Month: July 2016

Security forces would have taken precautions if they knew Burhan Wani was hiding there: Nirmal

Editor

Reacting to the killing of Burhan Wani and the violence that ensued after that, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister said on Saturday that better precautionary measures could have been taken if the Hizbul terrorist’s encounter site was known in advance, . Singh said that the security forces had informed the government about the encounter but they had no information who the hiding terrorists were. “We were told by the security forces but they did not know who was there. Suppose they would have known it precautions would have been…

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Mehbooba’s dark hour: As Kashmir erupts, Mufti walking the tightrope with her hands tied as CM

Editor

Once, she was the face of PDP’as ‘healing touch’, combining a politics of compassion with strident dissent of New Delhi. 50 people are dead and houses across Kashmir are mourning. Mehbooba would have wanted to be in the Opposition today. But she is the Chief Minister. 17 years after its inception, when the PDP is the largest party with 28 legislators and its “rooh-e-ravan (heart and soul)” Mehbooba is at the helm, her government is seen as the enemy of the people. The year was 2000. Public anger against the…

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Pellet guns should be reclassified as lethal weapons: Experts

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Rubber bullets and pellet guns should be reclassified as lethal weapons as they cause significant damage to all the tissues of the limbs including the bones, according to a team of doctors. Rubber bullets are blunt-nosed with a muzzle velocity of around 70m/s and a kinetic energy of nearly 400J. A study by doctors of Srinagar’s SKIMS Medical College published in the Chinese Journal of Traumatology states that the degree of a wound would depend on the conditions under which the rubber bullets are fired. According to the study, shorter…

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Strict curfew still on as resistance camp extend protest till August 5

Editor

Authorities on Sunday continued curfew and restrictions in the Kashmir Valley as the separatists have extended their protest shutdown programme till August 5. A senior police officer said the curfew would continue in the districts of Pulwama, Kulgam and parts of Shopian town while restrictions will remain in many other parts of the Valley including old city areas of Srinagar. The officer said the security forces are handling the law and order situation with extreme caution and restraint. “Force is only used to prevent large scale violence and destruction of…

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Valley remains tense, several injured in fresh clashes, Youth from Sopore succumbs taking death toll to 54

Editor

A youth identified as Ishfaq Ahmad Dar of Sopore on Sunday morning succumbed to injuries in SKIMS hospital. Ishfaq was ruthlessly beaten by armed forces on 23 July in Sopore. With this death, the death toll so far has reached to 54. Amid complete shutdown and undeclared curfew-like restrictions in many Kashmir areas, clashes were witnessed in Srinagar and various places in North and South of Valley in which at least 20 people including a girl sustained pellet, bullet and teargas shell injuries. Massive pro-freedom rallies and candlelight protests were held in…

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Follow programmes announced by resistance leadership: LeT to people

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The militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET), on Saturday asked people to follow the programmes of joint resistance leadership (Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik) in letter and spirit. In a statement the LeT spokesperson Dr Abdullah Ghaznavi while quoting the chief commander of the outfit Mehmood Shah said, “We respect the aspirations of Kashmiri people. We want to inform them that LeT only issues statements through newspapers and news agencies.” He said a few people are trying to defame the Kashmir struggle by issuing fictitious statements…

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US expresses concern over violence in Kashmir, Protests in Tokyo, Japan, Pondicherry against Kashmir killings

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The US has expressed concern over the violence in Kashmir and called on “all sides” to make efforts to find a peaceful solution to the issue as it wants to see the tensions de-escalated. “We encourage all sides to make efforts to find a peaceful solution to this,” state department spokesman John Kirby told reporters when asked about the ongoing violence in Kashmir. “We have obviously seen reports of the clashes between protesters and Indian forces in Kashmir. And we’re, of course, concerned by the violence, as you might expect…

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Curfew continues in Valley for 22nd consecutive day

Editor

Security forces have blocked all the roads as the resistance camp extended their shutdown call till July 31. Curfew and restrictions continued for the 22nd consecutive day across the Kashmir valley on Saturday following protests over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani. Security forces have blocked all the roads as the resistance camp extended their shutdown call till July 31. The security forces blocked all the main roads for maintaining law and order across the valley. The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a plea seeking…

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Geelani condemns attacks on Tourists, Amarnath Pilgrims

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Senior separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani on Friday condemned attacks on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims and tourists in the Valley and appealed people to beware of “those are out to defame the genuine struggle of Kashmiris”. In a statement issued here, the Geelani-headed Hurriyat group and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat said Geelani has distanced himself and his party from elements who reportedly indulge in creating confusion among the masses. These miscreants move on motor bikes and scooters distributing pamphlets among the people inviting them against Amarnath Yatris and the tourists, the statement said. “Some…

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#StrictCurfew to continue in Pulwama & Kulgam, Restrictions in other parts of Valley, Army blocks road in Kupwara (Kuligam)

Editor

Day 22 – Authorities on Saturday imposed curfew in two south Kashmir districts and restrictions in many other areas of the Valley. “Curfew shall continue today (Saturday) in Pulwama and Kulgam districts. Restrictions under section 144 of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) will continue in other places,” a senior police official told IANS. “Police and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel were deployed in different areas,” the official added. A massive protest march is heading towards Police post Kuligam in Lolab, Kupwara district against the closure of Kupwara –…

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