Shareen Akhtar, a local Rajouri girl, whom he married nearly three years ago.They had a boy, whom they named Irfan, he is fifteen months old now. “We did not want him to leave amid the escalating cases of coronavirus in the Kashmir valley, but he con...

The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in May called on the Supreme Court to remind the governments of Indian states and union territories of their constitutional duty to respect press freedom. Often, journalists become victims of negligent behavior by authorities, who make direct and indirect effort into trying to silence the press for doing its job of exposing the deep-rooted problems of our society. Recent FIRs against Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of Alt News, is the latest evident attack on press freedom. Alt News in a statement said, "An attempt is being made to hound co-founder of Alt News, Mohammed Zubair through misuse of legal apparatus. AltNews stands by Mohammed Zubair. Zubair has been at the forefront of fighting fake narratives, and his work hurts those who have weaponis...

Sheikh Nadeem On Friday morning, a young journalist Umaisar Gull Ganaie from Qazigund area of Anantnag district in the Kashmir valley left home with some money to take admission at GDC Dooru. On his way to the Government Degree college (GDC), he saw a man who was trying to commit suicide as there wasn't single penny in his pocket besides that there was no food and other eatable items at his home. The person who was trying to commit suicide is father of three minors and has a wife, however, it is shortage of money and other essential items which was forcing him to take this harsh step. Umaisar convinced him to not to take this harsh step after handing over the money meant for his admission. Umaisar also brought the family rice and other eatable items. In the journalistic frat...