General News Archives | Page 4 of 378

J&K Statehood Row: Bureaucrats vs Assembly as Omar Abdullah Resolution Triggers Institutional Clash

September 29, 2026 Editor

Statehood Resolution Exposes Unusual Institutional Fault Line By: Javid Amin | 28 September 2026 Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood debate took an extraordinary institutional turn this week when the Union Territory’s top bureaucracy reportedly approached the Legislative Assembly Secretariat seeking to prevent the House from taking up a resolution demanding restoration of full statehood. Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and Law Secretary Achal Sethi reportedly sent separate communications to the Assembly Secretariat, arguing that the statehood question was sub judice and should therefore not be debated by the House. The letters…

Seven Dead in Kupwara and Kathua: Why J&K’s Mountain Roads Remain a Road-Safety Challenge

September 29, 2026September 29, 2026 Editor

Two Tragedies, One Question: How Safe Are J&K's Mountain Roads?

J&K’s Mountain Roads: When an Ordinary Journey Turns Into a Fight for Life By: News Desk | 28 September 2026 Five killed in Kupwara, two in Kathua as separate crashes bring the region’s road-safety challenge back into focus Srinagar: For the families involved, there was nothing unusual about the journeys that ended in tragedy. People were travelling from one place to another. Vehicles were moving along roads that thousands of residents use every day. Then, within hours, ordinary journeys turned into fatal crashes. In Kupwara’s Karnah area, five people were…

J&K Reservation Row: What Does an Open-Merit Student Actually Get?

September 28, 2026 Editor

PDP, BJP and other opposition voices are demanding debate and disclosure of the reservation review report. But beneath the political confrontation is a more basic question for thousands of young people: how many opportunities are actually open to an unreserved candidate? By: News Desk | 27 September 2026 Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir’s reservation policy has once again moved to the centre of political debate, with opposition parties pressing the Omar Abdullah-led government for a discussion in the Assembly and for the public release of the report prepared by the Cabinet…

Mehbooba-Mirwaiz Meeting Brings Kashmir’s Social and Political Concerns Into One Conversation

September 28, 2026 Editor

Mehbooba Mufti Meets Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in Srinagar: Drug Crisis, Youth Concerns and Kashmir’s Political Conversation By: News Desk | 27 September 2026 First formal interaction in years brings two influential Kashmir voices together as concern grows over substance abuse and other social challenges facing young people Srinagar, Sept 28: The meeting between Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq at the latter’s Srinagar residence has brought two influential but historically distinct voices in Kashmir’s public life into the same conversation, with drug abuse…

Ashok Koul Completes 12-Year Tenure as J&K BJP Organisational General Secretary

September 27, 2026 Editor

Veteran BJP Organiser Relinquishes Charge After Nearly 12 Years; Leadership Transition Comes Amid Wider Party Restructuring By: News Desk | 26 September 2026 Srinagar: Senior BJP leader Ashok Koul has relinquished charge as the party’s General Secretary (Organisation) for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh after nearly 12 years in the influential organisational post, bringing an end to one of the longest tenures in the BJP’s J&K organisational structure. The BJP has clarified that Koul’s departure should be understood as the completion of his tenure, rather than a resignation or removal.…

J&K Assembly Rejects Mandatory Government Schooling Bill: What It Means for Parents and Government Schools

September 25, 2026 Editor

J&K Assembly Rejects Mandatory Government Schooling Bill: The Bigger Question Is Whether Parents Trust Government Schools? By: News Desk | 24 September 2026 Sheikh Khursheed’s Bill sought compulsory government-school enrolment for children of public representatives and government employees. The government opposed compulsion, saying public schools must earn parents’ confidence through quality. But ground-level learning data shows why the debate is unlikely to end with the Assembly vote. Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly has rejected a Private Member’s Bill that sought to make government schooling compulsory for the children…

‘If People Lose Faith in Elections, What Is Left of Democracy?’ Omar Abdullah Seeks Corrective Action

September 24, 2026September 24, 2026 Editor

Election Commission Row: Omar Abdullah Warns Public Trust in Polls Must Be Protected

‘If People Lose Faith in Elections, What Is Left of Democracy?’ Omar Abdullah Seeks Corrective Action By: News Desk | 23 September 2026 Srinagar, September 24: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called for “corrective action” in the functioning of the Election Commission of India, saying that any sustained erosion of public confidence in the electoral process could have serious consequences for democratic participation. Omar’s remarks came after a report by The Indian Express detailed repeated objections allegedly recorded by two of the Election Commission’s three members over…

Hari Singh vs Sheikh Abdullah Holiday Row Rocks J&K Assembly

September 23, 2026September 23, 2026 Editor

NC-BJP Clash in J&K Assembly Over Hari Singh, Sheikh Abdullah Holidays By: News Desk | 22 September 2026 Srinagar: History returned to the floor of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, and it did not arrive quietly. A debate over government holidays marking the anniversaries of two of the most consequential figures in Jammu and Kashmir’s modern history, Maharaja Hari Singh and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, triggered noisy scenes, competing slogans and eventually a walkout by BJP legislators. The immediate dispute began when National Conference MLA Abdul Majeed Larmi…

J&K Govt Bars Renewal of Expired State, Nazool Land Leases: What Rule 12 Says

September 23, 2026 Editor

J&K Govt Bars Renewal of Expired State, Nazool Land Leases: What the Assembly Disclosure Means By: News Desk | 22 September 2026 Srinagar: A seemingly technical land question in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly has opened up a much larger issue over who can continue occupying government land, what happens when an old lease expires and whether long-standing commercial properties can simply be renewed under the new legal framework. The Jammu and Kashmir government has told the Assembly that expired State and Nazool land leases cannot be renewed under…

Srinagar Security Grid Gets a Review: IGP Orders Naka Realignment to Ease Traffic

September 22, 2026 Editor

Kashmir IGP Orders Security Checkpoint Realignment in Srinagar to Ease Traffic, Strengthen Surveillance By: News Desk | 21 September 2026 Sujit Kumar asks police and security agencies to reposition naka points, reinforce city entry and exit posts and use technology for faster coordination Srinagar, September 22, 2026: Jammu and Kashmir Police have begun a review of the security grid in Srinagar, with Kashmir Inspector General of Police Sujit Kumar directing officials to realign security checkpoints in locations where they can maintain security coverage while reducing traffic congestion. The directions came…