REGIONAL

A massive python weighing around 55 kilograms was captured on Tuesday in Manpur village, Rajouri district, Jammu & Kashmir, officials confirmed. The operation was carried out jointly by the Wildlife Department and local police after villagers reported the presence of the snake in the forested area of Nowshera tehsil. Wildlife officer Rajesh Kumar said the four-and-a-half-metre-long python had initially killed and swallowed a jackal but later regurgitated it. “The snake has now been safely secured and is expected to be released back into the forest,” he added. The swift response by both police and wildlife teams ensured that the reptile was captured without harm to locals or the animal itself.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary on Tuesday said that Jammu and Kashmir was effectively being run by “two governments,” one elected by the people and another imposed on them, as he criticised the opposition for what he described as selective attacks on the National Conference. Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Choudhary accused the leader of the opposition of always targeting the National Conference despite having held a ministerial position during the BJP-PDP alliance. “He was a minister during the BJP-PDP rule and did nothing for the people. Now he keeps blaming the National Conference. This is hypocrisy,” Choudhary remarked. The Deputy Chief Minister said that his party needed a free hand to govern and fulfil promises made to the people. “Give us a free hand and the...

The Jammu Kashmir Cabinet on Wednesday recommended to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha that the Legislative Assembly be convened for a brief session from October 13 to October 20. The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and attended by all ministers. The upcoming session is expected to address key issues such as statehood and reservation, which have been at the center of ongoing political discussions in the region. As per the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, there must not be a gap longer than six months between the last sitting of one session and the first sitting of the next. “The Lieutenant Governor shall, from time to time, summon the Legislative Assembly to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shal...

Meer Irfan A man lost his life in a road accident on Tuesday after the vehicle he was driving hit a wall in south Kashmir’s Shopian district. Locals told The Kashmiriyat that the mishap took place near the old Fruit Mandi at Arhama when a Tata Mobile (registration number JK18A-9281) went out of control and crashed into a roadside wall. Officials identified the driver, as Parvaiz Ahmad Khatana, a resident of Rajouri, suffered critical injuries in the impact. Locals immediately rushed him to a nearby hospital, but doctors declared him dead on arrival. Eyewitnesses said the collision was so forceful that the front of the vehicle was completely wrecked. They added that the driver appeared to have sustained serious head and chest injuries. A police official said a case has bee...

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Ansul Garg on Monday said that more than one lakh thirty-seven thousand metric tons of fruit have been dispatched from the Valley in recent days through the Mughal Road, Srinagar–Jammu National Highway, and the railway parcel service. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Garg said that the dispatches have been carried out as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) followed for the past ten days under the directions of the Chief Secretary. He noted that every day around 1,500 to 2,000 fresh fruit trucks accumulate in the Valley and are being systematically sent to Jammu with the help of Traffic Police. He added that fruit evacuation has been given top priority and is being facilitated both via NH44 and the Mughal Road. In addition, consignments a...

A gynaecologist posted at Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Tanghdar in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district has been detained by authorities after allegations surfaced that he physically pushed a patient during consultation hours. The incident, which triggered outrage among locals, has drawn the attention of health officials who have described the doctor’s conduct as inappropriate and unacceptable. According to officials, the matter came to light after the Block Medical Officer (BMO) Karnah wrote a formal letter to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Kupwara, highlighting repeated complaints against the doctor. The letter stated that the gynaecologist had not been following official orders and that his behaviour towards patients had been consistently rude. “The doctor’s conduct with patients h...

Danishwar Hameed A tragic road accident claimed one life and left another injured at Nai Basti, Qaimoh in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Monday. Officials told The Kashmiriyat that the accident occurred when a scooty (JK18B-3020) collided with a Tata mobile load carrier (JK11J-7717), reportedly driven by an unidentified person. The scooty rider, Ab Gani, son-in-law of Mohd Jabar Mir of Hariweth, DH Pora, died on the spot. The pillion rider, Mohd Ayoub Malik of Bugam, sustained serious injuries and was initially admitted to a local hospital in Qaimoh before being referred to GMC Anantnag for advanced treatment. Police have registered the case and are investigating the circumstances of the accident.

A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking the removal of the graves of Maqbool Bhat and Afzal Guru from Tihar Jail, India Today reported. The petition, moved by the Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh through advocate Varun Kumar Sinha, argues that the burial of the two men inside a state-controlled prison violates legal provisions and poses risks to security and public order. The plea states that under the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018, the remains of executed prisoners must be disposed of in a manner that prevents glorification and maintains discipline inside jails. The petition contends that the presence of the graves has turned parts of the central prison into a “radical pilgrimage site,” allegedly attracting gatherings of extremist sympathisers. As an alte...

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has stepped up its fight against graft in Jammu Kashmir, tightening the noose around corrupt officials and exposing wrongdoers across departments. From patwaris to senior officers, the bureau’s trap operations over the past two years have brought to light the deep penetration of corruption in public offices. In its latest action, the bureau arrested a Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) officer, Sarfaraz Ahmad Bhat, posted as State Sales Tax Officer at the Silk Factory office in Solina, Srinagar. He was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000. An official from ACB told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that the arrest of a KAS underscores the bureau’s resolve to act firmly against corruption at higher administrative levels as w...

Jammu Kashmir’s Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat on Saturday chaired a high-level security review meeting in Sopore, where he called for stronger night patrolling, intensified naka checking, and close coordination with other security agencies to counter threats from anti-national elements. Reiterating the principle of balanced policing, the police chief said, “No guilty should escape and no innocent should be harmed.” He emphasized the need for operational vigilance, enhanced area domination, and continuous pressure on militants and their support networks through both kinetic and non-kinetic measures, while safeguarding the rights of law-abiding citizens. The DGP directed SDPOs and SHOs to strengthen community engagement, ensure unhindered movement of people, and provide t...