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May312025 by News DeskNo Comments

Fake facebook donation appeals: Woman’s photo used, donations pocketed, says Police

REGIONAL

In a significant crackdown on online fraud, Srinagar Police on Saturday arrested two individuals allegedly involved in a fake medical donation scam on Facebook that used a local woman’s photo without consent to solicit money under false pretenses. The police said the racket came to light after Muneer Ahmad Misger, a resident of Nowhatta, filed a formal complaint with Police Station Nowhatta on May 30. Misger alleged that an unknown person posing as a journalist had uploaded a photograph of his sister on Facebook, accompanied by a fabricated story appealing for donations for a surgery that never took place. “This was a malicious act aimed at deceiving the public and emotionally exploiting them for financial gain,” Misger stated in his complaint. Acting on the complaint, police r...

May312025 by News DeskNo Comments

In Budgam, a Kashmiri Muslim man preserves a Hindu temple for decades

CULTURE

In a remarkable testament to interfaith harmony, Gulzar Hussain, a Muslim resident of Budgam district, has quietly dedicated decades of his life to preserving the sanctity of the historic Dia-Nag Shiv Temple. His selfless service has become a symbol of Kashmir’s enduring spirit of communal coexistence. Every morning, after offering prayers at his local mosque, Gulzar visits the temple to clean its premises and light an oil lamp, an act of reverence that he performs not out of obligation but out of devotion and respect for his Hindu brethren, especially the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community. “Even if they can’t visit often, I want them to feel blessed when they come,” he told the news agency Kashmir News Trust. His consistent care of the temple, even in the absence of regular vis...

May312025 by News DeskNo Comments

First Covid death in Delhi amid resurgence of cases across India

INDIA

A 60-year-old woman who tested positive for COVID-19 has died in Delhi, officials said on Saturday. This is the first fatality in the capital amid the current surge in cases. According to official data, Delhi has 294 active COVID-19 cases. “The woman was suffering from acute intestinal obstruction post-laparotomy. The COVID-19 finding was incidental,” an official said. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Thursday that 19 Covid patients are hospitalised in Delhi, but there is no need to worry. The Delhi government is alert and hospitals are prepared to deal with any eventuality, she said. (AGENCIES)

May312025 by News DeskNo Comments

Historic Kashmiri cherry consignment heads to Mumbai by train

BUSINESS

In a major boost for Kashmir’s horticulture sector, the first refrigerated parcel train carrying 24 tonnes of fresh cherries departed from Katra station in Jammu Kashmir to Mumbai’s Bandra Terminus on Saturday. The Northern Railway’s Jammu division hailed the move as a “historic” initiative to improve freight connectivity for perishable goods from the region. The refrigerated parcel van, attached to a goods train, is expected to reach Mumbai within 30 hours. Originally slated for dispatch on June 3, the shipment was advanced to accommodate additional loading requests from Katra and Jammu stations. “This milestone was made possible through close coordination between the railways, horticulture department, and fruit growers’ associations,” said Uchit Singhal, Senior Divisional Comme...

May312025 by News DeskNo Comments

Dozens of sheep killed in storm in Shopian’s Minimarg

REGIONAL

Meer Irfan A violent storm that struck the high-altitude pastures of Rai Nuer in Minimarg, Shopian, during the early hours of Friday has resulted in the death of dozens of sheep, according to local sources. Eyewitnesses told The Kashmiriyat that the storm hit the area around 3 a.m., causing chaos among a herd of approximately 1,500 sheep. The grazing site is located nearly 25 kilometers from Sedow village in south Kashmir’s Shopian district. “The storm was very powerful, and panic spread among the sheep,” said Miran, the daughter of Abdul Rashid Chopan, one of the shepherds tending the herd. “My father and uncle, Bashir Ahmad, were inside their tent and couldn’t step out because the wind was too fierce.” As the storm slightly subsided, the two men ventured out to assess the sit...

May302025 by News DeskNo Comments

Summer vacation announced for degree colleges across Jammu Kashmir

EDUCATION

The Jammu Kashmir government has announced the summer vacation schedule for all Government Degree Colleges across the region, with separate dates based on regional climatic conditions. According to the official order, Government Degree Colleges located in the Summer Zone of Jammu Division will remain closed for summer vacation from June 1 to July 15, 2025. Colleges in the Winter Zone of Jammu Division, as well as those in the Kashmir Division, will observe summer vacation from July 15 to July 24, 2025. The division-wise schedule has been designed keeping in view the varying weather patterns across the regions.

May302025 by News DeskNo Comments

‘Opposition stood with Modi on national security, yet he attacks us using it’: Mamata Banerjee

INDIA

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for targeting the opposition during a time when it has stood united with the government on crucial national security matters. Speaking in response to Modi’s recent rally in Bengal, Banerjee said, “I am truly shocked and saddened that at a time when the entire opposition is standing with the government, when opposition leaders have gone on overseas delegations to defend India, the Prime Minister comes to Bengal and the BJP announces an ‘Operation Bengal’ akin to Operation Sindoor. This is shameful politics. Stop dividing the country, stop weakening India.” Banerjee’s remarks came after Modi’s speech in Alipurduar, where he lauded the Indian armed forces for their recent cross-border action ...

May302025 by News DeskNo Comments

ED deputy director arrested for demanding bribe of 2 crores in money laundering case

INDIA

A senior officer of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Deputy Director Chintan Raghuvanshi, has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charges of demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹20 lakh from a businessman in Odisha. Raghuvanshi, a 2013-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, was arrested following a complaint filed by Bhubaneswar-based hospital owner Ratikanta Rout. According to the complaint, the ED officer initially demanded ₹5 crore to settle a money laundering case, later reducing the demand to ₹2 crore. The bribe was allegedly meant to prevent the attachment of Rout’s hospital and avoid further legal action, including arrest. The CBI laid a trap and reportedly caught Raghuvanshi red-handed while accepting ₹20 lakh, the first installment of the...

May302025 by News DeskNo Comments

‘I resigned 8 months ago’: Srinagar hospital falsely names ex-doctor in negligence case, issues apology later

REGIONAL

A senior oncologist has raised serious concerns over Paras Hospital Srinagar’s handling of a fatal surgical mishap and what he describes as a “system error” that wrongly implicated him in the case, intensifying scrutiny on the hospital’s internal protocols and ethical standards. Dr. Shah Naveed, a well-known surgical oncologist now working with Ujala Cygnus Superspeciality Hospital, Srinagar, publicly denounced the hospital for including his name in the operative note related to the death of a young patient, Wasim Ahmad Pathan, who died during surgery on May 23. Dr. Naveed had resigned from Paras Hospital nearly eight months earlier, on October 1, 2024. “I was not present. I was not involved. I had no role whatsoever in that surgery or incident,” Dr. Naveed clarified in a detailed pu...

May302025 by News DeskNo Comments

580 companies of paramilitary troops to be deployed in Jammu Kashmir for Amarnath Yatra

INDIA

The Centre has ordered deployment of 580 companies, comprising about 42,000 on-ground personnel, of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for the annual Amarnath Yatra in Jammu Kashmir, official sources said on Thursday. While 424 companies are being sent to the Union Territory (UT), the rest, including about 80 companies that moved to the UT during Operation Sindoor, will be "relocated" to secure the yatra route, the pilgrims and other areas, including Srinagar, they said. The Union home ministry, officials told PTI, has directed that these forces move "immediately" and take position in Jammu Kashmir by the second week of June. The Amarnath Yatra will begin on July 3 and end on August 9. The security deployment plan for the pilgrimage is being prepared keeping in mind the chall...