REGIONAL

Suhail Dar Fatima Begum, an elderly woman from Monglad area of Tangmarg in north Kashmir, spent over 24 hours sitting helplessly at Jammu railway station, waiting for her son who had promised to take her along to Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, but never returned. The 65-year-old woman said her son, who sells walnuts, almonds and apples in Saharanpur during the winter months, had taken her to the railway station on Friday evening along with his wife and child. “He told me we would all travel together. He asked me to wait at the platform while he arranged the tickets. Then… they just disappeared,” she said, her voice trembling. Passengers at the station said they saw the elderly woman wandering around platforms late into the night, clutching a small bag and repeatedly asking people if t...

A 30-year-old man was injured after being attacked with an axe outside his residence in the Danmar Sangam area of Srinagar on Saturday, official sources said. The injured, a local resident, was rushed to SKIMS Soura with head and multiple injuries. His condition is stated to be stable. Officials said the attack was carried out by a person known to him. Police have taken cognizance of the incident and started investigation. This comes just days after Srinagar Police arrested three persons involved in another axe attack on an 18-year-old youth near Haroon Bakery, Qamarwari, on October 14. The assailants in that case were arrested during overnight raids, and the weapon was recovered. Police said the earlier assault stemmed from a personal grudge, but further investigation is underway to d...

A police constable was taken into custody on Saturday after 9.63 grams of heroin were seized from his car in Udhampur district, officials said. As per Press Trust of India, Constable Arjun Sharma, a resident of Udhampur, has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, a police spokesperson confirmed. The seizure occurred during routine checking at Bans Morh on Katra Road, when a private vehicle traveling from Katra to Tikri was intercepted. A search of the car led to the discovery of the narcotic, the spokesperson added.

A video showing a cow wandering into the District Hospital Bandipora went viral on Friday, sparking public outrage and raising questions about hospital security. The incident occurred around 1:00 p.m. when the animal entered the hospital premises through the emergency section. The video, widely shared on social media, prompted mixed reactions from the public. Speaking to this correspondent, Medical Superintendent Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad said cows often stray near the hospital despite repeated requests to their owners to keep them off the premises. “At the time, our security guards had moved to attend an emergency in another ward,” he explained. “Within about five minutes, the cow had entered the hospital.” Dr. Ahmad added that an FIR has been registered against the young man who filmed and ci...

The Executive Magistrate 1st Class Ajas area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district imposed a complete ban on the sale, storage, and offering of tobacco products within a 100-meter radius of all educational institutions under his jurisdiction. The order has been issued under the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply, and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA). The magistrate’s order stated that the prohibition aims to safeguard the health and well-being of students and to discourage the initiation of tobacco use among the youth. The order came into effect immediately. As per the directions, no individual or shopkeeper shall sell, offer for sale, or store tobacco products within the restr...

The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Anantnag has issued a strict advisory to social media users following the circulation of a video involving a minor during a recent event hosted by Physics Walla in Anantnag. The minor, whose identity has been withheld, stated that "the gesture in the video has been misinterpreted and misused," causing harassment and distress, read the statement issued to The Kashmiriyat. The CWC noted that "the undue circulation of the video violates the right of privacy of the minor" and has led to the child receiving "immoral and threatening comments." The committee, as per the press release, warned that such acts are considered offences under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and related rules, with violators liable to impriso...

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday handed over regularisation orders to 863 Contingent Paid Workers (CPWs) of the School Education Department from various districts of Jammu province. https://twitter.com/TheKashmiriyat/status/1976275815110484328?t=3vJPotYykgYtKGijUuxq1Q&s=19 He also inaugurated the Vidya Samiksha Kendra under Samagra Shiksha and launched several new ICT initiatives, including J&K Digilearn, Shikshak Sahayak, and JK Edu Insights, aimed at strengthening the education system in Jammu and Kashmir. Omar said nearly 1,000 infrastructure projects worth ₹450 crore are underway in the education sector, adding that all higher secondary and high schools will have smart classrooms and laboratories by March 2026. Calling the regularisation a “reward for dedica...

The Justice and Development Front (JDF), backed by the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), on Thursday announced its decision to withdraw from the Sajad Lone-led People’s Alliance for Change (PAC), citing differences over the coalition’s functioning. In an official statement, JDF General Secretary Sayar Ahmad Reshi said the party had “decided to exit the People’s Alliance for Change” after certain differences emerged in the alliance’s modus operandi. “After due reflection, we believe that pursuing an independent course will better serve our vision, values, and principles,” the statement read. Reshi extended gratitude to the JDF’s former allies and supporters, reaffirming the party’s “unwavering commitment to democratic values, transparency, accountability, and dedicated public service.”...

Locals from Solina area of Srinagar on Friday staged a protest against what they termed the use of substandard material in the ongoing macadamization process of their lanes, alleging large-scale corruption and negligence by officials supervising the work. Locals said that the roads in Solina had been macadamized after a gap of nearly 15 years, but the excitement quickly turned into anger as the freshly laid surface began to wear off within just a day. Protesters gathered in the locality, raising slogans against the executing agency and concerned officials. “The blacktopping has started peeling off already. This is the height of corruption and malpractice,” said Rouf Bhat. “We had waited for over a decade for proper road repair, but the work done is of such poor quality that even vehicl...

Meer Irfan A policeman from Police Lines Bandipora died on duty on Thursday after his service rifle went off accidentally, officials said. The deceased has been identified as Constable Arfeen Lone, aged 32, son of Darwesh Lone, a resident of Malangam Tulail in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district. According to police, Lone sustained grave injuries when his rifle accidentally discharged. He was immediately rushed to the Government Hospital Bandipora, where doctors declared him brought dead. An investigation has been initiated to ascertain the exact circumstances that led to the incident, officials told The Kashmiriyat.