Month: February 2016

As soldiers fought terrorists, mosques nearby hailed mujahid

Editor

A large swathe around the Pampore encounter site resounded with praise for ‘mujahid’ (holy warriors) from loudspeakers as Indian security forces fought terrorists holed up in a building for three days. Mosques in localities like Frestabal, Drangbal, Kadlabal and Sempora played recordings throughout Monday eulogising the terrorists. Slogans like ‘ Jaago, jaago subah hui’ besides pro-Pakistan ( Jivey, jivey Pakistan!) and pro-Azadi (‘ Hum kya chahatey: azadi’) blared from the mosques’ loudspeakers. Hundreds of youth assembled across the rivulet at the site of the encounter in the Entrepreneurship Development Institute…

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Non-local skilled workers take up Kashmir’s famed art

Editor

Wood Carving In Its Last Throes Manzoor Ahmed Shah, 57-years-old, has seen the best of the times when the downtown area in Srinagar had hundreds of wood carving artisans. However, at present skilled artisans, knowing the intricate details of wood carving, can be counted on finger tips. Ironically, non-local skilled workers working in factories in Kashmir are taking up the wood carving as their means of livelihood. “Only few artisans are now working on wood,” said Shah in a low tone. Products made of walnut wood artistically designed by the…

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Domestic violence cases on rise in Jammu

Editor

Domestic violence cases in Jammu seem to be on the rise as registration of such cases in the women cell here has seen an upward trend during the last four years. As per the data obtained from the women cell, Jammu, more than 4,100 complaints were received here from 2012 to 2015 and the highest number of complaints was received in 2015. “During 2012, we received 924 complaints and we made complainants and accused arrive at a compromise in 888 cases. Only 36 cases were registered for further process,” said…

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Curfew-like restrictions in Pampore, adjoining areas to prevents protests

Editor

Curfew-like restrictions were imposed on Tuesday in areas from Pantha Chowk to Pampore around the Srinagar-Jammu highway to prevent protests against the death of three militants in a gunfight with forces yesterday afternoon. The militants died after a 48-hour-long gunfight with forces at the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Building (JKEDI) in Pampore area of Pulwama district. “Fearing law and order problems, the restrictions have been imposed from Pantha Chowk to Pampore,” said a senior police officer. Clashes had erupted in the area yesterday with youths trying to march towards the…

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Protests, clashes rock Pampore

Editor

Massive protests kept Pampore town and its adjacent localities on the boil on Monday while the encounter at Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) in Sempora area was underway. At least half a dozen people were reportedly injured during the day-long clashes. Although the youth in adjoining areas had started protesting since late Saturday evening when the gunfight started, clashes spread and intensified on Monday as people in large numbers engaged police and paramilitary CRPF personnel in pitched battles. Some of the protesters repeatedly tried to march towards EDI complex where the…

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Army caught between enemy bullets and ‘friendly’ brickbats

Editor

Bullets whizzed from the front while stones and invectives flew from behind when soldiers battled 50 hours to flush out terrorists from the 15-acre campus of a government training institute in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pampore. Tales of secessionist rebels regaining public support in Kashmir found credibility on Sunday and Monday as hundreds of residents in the saffron-rich Pampore region came out on the streets to defend the rebels. People chanted slogans for Kashmir’s azadi or freedom and threw stones and brickbats at soldiers fighting terrorists firing from positions inside the…

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Zee News producer quits over channel’s coverage of JNU row

Editor

A producer with Hindi television channel Zee News Sunday quit the organisation protesting against the coverage of the JNU row by the channel. Vishwa Deepak, a producer, said in his resignation letter, also shared on social media, “We journalists often question others but never ourselves. We fix others’ responsibilities but never ours. We are called as the fourth pillar of the democracy but are we, our organisations, our thoughts and our actions really democratic? “This is not just my question but everybody else’s too. The way JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar…

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Syed Ali Shah Geelani calls for shutdown across Kashmir in solidarity with the JNU students

Editor

Syed Ali Shah Geelani led Hurriyat Conference has called for a complete shutdown across Kashmir, Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal region on February 27, in solidarity with the students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University. The Hurriyat Conference referred to the crackdown on JNU students, harassment of Kashmiri students and slapping of sedition charges against SAR Geelani as ‘fascism and worst kind of state terrorism’. “India is ruled by Brahmin elite and they are trying to muzzle the voice of every minority and suppress lower caste people,” said Hurriyat Conference general…

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Pampore gunfight ends taking toll to nine, including 3 militants

Editor

The nearly 48-hour-long encounter ended today as security forces gunned down all three highly trained foreign militants who were holed up inside a multi-storey government building on the outskirts of the city. The militants, suspected to from the Lashkar-e-Toiba, were killed by special forces of the Army after an intense gunfight on the third floor of the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) building at Sempora, 15 km from here, on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. The General Officer Commanding of Victor Force, Maj Gen Arvind Dutta, said all three slain…

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Guv wants early ration distribution to 20 lakh new beneficiaries in JK

Editor

Governor NN Vohra has stressed upon early ration distribution to 20 lakh new beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. Reviewing implementation of the NFSA-2013 in a meeting held at Raj Bhawan here today, Governor directed Chief Secretary BR Sharma to ensure that there was no shortage of food grains in any part of the state while implementing the NFSA. The meeting was also attended by Secretary, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD), Saurabh Bhagat. The Governor was informed that before the implementation of the NFSA, 18.02 lakh…

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