REGIONAL

Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday said to have trapped and arrested Patwari of Halqa Khanpur in Tehsil Marheen, Kathua for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 15000. A spokesman in a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that Jammu Kashmir ACB received a complaint, alleging therein that public servant namely Sudershan Khajuria, Patwari Halqa Khanpur Tehsil Marheen District Kathua demanded illegal gratification for correction of Girdawari entry in revenue record from the complainant. The accused had initially demanded a bribe of Rs 30,000 from the complainant for correction of Girdawari entry in revenue records and in case, the complainant failed to provide the bribe amount, the said Patwari intimidated the complainant to tamper his revenue record...

Three men from Haryana and two women from South Kashmir were attacked by a group of assailants in Tangmarg on Thursday afternoon, official said. As per a police press release issued to The Kashmiriyat, the incident occurred around 1:45 pm when their XUV-300 vehicle, bearing a Haryana registration number, was intercepted and attacked by individuals trailing them from Srinagar. According to Police, the attack followed a road rage incident in Srinagar. “When the trailing vehicles caught up with the XUV-300 in Tangmarg, persons from the trailing vehicles came out and assaulted the 5 occupants,” the police stated. A police team that arrived to rescue the victims was also assaulted, with one Head Constable sustaining a head injury. An FIR has been registered at Police Station Tang...

Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday expressed optimism about the restoration of statehood, saying, "I believe that time has come now." When asked if he had raised the issue during his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi earlier this week, Abdullah said the process of statehood restoration was underway and urgently needed to be taken to its logical conclusion. He referred to the Supreme Court's mention of statehood being restored "as soon as possible" when it upheld the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370. The Centre had abrogated Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and reorganised the erstwhile state into the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh in 2019. "It was discussed as soon as possible and tha...

More than 20 students from Jamia Millia Islamia are reportedly missing after being detained by Delhi Police from the campus around 5:00 AM on February 13, 2025. According to a press release by the All India Students' Association (AISA), the students were last seen being taken away in police vans, and their current whereabouts remain unknown. The detained students were participating in a peaceful protest demanding the revocation of disciplinary notices issued by the university. "Witnesses allege that the detentions occurred under the cover of darkness, with the involvement of unidentified officers from the Delhi Police, allegedly supported by the Jamia administration," the press release read. AISA claims that the detentions were carried out "illegally before sunrise, and neither...

A day after a high-level security meeting in Kashmir, another meeting is underway in Jammu to assess the security situation in the region, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, sources said. Sources said that the meeting is being attended by top officials from the Police, Army, CRPF, and various other security agencies in Jammu. They stated that the focus of the meeting is to assess law and order, the security situation, infiltration along the Line of Control, among other issues. On Wednesday, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired a similar security review meeting at the Police Control Room in Srinagar to assess the security situation in the Kashmir region. The meeting comes in the backdrop of similar back-to-back meetings chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi las...

The Power Development Department (PDD) is likely to take a call on modification of power curtailment schedule a week before the commencement of the holy month of Ramadhan. Sources in the department informed the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that it may consider a slight modification in the ongoing power curtailment schedule a week prior commencement of the Ramadhan. “As of now PDD has not taken any call for revising the power curtailment schedule. But if there will be any proposal of modification in the schedule, the department will take a call a week before the commencement of holy month Ramadhan if required,” sources said. The official sources further said that it had already reduced the curtailments in the majority of the areas. It further said, “As of now we have ...

Meer Irfan An 18-year-old youth has gone missing from his home in Kulgam district of South Kashmir. Family members told The Kashmiriyat that Faisal son of Manzoor Ahmed Bhat , a resident of Manchowa, Yaripora in Kulgam, has been missing since February 6, 2025. "He left Darul Uloom Babgam in Tahab, Pulwama, but did not return home. The Darul Uloom administration contacted us at 9:30 p.m. on the same day to check on his whereabouts, as they had no clue where he went,” his family said. After searching for him everywhere, the family filed a missing report at Behibagh Police Station in Kulgam. They have appealed to the police and the public to help them trace their missing son. The family has also shared a contact number, 9541441942, requesting anyone with information about hi...

By: Bhat Yasir The Sessions Court in Kishtwar, Jammu, has stayed an order passed by the District Magistrate (DM) that restricted public protests and demonstrations demanding free electricity in the district. The court observed that a blanket ban on public gatherings violates the fundamental freedoms of citizens and smacks of an imperialist attitude ¹. According to the court, the DM may impose restrictions on public movement, but only to prevent larger mischief and with specified reasons in the order. The power to restrict public movement cannot be used on flimsy grounds. Background of the Case The DM had passed the order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) on February 10, in response to rising public protests and demonstrations demanding ...