Srinagar, August 17: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday initiated the process of attaching the house of a terrorist who killed a Kashmiri Pandit in Shopian, while his father and three brothers were arrested for sheltering him.
Police said Adil Wani killed Sunil Kumar Bhat in an orchard in a Shopian village on Tuesday and later took shelter at his home in Kutpora.
The security forces launched a cordon and search operation but Wani, a categorised terrorist of the banned Al-Badr outfit, fled in the cover of darkness after hurling grenades at the approaching police party, they said.
During the search operation, police also recovered arms and ammunition from Wani’s house, prompting the authorities to place his father and three brothers under arrest besides initiating the process of attaching their house.
Wani was identified by eyewitnesses and Sunil Kumar’s cousin as the person who fired indiscriminately at him and his brother while they were working in the apple orchard on Tuesday.
Earlier this year, Jammu and Kashmir Police had announced that it would start the process of “attachment of some immovable properties which have been used for purpose of terrorism as per section 2(g) and 25 of ULP Act (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act)” and asked people not to shelter or harbour terrorists/terror associates.
Under this provision, all kinds of properties that have been derived or obtained from the commission of any terrorist act or intended to be used for a terrorist act can be seized. (Agencies)
Kashmiri Pandit’s killing: J&K admn moves to attach house of terrorist; police arrest father, 3 brothers for sheltering him
Livestock, makeshift tent swept away after cloudburst hits near Jawahar Tunnel
Anantnag, Aug 17: A makeshift tent and cattle were swept away by a cloudburst near Jawahar Tunnel in Qazigund area of Anantnag district on Wednesday morning.
An official as saying that clouds burst after heavy rain in Jawahar Tunnel area.
He said that a temporary tent and cattle were washed away, but no one was reported to have died in the incident.
SDPO and SHO Banhal have reached the spot to find out more details, the official said.
Fourth phase of CUET begins
NEW DELHI, AUG 17 (PTI) The fourth phase of the Central University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG 2022 began Wednesday with nearly 3.6 lakh candidates scheduled to appear in the exam.
The CUET is the common gateway for undergraduate admissions in all central universities,
The exam for additional 11,000 candidates, who were to appear in the fourth phase from August 17-20, has been postponed to August 30 to accommodate their choice of city for centre, officials said.
According to the initial plan, all phases of the CUET-UG were scheduled to conclude on August 20. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which is responsible for conducting the exam, had later announced that all phases of the exam will conclude on August 28.
However, now the schedule has been further deferred and the exam has been split into six phases.
“The exam for over 11,000 candidates, out of 3.72 lakh candidates, has been postponed to August 30 to accommodate their choice of city for exam centre. The NTA has increased the capacity at centres and also added more exam centres, besides making efforts to ensure the quality of the centres is enhanced,” UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar had announced.
The second phase of CUET was marred by glitches prompting the agency to cancel the exam at various centres.
Kumar had said the exam was cancelled at various centres following indications and reports of “sabotage”. The exam in second and third phases was also cancelled at centres in Kerala and Itanagar due to rains and landslides.
BJP prepares strategy for party’s statewide expansion in Bihar
Taking lessons from the recent episode in Bihar politics that led to the formation of the Mahagathbandhan government, the BJP has now prepared a detailed strategy for the expansion of the organisation in the whole of the state.
The BJP has prepared a strategy to win more than 35 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In a meeting chaired by J.P. Nadda, in the presence of Amit Shah at the party’s national headquarters, the party has given clear instructions to its leaders in the state to strengthen the party’s base in the whole of Bihar, party sources said.
Senior party leaders associated with the state were told to expose the “deceitful” alliance by going among the public and winning more than 35 seats in Bihar in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, they added.
Bihar BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal said that all the issues related to the state were discussed in detail in the meeting.
Terming the JDU-RJD alliance as a betrayal and bringing back Lalu Raj from the back door, he said that the BJP will agitate from Parliament to the road in protest against it. Jaiswal also claimed that the BJP would win more than 35 seats in Bihar under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections.
Notably, J.P. Nadda and Amit Shah held a marathon meeting with the party’s national organisation general secretary B.L. Santosh, Bihar’s co-in-charge Harish Dwivedi, Union ministers Giriraj Singh, Nityanand Rai, Ashwini Choubey, Former Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Radha Mohan Singh, former Deputy Chief Ministers of Bihar Sushil Modi, Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi, former ministers in the Central and Bihar government Shahnawaz Hussain and Bihar BJP President Sanjay Jaiswal.
Sources said that the party will now tie up with only small parties in the state so that there is no hindrance in the expansion campaign.
DGP orders intense cordon & search Ops in Kashmir
Director General of Police, J&K Dilbag Singh, on Tuesday, rushed to South Kashmir’s Shopian District where he directed the officers to revisit the security plans of their respective jurisdictions and to remain extra alert. He stressed on intensified cordon and search operations to track down the terrorists and their support system.
