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Jul282025 by News DeskNo Comments

Two militants killed in ongoing Srinagar encounter

REGIONAL

Two militants have reportedly been killed so far in an ongoing encounter in the upper reaches of Dachigam area in Srinagar district, officials said on Sunday afternoon. The gunfight is part of Operation Mahadev, launched earlier today after security forces established contact with militants in the general area of Lidwas, Dara in central Kashmir’s Srinagar. "Contact established in General Area Lidwas. Operation in progress," the Army’s Chinar Corps posted on microblogging site X. According to official sources, a joint team of the Army, CRPF, and Jammu & Kashmir Police had launched a massive search operation in Lidwas early this morning following movement of militants in the region. The operation is still underway. More details are awaited.

Jul282025 by News DeskNo Comments

Encounter breaks out near Srinagar’s Dachigam, says Army

REGIONAL

An encounter is underway in the Lidwas area of the Dachigam forest range, located in the upper reaches of Harwan in Srinagar district. The Indian Army on Sunday confirmed that contact has been established with suspected militants in the general area of Lidwas and that the operation, code-named OP MAHADEV, is in progress. "Contact established in General Area Lidwas. Operation in progress," a brief statement from the Army said earlier today. Official sources told The Kashmiriyat that a joint team of the Indian Army and Jammu Kashmir Police launched a cordon and search operation in the high-altitude forests following credible intelligence inputs about militant movement in the region. Additional reinforcements have been rushed to the area as intermittent firing was reported. The f...

Jul282025 by News DeskNo Comments

Kashmiri Sikh activist Angad Singh Khalsa condemns ‘insensitive’ tribute event at Tagore Hall

CULTURE

Kashmiri Socio-political activist Sardar Angad Singh Khalsa has strongly criticised the musical tribute organised at Tagore Hall in Srinagar to commemorate the 350th Shaheedi Divas (martyrdom anniversary) of Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib Ji. The event, reportedly hosted by the Punjab Government in collaboration with local bodies, included performances of singing and dancing, something Khalsa described as "deeply inappropriate" for an occasion meant to honour one of Sikhism’s most revered martyrs. In a strongly worded statement, Khalsa questioned the intent and planning behind the event. “As a non-clerical individual, I do not feel inclined to offer sermons or correct others on matters of faith. However, as a member of society, I believe there is a fundamental understanding of right and wron...

Jul282025 by News DeskNo Comments

Kashmir’s trains get a major upgrade

REGIONAL

Kashmir’s railway system is seeing quiet but important changes. After the inauguration of the full rail link between Udhampur and Baramulla, new track machines have finally made their way into Kashmir, machines that help keep the tracks level, clean, and safe. Over 100 kilometres of railway have been serviced in just weeks, thanks to tamping and ballast cleaning equipment now operating directly in Kashmir. This would’ve been impossible a year ago. Alongside this, old train coaches are being refurbished. Instead of being hauled by road to distant workshops, rakes now travel directly by rail for maintenance. New seating, better lighting, upgraded toilets, and fresh paint are part of the overhaul. Officials say all coaches running in Kashmir will be upgraded by the end of Augus...

Jul282025 by News DeskNo Comments

Doctors’ lack of interest forcing patients to private hospitals, says Sakina Itoo

REGIONAL

Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakina Itoo, on Sunday evening visited the Children’s Hospital in Srinagar, expressing strong disapproval of the alleged conduct of some doctors, claiming that their lack of interest in patient care is compelling people to seek costly treatment in private facilities. Speaking to media persons during the visit, the Minister, as per news agency JKNS, said, “These very doctors force patients to go to private hospitals. The patients are left helpless. When a patient is serious and the doctor shows no interest, failing to provide proper treatment, the patients are compelled to turn to private care, where they are charged exorbitant amounts.” She added that the government has already taken note of several such complaints. “The government is awa...

