OTHERS

Tragedy struck along the Jhelum River near Litrabal, Pampore, on Wednesday morning when a boat carrying three sand diggers capsized during extraction work. According to officials, the incident occurred while the men were engaged in sand digging operations midstream. Two of the workers were swiftly rescued by locals and fellow workers, while the third, identified as Khursheed Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Chek Ranbir Pora, Damhal, Kulgam, drowned in the river, local sources told the news agency Kashmir News Trust. Rescue teams, assisted by locals, have launched an operation to retrieve his body. Authorities said the mishap took place when the boat became unstable due to overloading of sand and strong water currents. Police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are on sit...

In one of the biggest food safety crackdowns in recent years, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have seized over 11,668 kilograms of unsafe meat across the Union Territory, in just over a week, while Srinagar Police have identified a key suspect and his another aide for their alleged involvement in this racket, officials said on Monday. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Kashmir, Smiti Sethi, while talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said a total of over 11,668 kilograms of unsafe meat has been seized across J&K so far, with intensified raids underway to purge markets of manipulation and health hazards. She said until the market improves, the drives will continue. “We are following proper procedure and once the process is complete, details will be ...

A High School was hit by a flash flood during intervening night of 11 and 12 August in Surankote area of Poonch district. Officials told GNS that during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday a strong flood flash hit High School Sanai. The flash flood swept away a 200-foot-long shed adjacent to the high school and a sports room, which included all records and sports items. Meanwhile there was no loss of life or injury reported in this incident. Meanwhile, a team police has reached to the spot to assess the damage. (GNS)

Police in Anantnag have arrested three people for allegedly running an organised fraud racket involving a fake wild garlic trade deal worth ₹55 lakh. According to police, the accused posed as legitimate businessmen and lured victims with promises of high returns from the sale of wild garlic, locally known as jangli lahsun. After securing large investments, they allegedly defaulted on payments and used criminal intimidation when confronted. The case came to light after a victim from Kishtwar filed a complaint. Preliminary investigations suggest that the group’s activities extended beyond Anantnag, targeting people from various economic backgrounds across Jammu Kashmir. A case under FIR No. 126/2025 has been registered at Police Station Anantnag under sections 318(4), 351(2), and 11...

National Conference senior legislator Altaf Ahmed Kaloo on Monday staged a protest and sit-in in Pahalgam against the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, accusing the official of abusing and assaulting local cricket players. The protesting players claimed that while they were playing cricket in the stadium, the SDM arrived and directed them to vacate the ground, citing rehearsals for the upcoming Independence Day. They alleged that the official not only ‘abused’ them but also ‘assaulted’ them. “One of the players was hit with a bat by the SDM, resulting in an injury to his leg,” said a participant of the protest, adding that the official allegedly threatened to slap the Public Safety Act on them if they did not leave the stadium immediately. MLA Kaloo, who joined the protest, told reporter...

The Union Home Ministry has told the Jammu  Kashmir High Court that the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) of the Union Territory can nominate five members to the J-K Legislative Assembly without seeking the “aid and advice” of the elected government. In an affidavit filed on July 24, the Ministry said the nominations fall “outside the realm” of the business of the elected government, as the L-G functions as a statutory authority and not as an extension of the Council of Ministers. The statement came in response to a public interest litigation by Congress leader Ravinder Kumar Sharma, who challenged the 2023 amendment to the JK Reorganisation Act, 2019. The amendment allows the L-G to nominate two Kashmiri migrants (including one woman), one member from the Pakistan-occupied J\&K (PoJK) c...

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Delhi government and civic bodies in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, and Ghaziabad to clear dogs from public spaces within eight weeks and relocate them to secure shelters equipped with sterilization, vaccination, and monitoring facilities. Calling the situation “extremely grim,” the bench said, “Citizens cannot be made to live in fear. Public spaces must be safe for everyone.” The Court also ordered the creation of a dedicated helpline for dog-related complaints. Civic officials said preparations were underway. “We will ensure the shelters meet all welfare standards while complying with the court’s order,” said a senior Delhi government official. Animal welfare groups have voiced concern. “This must not turn into cruelty under the guise of control...

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought separatist leader Yasin Malik's response on a plea filed by the National Investigation Agency seeking death penalty for him in a terror funding case. A bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Shalinder Kaur granted four weeks to Malik to file his response to the NIA's petition. The court posted the hearing for November 10. Malik, who previously sought to argue in-person against NIA's plea seeking the enhancement, was supposed to appear virtually from jail but wasn't produced. The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief (JKLF) is lodged in Tihar jail where he is serving a life term in the case. The high court noted that neither Malik was produced virtually in the proceedings from jail nor he filed his reply to NIA's plea in pursuance to th...

Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister has directed the Food Safety Department to launch a stringent drive against the sale of substandard meat and other food products. The directions came during a high-level meeting on market regulation chaired by the CM on Monday. According to the Office of the Chief Minister, in a post on X, the CM stressed that consumer health and safety must be the top priority, and no compromise would be tolerated when it comes to food quality. The Food Safety Department has been instructed to conduct surprise market inspections, particularly targeting meat sellers, and to ensure that all products meet prescribed hygiene and quality standards. Violators will face strict legal action, including fines and closure of establishments. The CM also called for coordination ...

Meer Irfan Panic gripped the Alyalpora area of Shopian on Sunday afternoon after residents spotted an unfamiliar and unusually large lizard-like reptile in their neighborhood. Wild lizards are generally not common in Kashmir, so encountering such a creature was completely new and unsettling for the locals. Eyewitnesses, speaking to The Kashmiriyat, described their shock and confusion at seeing what they believed was a lizard, something they had never encountered before in the region. “We have lived here for years, but we have never seen any lizard or reptile like this in our area,” said Muhammad Shakir, a local resident. “It was big, almost a meter long, with a thick body and a long tail. It looked very strange to us, nothing like the small geckos or skinks we might sometimes h...