The DGP’s visit to Shopian came immediately after terrorists shot two Kashmiri Pandit brothers killing one of them on spot and injuring the other.
The DGP directed the officers to further strengthen and augment the intelligence as well as security grids in their respective areas for the safety and security of the people.
The DGP said Pakistan and its agencies are constantly conspiring to create disturbance in J&K with an intention to create an atmosphere of fear among the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The DGP was accompanied by ADGP Armed, J&K, S.J.M Gillani and ADGP Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar. He chaired a joint security review meeting at Shopian.
The meeting was attended by DIG South Kashmir, Abdul Jabbar, Brigadier 22 Sector Neeraj Kumar, SSP Pulwama Ghulam Jeelani, CO 14th BN CRPF Vishal Khandwal, CO 34-RR Suraj Kumar Rai, CO 178 Bn CRPF Sujeet Kumar, CO-15 Garahwal, Ashitosh Tapliyal, SP Shopian, Ms. Tanushre, ASP Shopian, Ifroz Ahmad Mir and other officers.
Addressing the meeting, the DGP said that terrorists and their masters across the border are unhappy with the fast growing peace in J&K have once again targeted innocents and said that those involved in the barbaric incident would be brought to justice.
The DGP directed increased patrolling and area dominations to restrict the terror activities. All the suspicious elements that are providing any kind of support to terrorist activities should be kept under radar, the DGP directed.
He stressed stringent action against the elements found involved in anti peace activities. During the meeting, the DGP reiterated the importance of maintaining close synergy between the J&K Police and other agencies to meet the security challenges. He directed the officers to brief their respective officers and personnel on a regular basis.
The DGP was apprised by the officers of the security scenario of the district.
Later, the DGP visited 92 Base Hospital BB Cantt. Srinagar where he, along with GOC-in-C 15 Corps and Lt General A.S Aujla, inquired about the health of the injured civilian Pritamber Kumar Bhat, son of Arjan Nath Bhat, who along with his brother was shot at by terrorists in Shopian this morning and the ITBP personnel who were injured in a road accident in Pahalgam area.
The DGP and GOC-in-C 15 Corps met the doctors attending on the injured. They also met the family members of the injured civilian. The officers were briefed by the hospital authorities about the treatment being administered to the injured.
9,062 fresh COVID-19 cases, 36 more deaths in India
New Delhi, Aug 17: India on Wednesday recorded 9,062 fresh COVID-19 infections that took its tally to 4,42,86,256, while the number of active cases came down to 1,05,058, according to Union health ministry data.
The death toll climbed to 5,27,134 with 36 new fatalities, including six reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The active cases comprise 0.24 per cent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 98.57 per cent, the ministry said.
A decline of 6,194 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.49 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 4.38 per cent, the ministry said.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,36,54,064, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent, it said.
Six dead bodies recovered from a house in J&k
Jammu, Aug 17, : Six dead bodies including of a sibling and mother-daughter duo were recovered from a house in Sidhra Jammu on Wednesday morning. Police rushed to the spot after getting information and shifted the bodies to the hospital for a post-mortem. The cause of the death is not known yet. An official told that things will be clear after the post-mortem. He identified the deceased as Sakina Begum widow of late Ghulam Hassan, her daughter Naseema Akhtar, the brother-sister duo, Rubina Bano and Zafar Salim, issues of Ghulam Hussain, Noor-ul-Habib son of Habibullah, and Sajad Ahmed son of Farooq Ahmed Magray.
Terrorists Lob Grenades At Security Forces, Escape Cordon In Shopian
SRINAGAR, Aug 17: Terrorists lobbed grenades and escaped security forces’ cordon in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Wednesday.
Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Kutpora area of Shopian Tuesday night following information about the presence of militants there, they said.
“On specific input Security Forces launched a CASO in Kutpora, #Shopian. During search, #terrorists lobbed grenades on the search party. Search party also retaliated. However terrorists escaped due to darkness. Police & SFs busted a #hideout inside a house & recovered Arms/Amns.”, tweeted Kashmir Zone Police.
During the operation, terrorists lobbed grenades at the search party and the fire was retaliated. However, the terrorists escaped due to darkness, a police spokesman said.
He said a hideout was busted in a house and arms and ammunition was recovered. (Agencies)
Tragic loss of precious lives of ITBP personnel in JK fills me with sadness: Prez Murmu
New Delhi, Aug 16: The tragic loss of precious lives of ITBP personnel in an unfortunate accident in Jammu and Kashmir fills me with sadness, President Droupadi Murmu said on Tuesday and offered condolences to the bereaved families.
She also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Six personnel of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and a policeman died while 32 others — who were returning from Amarnath Yatra duty — sustained injuries on Tuesday when a bus they were travelling in fell in a deep gorge in Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The tragic loss of precious lives of ITBP personnel in the unfortunate accident at Anantnag, J&K fills me with sadness. My heartfelt condolences for the bereaved families. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured,” Murmu tweeted.