Danishwar Hameed  Bringing a fifteen-year-long ordeal to a close, the Fast Track Court of Additional Sessions Judge in Kulgam has convicted two men in the 2010 acid attack on a local schoolteacher, Nazir Ahmed Bihad, who was grievously injured during Maghrib prayers. His wife, who suffered severe burns while trying to help him, remained a pillar of strength throughout the years-long legal battle. The judgment, passed on Monday, held two individuals, Mohammad Yasen Kully, and Mohammad Iqbal Kully, guilty in connection with FIR No. 214/2010 under sections 452, 307, 326, and 34 of the RPC, registered at Police Station Qazigund. Both are residents of Kully Nad Lamad, Devsar. According to CPO Kulgam Zia u Rehman, the teacher, a Rehbar-e-Taleem educator hailing from Kolinad Lamad, wa...

Shabir Ali The administration in Srinagar on Tuesday issued a weather advisory warning of intense rain and thunderstorms, with gusty winds reaching 30 to 40 kilometres per hour, expected to hit parts of Kashmir Division including Srinagar district over the next 4 to 6 hours. The advisory, accessed by The Kashmiriyat, urges residents to stay away from the Left and Right Banks of the River Jhelum, its tributaries and Nallahs. The warning follows an alert from the Indian Meteorological Department’s Srinagar station. Authorities have also asked tourists, local shikara wallas, sand miners and those using boat crossing points to avoid travelling on Dal Lake, River Jhelum and other water bodies until conditions stabilise. The public has been advised not to attempt crossing any water body d...

In a move that could significantly reshape the administrative landscape of Ladakh, the Union Territory is set to witness the creation of five new districts, three in Leh and two in Kargil. The proposal, backed by political representatives and local administrative bodies, is seen as a landmark decision ahead of the crucial elections scheduled for September–October this year. The decision is in response to long-standing demands from various regions within Ladakh for improved governance, enhanced administrative outreach, and equitable development. Government sources stated that the creation of these districts aims to ensure the improved delivery of public services, enhanced infrastructure, and more localized governance in the remote and often inaccessible regions of the UT. Sources to...

A landslide near Tunnel T-1 at Ban Nagrota on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway (NH44) on Monday struck a vehicle, leaving a probationary DySP injured and briefly blocking the highway. Officials told news agency JKNS that the incident occurred when boulders and debris suddenly rolled down from the mountain, hitting a car bearing registration number JK05L-7791, which was being driven by Probationary DySP Athar Ahmad Bakshi. The officer’s car was trapped under the debris, and he sustained injuries in the incident. He was immediately shifted to PHC Jagti Nagrota, where he received first aid and was later discharged. Following the landslide, the up-tube of NH44 was blocked, prompting authorities to divert traffic through the down-tube of the highway. Restoration work is ongoing, and...

Minister Sakina Itoo Monday said that there was a need to arrest "big fish" to control drug menace in Jammu Kashmir in order to save the future generation. Speaking to reporters, Minister Itoo, per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said drug menace is a sensitive issue and "we have to save our future generation. In order to make Kashmir a drug free society, it is a collective responsibility of every stakeholder and community," she said. The minister said that only health and police department can't control the issue of drug menace. "There is a need to catch the big fish. Arresting only those committing the crime at lower level won't help in controlling the drug menace". "If we have to eradicate the Drug menace in Kashmir, we all should take this responsibility. Until and un...

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a compensation of ₹50 lakh and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the case of Khursheed Ahmad Chohan, a constable with the Jammu Kashmir Police, who was allegedly subjected to brutal custodial torture at the Joint Interrogation Centre in Kupwara in February 2023. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed the immediate arrest of the officers involved and asked the CBI to complete its investigation within three month, Live Law reported. The Court also ordered that the arrests be made within one month from the date of the judgment. Chohan, as per the petition, was detained illegally from February 20 to 26 last year, during which he alleged that he was tortured, including the mutilation of his private parts. ...

Suhail Dar An unidentified male body was found on Monday morning in the Nandapora area of Khanabal in South Kashmir's Anantnag district, officials said. According to local sources, the body was spotted by residents in nearby bushes and is believed to have been lying there for at least four days before being discovered. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to ascertain the identity of the deceased and the circumstances leading to his death.