An MBA, sole breadwinners, students with a passion for sports: The civilians killed during Pulwama gunfight

Five of the seven civilians killed in security forces’ firing near the scene of a firefight with militants in South Kashmir’s Pulwama on Saturday were teenagers. The rest were in their late 20s, married and only bread earners of their families. The youngest of them, Aqib Ahmad Bhat, 14, had recently cleared his Class 8 exams. According to his family and neighbours, he was a passionate cricketer. “For his batting prowess, he was called Virat Kohli… Three days ago, he had scored an unbeaten 75 in a match at the…

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Resistance leaders detained in Srinagar, protesting against civilian killings

Authorities on Monday imposed restrictions on people’s movement, detained separatist leaders and sealed the roads leading to Srinagar’s Badami Bagh Cantonment to prevent a march Kashmiri separatists had called to protest against the killing of seven civilians in south Kashmir on Saturday. The seven were killed after security forces fired on civilians when they gathered at the scene of a firefight with militants and allegedly threw stones in Pulwama district’s Sirnoo village. The separatists had called for a three-day strike and asked the people to march towards the cantonment on…

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Mahant Dinesh Bharati shouting ‘Hindus must have 5 children and each should be armed’ & J&K BJP chief watching, speech on stage

With VHP and RSS leaders on stage and Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina and three former state BJP ministers in the audience, Mahant Dinesh Bharati, a prominent face of the 2008 Amarnath agitation, said Hindus should have five children each and that they should all be armed. Bharati was addressing a dharam sabha organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Jammu Sunday, where Swami Jagadguru Hansadevacharyaji, head of the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti, an umbrella body of Hindu seers, was the chief guest. State BJP chief Raina and…

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Raise voice against ‘Atrocities’ in Kashmir: Pakistan to UN, OIC

Strongly condemning killing of seven civilians by government forces in Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday that “only dialogue and not violence and killings will resolve the Kashmir conflict”. “We will raise issue of India’s human rights violations in Kashmir and demand UNSC to fulfill its J&K plebiscite commitment,” he said. Earlier, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called on global human rights organisations to take notice of the “atrocities by Indian forces in Kashmir”, saying he was hopeful that the groups would…

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J&K beat Haryana by 130 runs in Ranji Trophy

J&K’s mentor-cum-player Irfan Pathan took five-wicket haul while as Umar Nazir took three wickets as J&K bundled out hosts Haryana for 91 runs in their second inning to register 130 run win in the match of Ranji Trophy at Chaudhry Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Lahli on Sunday. Having being reduced to 49 for the loss of four wickets by Irfan Pathan in chase of 221 run target, Haryana got bundled out for 91 runs in their second inning to suffer 130-run defeat. Soon after resuming their inning on third day…

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Kashmir, Chenab Valley shut against Pulwama killings

Kashmir observed a complete shutdown on Sunday against the killing of seven civilians and three militants by government forces in southern Pulwama district a day earlier, even as the police imposed strict restrictions in Srinagar’s Downtown areas to thwart possible pro-freedom protests and also placed the resistance leadership under detention. The call for shutdown, given by the Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, evoked a complete response across the Valley. Seven civilians including a teenager and an MBA graduate who had married…

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Army asks people not to march towards its HQ on Separatists Call

The army on Sunday asked people not to march towards its Srinagar headquarters on Monday on the call of separatists as the Kashmir Valley witnessed complete shutdown on Sunday to protest the killing of seven civilians at Sirnoo village in Pulwama district. All shops and business establishments were closed and traffic was off the roads. The train service between Baramulla and Banihal was also suspended. Restrictions were imposed in Pulwama and its adjoining areas, mobile internet snapped in south and central Kashmir while internet speed was slowed down in other parts…

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Kashmir Valley experiences Arctic conditions, Drass coldest at -19.7°C

Most places in the Kashmir division experienced season’s coldest night on Friday, even as the mercury continued its downward spiral in the Valley and the Ladakh region, MET officials said. The minimum temperature across Kashmir, barring Pahalgam, dropped due to a clear sky last night, they said. The officials said Kargil town recorded a low of minus 10.2 degrees Celsius. Drass in Kargil district had a low of minus 19.7 degrees Celsius and was the coldest place in Jammu and Kashmir. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius.…

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Post civilian killings GOI in spot over its Kashmir Policy

Delhi is caught in a spot over the killing of seven civilians in violent clashes in the aftermath of an encounter in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday morning that also raised a question about its policy on Kashmir. Three militants and a soldier were killed in the gunfight that spurred the violent protests with heavy stone-throwing at the soldiers from a very short distance. That created a situation that All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq described as the “continuing terror and trauma unleashed by the Indian security…

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Massacre: Forces killed 7 Civilians, injured 100’s near gunfight site in Pulwama

Seven civilians were killed and three dozen others injured in trigger-happy force personnel’s firing on protestors near encounter site at Sirnoo village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday. Three Hizbul Mujahideen militants including an army deserter and an army man were killed in the gunfight.A police official said a joint forces comprising 55 Rashtriya Rifles, 182 and 183 Bn of CRPF and Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K police laid siege around Sirnoo village at around 4 am. He said as the search parties approached a spot in village orchards between Sirnoo…

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