India on Sunday rejected reported comments by Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten expressing concerns about press freedom and minority rights in the country, with a senior official describing India as a “vibrant democracy” that guarantees free speech to all. Jetten told reporters in The Hague before a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that “the Dutch government, too, has concerns regarding developments in India … not just about press freedom … but also about the rights of minorities, which are under severe pressure there,” according to Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant. Jetten said such concerns were “regularly raised” with India,…
Author: KO Web Desk
Jammu and Kashmir Police have registered a case to investigate the alleged religious conversion of an 18-year-old barber to Islam in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, officials said on Tuesday. The teenager has been identified as Vishal, a resident of Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh. Officials said police have taken cognisance of the matter and have registered FIR No. 133/2026 under relevant sections of law for investigation into the allegations. “A case relating to alleged religious conversion has been reported in Kupwara. Cognisance of the matter has been taken and an FIR under relevant sections of law has been registered,” a…
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir on Tuesday conducted house searches in Budgam in connection with a Rs 93 lakh land fraud case involving the alleged sale of migrant land and standing trees through fake agreements, officials said. In a statement issued, a spokesperson said that the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir of Crime Branch J&K conducted house searches at Semsaan area of Budgam in connection with FIR No. 17/2026 registered under Sections 318(4), 336(3), 340 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Police Station EOW Kashmir. He said the case pertains to an alleged Rs 93 lakh land…
Police in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district recovered narcotics in three separate operations conducted in the Sangam and Aishmuqam areas on Tuesday, registering multiple cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, officials said on Tuesday. In the first operation, personnel from Police Post Sangam carried out a raid at the residential house of Manzoor Ahmad Shah of Ikhrajpora, Marhama, following specific information. During the search, 3.340 kilograms of a charas-like substance was recovered from the premises. The accused was not present at the time of the raid. A case under FIR No. 131/2026 under relevant sections of the…
Awami Itihaad Party Monday said the Namaz-e-Janazah of Mohammad Khazir Sheikh, father of jailed Member of Parliament Engineer Rashid, would be offered at 2 pm on Tuesday in the Mawar Payeen area of Handwara in north Kashmir. In a statement, Inam Un Nabi, Chief Spokesperson, said the funeral prayers would take place at the family’s ancestral village in Mawar Payeen in Tehsil Qalamabad of Handwara. He described the late Mohammad Khazir Sheikh as a respected teacher and prominent figure whose death had been widely mourned across Jammu and Kashmir. The AIP spokesperson said Engineer Rashid was expected to arrive at…
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Awantipora has announced a fresh recruitment drive for faculty roles across multiple disciplines, offering a significant opportunity for medical professionals. As per Advertisement No. 67/2026, released on May 15, 2026, the institute seeks to fill 94 Group ‘A’ faculty positions. These vacancies span 40 departments and include 85 Assistant Professors, 5 Associate Professors, 2 Additional Professors, and 2 Professors. Online applications will be accepted from May 20 to June 18, 2026, through the official AIIMS Awantipora portal. The institute, established under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), operates under the…
Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid was on Monday granted bail to attend the last rites of his father, Haji Khazir Mohammad, who passed away after a brief illness at AIIMS Delhi. Family members said that Rashid has been allowed to participate in the funeral following his father’s death in New Delhi. Rashid has been granted bail till June 02, reported news agency KNO. Notably, Rashid was earlier granted interim bail on April 28 to meet his ailing father. After spending a few days with his family, he returned to Tihar Jail on May 6. The last rites of Khazir Mohammad Sheikh…
Haji Khazir Mohammad Sheikh, father of incarcerated Member of Parliament Engineer Rashid, passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences after a prolonged illness, family sources confirmed. 85, Haji Khazir Mohammad Sheikh was initially admitted to the Chest Diseases Hospital in Srinagar. As his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to SMHS Hospital and later referred to AIIMS Delhi for advanced treatment, where he breathed his last. Family members said he had been battling multiple health issues for a long time. Engineer Rashid, who is currently lodged in jail, represents the Baramulla parliamentary constituency.(KNS)
The crescent for the holy month of Dhul Hijjah was sighted anywhere in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, Grand Mufti Jammu Kashmir said. Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam Farooqi said that the testimony regarding the sighting of the moon was received from Kargil and parts of Jammu Kashmir. He said that as a result, the month of Dhul Hijjah (1447 A.H) will commence from Monday, May 18, 2026. The Grand Mufti further stated that Eid-ul-Adha will be observed on May 27, 2026 (Wednesday). (JKNS)
A Pakistani terrorist who infiltrated Jammu and Kashmir to carry out attacks for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba paused his operations to get a hair transplant, investigators were quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Mohammed Usman Jatt, also known as “Chinese,” told interrogators that life in Kashmir was completely different from what he had been taught in terrorist training camps, according to officials. He learned about hairline restoration from a shop owner in Srinagar and underwent the procedure in the city, the officials said Sunday. The National Investigation Agency is probing the case. Jatt, a Lahore resident and trained Lashkar-e-Taiba operative,…