Leaders of India’s youth-led “cockroach” movement said the government has asked for time until Saturday afternoon to respond on their demand for the education minister’s resignation, after talks with two ministers on Friday. The talks came on the heels of activist Sonam Wangchuk calling off his 26-day hunger strike, a move that had fueled optimism for a potential resolution as massive crowds of aggrieved young demonstrators continued to occupy the national capital. Despite the dialogue, spokespersons for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have made it clear that their nightly sit-ins will persist unless Minister Pradhan steps down. The protests, which…
Author: KO Web Desk
India’s Supreme Court on Friday barred the unauthorised extraction, editing, uploading, sharing and monetisation of audio and video recordings of court proceedings on social media and other digital platforms, saying prior approval from the concerned court would be mandatory. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant issued the interim direction while hearing a public interest litigation seeking safeguards against the misuse of courtroom recordings through selective editing and circulation on digital platforms. The court said no person or entity shall extract, modify, disseminate, post, repost, upload or monetise audio or video recordings of judicial proceedings without prior permission from…
The ongoing wet spell across Jammu and Kashmir is forecast to weaken following Friday afternoon, according to Meteorological Department Director Mukhtar Ahmad. Following this, a lull is expected to set in, with no substantial or sustained rainfall anticipated across the region until July 27. However, conditions are set to change again starting July 28, as a new weather system is likely to bring heavy downpours, raising the risk of landslides, mudslides, and sudden flash floods. Reaffirming the accuracy of the previous forecast, Ahmad noted that the region experienced uninterrupted rain through the afternoon of July 23. Over the past two…
Sustained downpours across Kashmir on Thursday drove water levels in the River Jhelum steadily upward, with the Irrigation and Flood Control Department recording consistent rising trends at the majority of its gauge stations. Weather monitors have warned that if the current precipitation continues, the river is projected to breach the Flood Declaration Mark at the Sangam and Ram Munshi Bagh monitoring points within the next six to eight hours. As per the noon gauge readings, the Jhelum was recorded at 18.09 feet at Sangam, below the critical threshold of 21 feet, while at Pampore it stood at 3.87 meters against…
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday emphasized that countering militancy requires a strategy focused on winning public support, maintaining that security-driven actions alone will not ensure sustainable peace. CM Omar cautioned that punitive steps such as razing homes and conducting large-scale detentions could prove detrimental to the larger objective, appealing to the central government to open a dialogue with disaffected youth, asserting that their grievances can no longer be overlooked. The Chief Minister made these remarks while interacting with the media after participating in a startup-related gathering in Srinagar. His comments came in response to questions regarding the…
Authorities demolished the houses of two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district overnight, hours after a police head constable was shot dead while on security duty for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, officials said on Thursday. The residential houses, identified by officials as belonging to active militants Adil Thokar in Bijbehara and Haroon Rashid Ganaie in Hasanpora, were razed during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday as security forces intensified operations following the attack. The demolitions came after Head Constable Ashiq Hussain was shot dead by a suspected militant near Lal Chowk in Anantnag on Wednesday afternoon.…
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jammu and Kashmir’s governing National Conference (NC) traded accusations on Wednesday over responsibility for a recruitment examination paper leak, after Union Health Minister J P Nadda linked the region’s recent paper leaks to the Congress-NC alliance. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Nadda accused the opposition Congress of “selectively raising” the issue of examination paper leaks and cited several such incidents in states governed by the party or its allies. Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, Nadda said the recruitment examination conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) was leaked when the…
A Jammu and Kashmir police head constable deployed for security during the annual Amarnath Yatra was shot dead in a suspected militant attack in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday, prompting a massive search operation and heightened security across the region. Head Constable Aashiq Hussain Qureshi, 35, of the Indian Reserve Police’s 3rd Battalion and a resident of Budgam district, was attacked around 12:30 p.m. near the Clock Tower at Lal Chowk in Anantnag, police officials said. Qureshi was on duty near the entrance of Kotwal Gali when a gunman opened fire at close range before fleeing, according to a…
A policeman was shot and injured by unidentified gunmen in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday, according to initial reports. The injured policeman was shifted to Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag for treatment. His condition was not immediately known. Soon after the attack, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to track down the attackers. Authorities have not yet released details about the circumstances of the shooting, including the identity of the attackers. An official statement from the police was awaited at the time of publication. NOTE: This is a developing story and will be…
In response to the adverse weather predictions, the Kashmir administration has elevated the readiness of all governmental departments and operationalized 24-hour emergency control hubs across the valley. Divisional Commissioner (Div Com) Kashmir, Anshul Garg, confirmed that the entire administrative machinery has been fully deployed to ensure a prompt and effective response to any emergent crisis. While addressing the media in Kulgam, Garg stated that district authorities, disaster management teams, police forces, and essential service departments have been explicitly directed to uphold seamless inter-agency coordination and remain fully equipped to tackle any weather-related eventualities. “We have instructed all departments to maintain…