REGIONAL

Protests hit Dudran area of Boniyar in north Kashmir as locals demanded action against a man who allegedly raped his 'minor' daughter. Speaking to The Kashmiriyat locals said that on Sunday, scores of residents hit the streets of the north Kashmir village demanding punishment to Rafiq Ahmed Mir, a resident of Dudran who allegedly raped his daughter, repeatedly. “Protesters have vandalized some property owned by the family after which the police swung into action,” they said. A local said that a few days back a minor girl (name withheld), complained of abdominal pain to her close relative, after which she was taken to a nearby hospital. He said that the girl had revealed the incident to her aunt who informed her husband about the same. “Initially, they suspected the pain was ...

A massive search operation was carried out by the police and CRPF in several forward villages along the International Border in Jammu Kashmir’s Samba district following information about a suspected drone activity, a senior police official said on Sunday. However, nothing objectionable was found during the operation which started around 7:30 pm on Saturday and concluded at 9 am on Sunday, Deputy Superintendent of Police, operations, Garu Ram Bhardwaj said. He said information was received that an “illegal flying object”, believed to be a Pakistani drone, hovered for over five minutes over Sarthi Kalan, Dera and Madoon villages in the border outpost area of Regal, 10 km south of Samba at around 7:25 pm on Saturday. Bhardawaj said a joint combing operation was immediately launched w...

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has picked up different loopholes in Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department and has subsequently asked the concerned authorities to focus on those indicators. According to the official documents available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the MoE said this while reviewing the governance process and the indicators required to lay more focus on. “The Union Territory (UT) of J&K needs to focus more on the average number of days taken by the government to release the total central share of funds to the society,” it reads. The ministry also said that the authority needs to focus on releasing total state share due to the UT society during the given financial year. “It also should improve the percentage of training for governm...

A mother-son duo was killed while two other members of the family were injured when a vehicle they were travelling in skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in Mahore area of Reasi district on Sunday. Official sources told GNS that an Alto (JK02AB-2403) in which four members of a family were going on met with the accident near Shila Shajroo Mahore, resulting in the death of Sakeena Begum (42) and her son Imityaz Ahmed (20). Begum’s husband Abdul Majeed and their daughter Nazmeen Kousar (15), residents of Jamaslan, were injured and shifted to Community Health Centre Mahore by rescuers comprising locals and police. A police officer told GNS that a case has been registered with regard to the accident. (GNS)

In a bid to eradicate the drug menace in the district, the authorities in Bandipora have arrested 36 drug peddlers and registered 22 cases in the ongoing year so far. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bandipora, Mohammad Zahid as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that 22 cases under NDPS act have been registered this year so far. He said that acting tough against drug menace; Bandipora police has been able to seize a huge quantity of narcotics while 36 people have also been arrested in this regard. “Of total arrested persons, two have been booked under Public Safety Act (PSA). We are looking forward to book more drug peddlers under PSA,” he said, adding that they will not spare anyone involved in the drug menace. Meanwhile, Bandipora police appealed peopl...

The apple growers in central Kashmir Ganderbal district are cheerful as they expect a bumper harvest this year due to the heavy snowfall and moderate temperature in the fruit growing areas. The growers at Wakoora and its adjoining areas told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that different varieties of apple have grown in their orchards with least affected by the disease caused due to adverse weather conditions and spurious pesticides. All the orchards are blooming with the rich apple crop at present, they said. However, the apple growers here have expressed concern over the price hike of apple boxes and other material including fertilizers and pesticides, which according to them have increased the cost of packing by nearly 50 per cent, thus simultaneously affecting thei...

Jammu and Kashmir police on Saturday claimed to have recovered arms and ammunition in Hathlanga area of Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. A police spokesman in a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that on a specific input regarding presence of arms & ammunition in Hathlanga area of Uri, a joint party of Police and Army (3rd Rajput) launched a search operation in the wee hours near Hathlanga area of Uri. During search, arms & ammunition including one AK-47 Rifle, one AK Magazine, 28 rounds of AK 47 were recovered from the said area, police said. In this regard, a case under relevant sections of law has been registered in Police Station Uri and further investigation has been initiated, police said—(KNO)

Director General Prisons, H K Lohia, on Saturday said that prisoners from Jammu and Kashmir shifted outside is an administrative exercise and is being undertaken because of overcrowding of jails. As per the new agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), speaking on the sideline of a blood donation camp at Central Jail Srinagar, he said that they are able to deal with radicalisation. "Radicalisation happens when their minds are filled with poison. Also, if they have suffered something wrong, then the chances of radicalisation are more. So, we have to keep that in mind and we have to keep them engaged with various constructive activities like we have music camps etc,” here. "An idle mind can have such thoughts, but, if there are such elements, then we have their treatment and we counsel th...

The body of a 60-year-old fisherman was retrieved from Dal Lake in Kashmir capital Srinagar on Saturday. The victim Ali Muhammad Dar, a resident of Abi-Nowpora Khanyar as per his family didn’t return during pre-dawn hours after which they informed River Police and SDRF, that launched a search operation and retrieved the body in the late afternoon hours from Dal Lake on Saturday. “The victim as per routine used to catch fish during night hours and at 6 in the morning returned home. But, today he didn’t turn up. Prima facie, it seems that he has slipped to death in the Dal Lake as he was suffering from hypertension and had already suffered two strokes,” relatives of the victim told news agency Kashmir News Trust. Police in this regard have registered a case under relevant sections o...

Bandipora police on Saturday said that they have solved the case of the killing of migrant labourer by arresting three militants in Sadunara area of Hajin in North Kashmir's Bandipora district. Senior Supritendent of Police Bandipora, Mohammad Zahid while addressing a press conference, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that on intervening night of 11-12 August, a migrant labourer identified as Amrez Masoori of Bihar was shot dead by some unknown militants in Sadunara following which a formal case was registered and investigation was set into motion. He said that during the course of investigation various suspects were called and questioned and technical assistance was also brought into use. “Eventually it was found that three local militants identified as Was...