Jul272025 by News DeskNo Comments

‘Mujhe pata hai India mein kitna justice mil sakta hai’: In final letter, dental student from Jammu Kashmir apologises to parents, says she gave up

EDUCATION

A final-year dental student from Jammu Kashmir was found dead in her hostel room in Udaipur, Rajasthan, earlier this week. The 24-year-old, Sweta Singh, was pursuing a BDS degree at a private medical college in the city. Police said she died by suicide. A handwritten note recovered from her room blamed faculty members for "mental harassment" and academic manipulation. Sweta’s roommate discovered her hanging and alerted the hostel authorities. Her body was taken to a local mortuary, and the postmortem will be conducted after her family arrives from Jammu Kashmir. The suicide note, written in a mix of Hindi and English, directly accused two faculty members, referred to as "Nani Ma’am" and "Bhagwat Sir", of prolonged harassment and humiliation. She alleged that this had been going...

Jul272025 by News DeskNo Comments

‘New roads, lost livelihoods’: Bypass routes on Jammu-Srinagar highway choke local markets

WRITE-UPS

Danishwar Hameed In January 2024, Mughal Darbar in Ramban, a modest eatery run by Ghulam Hassan Dar, was so crowded that finding a table for lunch meant waiting in line. Truck drivers, tourists, and local commuters packed the small restaurant from morning till dusk. “Till last year, this place would be full. We served 400 to 500 plates daily. Now, barely 10,” Dar said, looking at the empty chairs around him. When I revisited the same place in July 2025, Dar sat idle for hours. I was his only customer all afternoon. “They built a road that doesn’t touch Ramban at all,” he said. “Smooth drive for cars, but we’re left behind, forgotten.” Dar’s story echoes through dozens of towns and stopovers along the Jammu Srinagar Highway (NH-44), especially in Qazigund, Banihal, Ramban, and B...

Jul272025 by News DeskNo Comments

End of the universe might come sooner than we thought, Scientists warn

INTERNATIONAL

A new study based on data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) suggests that the universe may stop expanding and collapse much sooner than previously thought. Scientists analyzing this fresh data propose that dark energy, the force responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe, might not be constant, as previously believed. Instead, it could be changing over time. The implications of this shift are profound. Researchers say the universe might not expand forever but could instead reverse course and head towards a "Big Crunch", a collapse of all matter back into a dense, hot state. The theory, which is still awaiting peer review, posits that the universe’s current expansion is temporary, driven largely by a mysterious fie...

Jul262025 by News DeskNo Comments

GMC Srinagar principal meets journalists, Assures action against doctors

REGIONAL

The Principal of Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, Dr. Iffat Hassan Shah, on Saturday met with members of the Press Club of Kashmir, including journalists who were allegedly assaulted by protesting doctors during a strike at SMHS Hospital earlier this week. The meeting came in the wake of an incident on Wednesday, when postgraduate doctors staged a protest on the hospital premises. Several journalists covering the event were reportedly manhandled by some of the striking doctors. Mohammad Saleem Pandit, President of the Press Club of Kashmir, who led the delegation, said three media persons were physically assaulted, and a police officer trying to intervene was also pushed aside. “This kind of treatment of journalists is unacceptable,” Pandit said, urging the hospital admi...

Jul262025 by News DeskNo Comments

Dental student from Jammu Kashmir dies by suicide in Rajasthan, AIMSA demands action

REGIONAL

A dental student from Jammu Kashmir, Shweta Singh, was found dead by suicide in Udaipur, Rajasthan, prompting widespread outrage and calls for justice from medical student bodies. Singh, a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) student from the 2020 batch at Pacific Dental College and Research Centre, had reportedly been facing prolonged academic harassment and mental trauma before her death. According to the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA), Shweta was subjected to what it described as “systematic institutional abuse” by the college administration. She was arbitrarily placed in an “odd batch” without explanation, which delayed her third-year examination by more than a year. While her classmates progressed towards graduation, Shweta remained stuck, leading to what AIMSA ca...