Day: September 3, 2023

Stabbing in Srinagar Claims Life of Teenager

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Stabbing in Srinagar Claims Life of Teenager

A juvenile on Saturday stabbed to death a 15-year-old boy in Srinagar, sending shock waves across the city. The incident happened in Chinar Bagh area of Dalgate in Srinagar and the accused was arrested. “A juvenile (name withheld) apprehended for stabbing and murdering a 15-year-old boy in Chinar Bagh area. The weapon of offence was also recovered on the instance of the accused. This knife was thrown by the accused in a marshy area after the crime. FIR No 36/2023 was registered in Kothibagh Police Station,” Police said in a…

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Kashmir’s Mental Health Crisis: The Invisible Scars of Conflict

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Kashmir's Mental Health Crisis: The Invisible Scars of Conflict

After consulting with several doctors in the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir, Aayat Hameed was advised to seek help from a mental health expert for her bouts of unspecified anxiety, random palpitation attacks and occasional but strong suicidal thoughts. A psychiatrist diagnosed her with acute depression. On a recent hot summer day, Hameed was among scores of other patients visiting a mental health clinic in Srinagar, where she had been undergoing rounds of counselling along with prescription medication. “I realized seeing a psychiatrist or reaching out to someone you trust…

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Kashmir Grapples with Prolonged Dry Spell: 80% of Region Experiencing Moderate to Severe Dryness

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Kashmir Grapples with Prolonged Dry Spell: 80% of Region Experiencing Moderate to Severe Dryness

By Faizan Arif Over the past four weeks, Jammu and Kashmir has been grappling with a significant shortfall in rainfall. According to India Meteorological Department data related to the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), approximately 80 percent of the area in Kashmir region (8 out of 10 districts), has been impacted by moderate to extreme dryness between August 3rd and August 30th. The SPI, relying on precipitation data, is a widely utilized index for characterizing meteorological drought on a range of timescales. This index is negative for drought and positive for…

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Combatting Youth Drug Addiction: A Multi-Front Battle in Kashmir, from Mosques to Classrooms

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Combatting Youth Drug Addiction: A Multi-Front Battle in Kashmir, from Mosques to Classrooms

Religious centres and educational institutions are assuming a new role in Kashmir by doubling up as counselling and testing centres to curb the fast-spreading menace of drugs. These rare interventions come as the Valley is battling a drug addiction crisis; over 10 lakh people were officially designated drug addicts by the Jammu and Kashmir administration this year. Otherwise restricted for the clergy, the pulpit at Magam Imambara in north Kashmir’s Baramulla, where Shia Muslims organise large religious congregations, recently saw Muzaffar Khan, a clinical psychologist who heads the Drug De-Addiction and Rehabilitation…

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