REGIONAL

Following 725 human-animal conflict incidents in the past five years resulting in the loss of 10 lives and injuries to 19 others, demand for setting up of Wildlife Control Room (WCR) in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district is getting louder with each passing day. Official data from the Wildlife Department accessed by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) suggests that Kulgam district has witnessed 725 human-animal conflict incidents in the past five years, resulting in the death of 10 people and injuries to 19 others. A wildlife official, wishing not to be named, said that the majority of these incidents have taken place in the Damhal Hanjipora area, which is home to a large number of wild animals, including leopards, bears, and wolves. He said that the lone wildlife control room in...

A 19-year-old boy was hospitalised after allegedly stabbed by a duo at Government Polytechnic College Bemina in central Kashmir’s Srinagar district this afternoon. Sources said that one Mehran Ahmad, son of Parvaiz Ahmad Khuroo of Sopore was stabbed and injured in his chest, lower back and head after an altercation broke out in the College premises. “The teenager boy was soon evacuated from the site and taken to JVC Hospital Bemina, where his overall condition is said to be stable”, they said. A police official said that they have registered a case into the matter and arrested the duo alleged of committing the crime. The official identified the alleged duo as Abrar Shabir, son of Shabir Ahmad Dar of Doniwari Chadoora and Rahil Ali son of Ali Mohammad Phaloo of Lal Chowk (at pre...

The Supreme Court of India, presently hearing a bunch of pleas challenging the abrogation of Article 370 asked the Centre to indicate if there is a time frame to restore the statehood for Jammu Kashmir. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who is representing the Centre, has been asked to come back with instructions on this post the lunch break. On Tuesday, the hearing of a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 in the erstwhile state of Jammu Kashmir resumed for day 12. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that any change in the constitution that "brings everyone at par can never be faulted". Quoting the petitioners' argument that article 370 is to be treated as permanent, SG Mehta said, "This argument came up first in the Madharao Scindia case after the govt...

Unknown gunmen fired upon a local inhabitant in Karnah of north Kashmir's Kupwara district on intervening Monday and Tuesday night, resulting in his death, officials said. They told GNS that one Mukhtar Ahmad Shah, son of Syed Akbar Shah, resident of Panjtaran Karnah was shot at by unknown gunmen at Pingla Haridal. "The body of slain was evacuated from the site and is currently lying at SDH Tangdhar for medical formalities", they said. Meanwhile a police official told GNS that they have taken up investigations into the matter to nab the culprits behind the man's killing. (GNS)

A man has been arrested for sodomizing a nine-year-old boy in the Srinagar district of central Kashmir. An official confirming the development to The Kashmiriyat said that Waseem Raja, a resident of Noorbagh who was posted as an Imam at Masjid Aisha at Malikaagun was accused of committing "unnatural" sex with nine-year-old boy As the Police received the complaint, the accused was taken into detention. The official said that an FIR 30/2023 has been registered at Police Station Mahraj Gunj in Srinagar under sections 377 of IPC and 5, 6 of POCSO Act.

The number of cancer patients is on the rise in Jammu Kashmir as around 6,000 patients have been registered at the Department, of Radiation Oncology, SMHS Hospital GMC Srinagar since 2017. However, this does not give the overall scenario of the growing cancer cases in Kashmir. Sher e Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) receives the highest inflow of cancer patients in the valley, while most of the patients travel to various other cities including including Chandigarh, Delhi, Bombay and others. As per the details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), around one thousand cases of cancer have been registered this year alone at the department and officials said that number is likely to reach around 2,000 this year. The details reveal that 491 new cancer...

Photojournalist of The Kashmiriyat, Mehran Bhat was bereaved on Sunday after his uncle passed away at his residence in Srinagar. The deceased Bashir Ahmed Mir, a resident of Bagander Lasjan, Srinagar passed away on the afternoon of 27 August, 2023 after brief illness. The Kashmiriyat team prays for the soul of the deceased to rest in eternal peace. The family members have said that mourning will be held for only for 3 days.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has granted exemption to the Indian Army to conduct vital maintenance and repair works in existing structures within the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) and other transit camps situated in the pristine region of Sonamarg, reported Live law. Marking a distinct departure from previous restraints imposed by the court, the bench of Chief Justice N. Kotiswar Singh and Justice M A Chowdhary highlighted the exceptional nature of the army's role in safeguarding the nation. “Considering that carrying out the said maintenance/repair works are urgently required, and the fact that this pertains to security of the Nation which is of paramount importance, and thus cannot be equated with other commercial enterprises engaged in profit making activities, and the a...

LG Sinha on Monday inaugurated the ‘Shinon Meeras’, the Shina Cultural Centre at Gurez. At the inaugural ceremony, LG Sinha said the centre is a tribute to preserving and promoting the glorious artistic heritage of the Dard-Shin tribal community as it will provide a glimpse of Gurez’s rich culture to the world. He said that India’s first museum for Dardis traces the journey of Shina culture, languages, and the Gurezi way of life. “I believe Shinon Meeras will become the centre of attraction for travelers visiting this best off-beat destination of India.” Various sections of the museum will provide an opportunity to travelers, historians to explore tangible and intangible art and a vibrant space for the community to tell their stories and showcase traditions, the Lt Governor added. ...

Jammu Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP), strongly criticized the recent announcement by the Chairperson of the Waqf Board, Darakshan Andrabi regarding the recruitment of Imams and Muazzins with degrees, expressing concerns about the underlying motivations behind the decision. In a statement issued to media, the Party’s Chief Spokesperson Syed Suhail Bukhari said the move seems to be an attempt to implement the agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which aims to gain control over the pulpit of Mosques and Khanqahs in Jammu Kashmir. Bukhari noted that the pulpit holds immense significance as the seat of leadership for Muslims, where spiritual guidance and teachings are imparted. “This move might be an effort to regulate and influence the discourse within these religio...