Month: April 2018

213 Militants, 80 Security personals, 40 Civilians, 2017 was bloodiest in past decade

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With all parameters of violence and conflict-related deaths marking a spurt in Jammu and Kashmir, 2017 has emerged as the bloodiest year of the decade, according to official data. The number of conflict-related deaths in 2017 totalled 333, which was three times higher than the lowest number of 102 deaths recorded in 2012, the calmest year in the region in three decades. The latest spurt in violence, most of it centred in the Valley is, however, part of the growing reversal of efforts to contain insurgency which is gaining increasing…

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Jammu communally-divided on Kathua rape-murder

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From VHP to civil society, everyone making peace efforts Former minister ‘spreading hate’ in public rallies Congress defaming Govt: Dy CM Three months after the brutal rape and murder of a minor girl in Rasana, Kathua, a debate has started across Jammu on whether the society had been divided on “communal lines” with certain politicians and rightwing groups “sowing seeds of hate and suspicion” creating a sense of insecurity among different communities. After the Amarnath land row agitation in 2008, Jammu witnessed a sharp divide among the different communities but…

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Two accused cops in Kathua rape- murder case move HC to quash Crime Branch probe

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The infamous Kathua rape and murder case on Monday took a new turn when two of the accused in the case filed a writ petition in the High Court seeking quashing of the Crime Branch investigation and a fresh inquiry into the case by the CBI. Advocate Veenu Gupta on Monday filed a writ petition on the behalf of Sub-Inspector Anand Dutta and Special Police Officer Deepak Khajuria. He said, “The chargesheet filed by the Crime Branch is full of discrepancies. “The investigation was shifted on three occasions from the…

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AFSPA goes from Meghalaya, restricted in Arunachal, Call for lifting from Kashmir Valley grows louder

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The Union Home Ministry has removed Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from Meghalaya and reduced it to eight police stations in Arunachal Pradesh, an official said on Monday. “AFSPA was totally withdrawn from all areas of Meghalaya from April 1. In Arunachal, it is down from 16 police stations to eight,” the official said. The Act has however been extended by another six months in three eastern districts of Arunachal Pradesh — Tirap, Longding and Changlang — which border Myanmar and specific areas under eight police stations of seven…

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PDP’s Political Affairs Committee likely to discuss coalition issues, Kathua case

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The Peoples Democratic Party’s newly constituted Political Affairs Committee (PAC), during its first meeting scheduled this week, will review and discuss the emerging political situation in J&K. The 11-member PAC — the party’s highest decision-making body — was constituted by PDP president and Chief Minster Mehbooba Mufti three days ago. “The PAC will meet this week,” PDP spokesman Rafi Mir told Kashmir Post. PDP sources said while no major decision was expected to be taken in the first meeting of PAC, all issues about the party, its alliance with the…

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Ahead of cabinet reshuffle, BJP ministers seek slots by playing caste card

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The BJP is facing pressure from MLAs seeking portfolios in the council of ministers based on their caste ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir cabinet reshuffle which is likely to be carried out before 27 April. The Governor’s Office and the Chief Minister’s Office is slated to close in Jammu and open in Srinagar in May. According to BJP leaders, they are seeking an adequate representation of different castes, including Scheduled Castes (SCs) MLAs, Gaddis (Hindu nomads), Rajputs and Brahmins in the council. Of the 25 MLAs, the BJP has…

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Why India cannot accommodate a small Muslim majority state: Former RAW chief A S Dulat

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Amarjit Singh Dulat, former chief of the research and analysis wing (RAW) and the former special director of the intelligence bureau (IB), criticised India for not being able to “accommodate Kashmir”. He was speaking on Kashmir and the need of the hour to solve the problem, while delivering a lecture at Patrakar Bhavan in Pune, organised by Kakasaheb Gadgil Pratishthan. “I do not think we understand how much a Kashmiri wants to talk and how much he wants to be heard. When there is so much chaos, no one wants…

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At Rs 74.40, petrol price hits highest level in BJP rule, diesel at record Rs 65.65

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State-owned oil firms, which have been since June last year revising auto fuel prices daily, raised petrol and diesel rates by 19 paisa per litre each in Delhi on Sunday. Petrol price hit on Sunday Rs 74.40 a litre — the highest under the BJP-led government — and diesel rate touched a record high of Rs 65.65, triggering renewed calls for a cut in excise duty to ease burden on consumers. State-owned oil firms, which have been since June last year revising auto fuel prices daily, raised petrol and diesel rates…

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Let media do its job, don’t give it masala: Modi to BJP leaders

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The Prime Minister’s comments assumes significance in the wake of opposition parties’ attempts to put up a united front against the BJP over Dalit issues. Do not blame the media for controversies that get created when you fail to exercise restraint, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers on Sunday. Interacting with them through the Narendra Modi app, he advised the MPs and MLAs against speaking on subjects they are not authorised to speak on by the party. The PM’s remarks come at a time when statements…

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BJP hits out at Oppn for ‘Demanding CBI Probe’ into Kathua Rape-Murder case

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The BJP, the junior ally in the PDP-led government in Jammu and Kashmir government, on Sunday accused opposition parties of playing dirty politics for their demand of a CBI probe into the alleged rape-and-murder of a minor girl in Kathua, saying only higher courts can transfer the case to the central agency as charge sheet has already been filed. It also came down heavily on self-seeking politicians and separatists in the Valley for misguiding the youth and appealed to students to resume their classes as all the accused in the…

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