Year: 2018

Even the dead and injured weren’t spared were robbed of belongings after Amritsar train accident

Editor

Call it heartless or sadistic, but what left many hopeless in humanity was when they realised that some rogues in the crowd had made away with the valuables of the helpless survivors and victims of the horrific Amritsar train tragedy that killed 61 and injured 143 on Friday evening. According to relatives and survivors, while they got their kin’s bodies back, they did not find the ornaments, mobile phones or wallets belonging to them. Jyoti Kumari, mother of Vasu (17), who died in the accident, said, “I lost my son…

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Stop celebration of sham elections, end bloodshed in Kashmir: Altaf Bukhari

Editor

Senior PDP leader and former finance minister Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari has said the central government and governor administration in J&K must now come out from its election related celebratory mode and focus on an immediate end to bloodshed of innocent civilians in Kashmir. Bukhari who is outside the country, has said that unfortunately the political mainstream has now been restricted to issuing statements on these innocent and unwarranted civilian killings in Kashmir. “Mere condemnation and protest statements won’t do,” Bukhari emphasized. He observed that time has come for the…

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BJP surges in Valley, slips in Jammu lost 51% of its vote within city of temples

Editor

Even as the BJP made inroads into several parts of the Kashmir valley owing to the poll boycott call by the two regional parties, it failed to retain its hold over Jammu areas. The party won a majority in 18 of the 79 municipalities across the state and the Congress 10. Voting was not held in 27 civic bodies in the Valley either because there was no candidate or only one had filed nominations for a ward. Of the total 1,145 wards across the state, elections were held for 716,…

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#HorseTrading; BJP placates rebels, reaches out to Independents

Editor

Following its failure to get a majority in most of the civic bodies in the Jammu region, the BJP has initiated the process of placating the rebels and is also luring Independents to manage the required numbers in various municipalities. While the party on Sunday roped in an Independent who won from the Nagri Prole Municipal Committee, former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta approached Udhampur MLA Pawan Gupta to muster a majority in the Udhampur Municipal Council in which the party has got only four of the total 21 seats.…

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BJP grabs Jammu, Independents win majority of seats in Srinagar

Editor

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the Jammu Municipal Corporation polls while Independent candidates won majority number of seats in the Srinagar Municipal Corporation. Counting took place at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC). Of the 74 wards in the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Independent candidates won 49 seats, Congress got 12 seats, BJP secured four seats, while in one ward no votes were polled and 8 seats remained uncontested. In the 75-seat Jammu Municipal Corporation polls, the BJP secured 43 seats, Congress won 14 while Independent candidates got 18 seats. Meanwhile,…

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Kashmir going through ‘Blackest Chapter’ of History: Resistance Leadership

Editor

Stating that “Kashmir was going through the blackest chapter of the history”, the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) on Saturday strongly condemned the killing of a pregnant woman in exchange of firing in Pulwama district o south Kashmir. The JRL headed by Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik expressed its serious anger and grief over the killing of of Firdousa wife of Khursheed Ahmed Sheikh of Shadimarg, Pulwama. “The gory incident in which Firdousa was killed who was six months pregnant reflects the nature of atrocities being…

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Bloodbath in Kashmir: 7 Civilians, 3 Rebels Killed, 100’s injured in Kulgam Gunfight

Editor

The civilian death toll has reached seven in Kulgam district after another civilian who was injured in a blast at a gunfight site, succumbed to his injuries Sunday late evening. Javid Ahmad Lone, 35, of Hawoora in Kulgam succumbed to injuries late last evening and his body was kept in the mortuary till he was identified by his family. South Kashmir’s Kulgam district witnessed a bloodbath on Sunday leaving seven civilians killed after government forces left the gunfight site killing three militants. The three militants were killed on Sunday morning…

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Srinagar Downtown; Once a commercial hub now a victim of frequent restrictions

Editor

An eerie calm, spools of concertina wire, forces personnel in riot-gear dotting the deserted streets and traumatised faces of young and old: This is the most simplified description of Srinagar’s Downtown—once a bustling commercial hub—by its residents braving the brunt of frequent restrictions imposed by the forces there. According to residents of Downtown areas, the frequent imposition of curfews and disallowing of congregational Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid have taken a serious toll on people of all ages and professions. The worst-hit, the residents say, are once-bustling markets of Mahraj…

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Congress wins Anantnag, Leh, BJP makes its mark in Kashmir

Editor

Results of 17 seats from Bandipora in north Kashmir BJP: 3 Cong: 12 Independent: 2 Results of 13 seats from Uri in North Kashmir’s Baramulla BJP: 0 Congress: 6 Independent: 7 All the 13 wards of Kupwara municipality in north Kashmir won by Independents. In Handwara municipality, which is bastion of people’s conference, six Independents have won while as one ward has been gone to BJP. The six Independents are People’s Conference candidates BJP sweeps the Mattan municipality in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Five wards won by BJP and two…

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Post IED Blast forces went wild in Trichil village, beat inhabitant, destroyed property

Editor

At least 15 persons including eight women were injured when government forces thrashed people at Trichil village in southern Pulwama district late last night, local residents alleged on Friday. The army’s Srinagar-based spokesman however said they were “ascertaining the details.” Residents of Trichil alleged that soldiers barged into their houses at around 9.50 pm on Thursday and started beating people mercilessly. The incident, they said, took place after militants triggered an improvised explosive device in the area at around 9 pm (Thursday), causing injuries to at least seven soldiers. “We…

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