Day: July 11, 2019

How a Hindu pilgrimage became militarised in disputed Kashmir

Editor

The Indian government has come under criticism for taking advantage of a spiritual journey to meet political ends. From a distance, several Indian soldiers blow whistles and wave their right hands frantically while holding AK-47 assault rifles chained to their bodies on the left. This is an order for all vehicles to pull over and stop on the main highway that links India-administered Kashmir to the rest of the world. The ritual is familiar to the regular commuters, many of whom grow restive and start cursing the Indian state that…

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Kathua Victim’s father moves Punjab HC, seeks death penalty for convicts

Editor

Just over a month after a Pathankot court convicted six of the seven accused in the Kathua rape-murder case, the victim’s father on Wednesday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the solitary acquittal and seeking death penalty for the convicts after describing it as “rarest of the rare case”. In the appeal filed through counsel Rajvinder Singh Bains and Utsav Bains, the victim’s father submitted that the trial court sentenced Sanjhi Ram, Deepak Khajuria and Parvesh Kumar to life imprisonment for “cold-blooded, planned brutal murder, without any provocation…

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Ice Stupas store hope for locals in Ladakh’s cold desert

Editor

Ice stupas — the man-made mini glaciers — are solving the water problem in the remote and cold desert region of Ladakh where less precipitation during the crucial spring has resulted in lack of vegetation. Sonam Wangchuk, an award-winning innovator and scientist who conceptualised the ice stupa, said the mini glaciers were being increasingly adopted in Leh district of the region where people face an acute shortage of water during spring months. Wangchuk said the ice stupas were now being replicated by the locals themselves. The idea behind the ice…

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Civilian flights from Awantipora airfield got Defence Ministry node

Editor

In a significant development, the Union Defence Ministry has approved operation of civilian flights from Awantipora airfield, a strategically important airbase managed by Indian Air Force in southern Kashmir. “‘In-principle approval for civil flights operations from Awantipora airfield under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) has been conveyed to Ministry of Civil Aviation in June, 2019,” reads the written reply of Union Minister of State Defence Shripad Naik’s to a question by Member of Parliament from Anantnag constituency Hasnain Masoodi about the steps being taken by the Ministry to transfer Awantipora Airport…

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