Jammu , January 2: A grenade was hurled targeting a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) vehicle in Srinagar on Sunday night, as reported by the news agency ANI. The incident occurred at Srinagar’s MK Chowk. However, the grenade missed the target and caused injury to a local boy.

“There was an attempt to throw a grenade on a CRPF vehicle in a crowded area of MK Chowk, Srinagar. it missed the target and caused a minor splinter injury to one local boy. Operations were launched in the area to nab the culprit,” said Srinagar Police as quoted by ANI. Further details on the matter are awaited.

In another incident, four civilians were killed and six others injured in a suspected terrorist attack in a village of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Sunday. The attack on civilians took place at upper Dangri village, about eight kilometers from Rajouri town, Additional Director General of Police, Jammu zone, Mukesh Singh was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

“Firing took place at three houses, separated at a distance of around 50 meters from each other,” said Singh, while speaking to the media.

“Two armed men are allegedly involved in this firing,” he added. Injured were rushed to a government hospital where the condition of two was said to be serious.

“As per info, two terrorists came and targeted three houses in the upper Dangri area. 4 casualties were reported. Search operation on. Police, CRPF, and Army troops have cordoned off the area. We will try to neutralise the 2 terrorists soon,” Mukesh Singh, ADGP Jammu Zone said, as per news agency ANI. Security forces have launched a search operation in Rajouri to nab the attackers.

Earlier in the day, suspected terrorists snatched a weapon from a Central Reserve Police Force personnel in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. “Incident of weapon snatching of security personnel reported from Rajpora area of Pulwama,” the Jammu and Kashmir police said.

SRINAGAR, Dec 31:  People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India over the state of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the letter, Mufti accused the judiciary of not taking cognisance of the ‘situation’ in Jammu and Kashmir.

She said the people of the Union Territory are being subjected to cruelty and their fundamental rights are being violated.

“The fundamental rights enshrined in the Indian constitution & guaranteed to all Indian citizens are being brazenly impinged upon. Unfortunately, it is these basic rights that have now become luxuries & entitlements bestowed upon only those select citizens who toe the Government’s line on political, social & religious matters,” the letter read.

“Since 2019, the fundamental rights of every resident of J&K have been suspended arbitarily & the constitutional guarantees given at the time of J&K’s accession were suddenly & unconstitutionally abrogated,” Mehbooba Mufti mentioned in her letter to the CJI.

Further, the PDP chief mentioned that the government has withheld her, her daughter’s and her mother’s passports.

“There are countless examples of common citizens, journalists, mainstream political workers and social activists who are bearing the brunt of such oppressive arbitrary decisions that trample upon their core rights & freedoms,” the letter read.

Earlier this month, Mufti had also commented on the tensions between India and China on the border in Arunachal Pradesh.

Describing it as “a very sorry state of affairs”, the PDP chief said it was unfortunate that the BJP was doing nothing about it.

“They have occupied our land in Ladakh. They have also occupied land in Arunachal Pradesh, as per the statement by a BJP MP. But, unfortunately, the BJP is doing nothing about it,” Mufti told reporters.

SRINAGAR, Dec 31: Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri (SSG) road connecting Ladakh Union Territory was put through for vehicular traffic after clearing off the snow, officials said on Saturday.
The Historical Mughal road remained closed for the third consecutive day due to accumulation of snow.
Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri road connecting Ladakh with Kashmir valley was closed for vehicular traffic on Friday following a fresh snowfall on Zojila pass and other spots.
However, Border Roads Organization (BRO) responsible for the maintenance of the highway pressed into service men and machinery cleared the road off snow. The road was put through for vehicular traffic, a traffic police official said.
Mughal road connecting Shopian district in south Kashmir with the twin district of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu division remained closed for the third consecutive day on Saturday due to accumulation of snow at Peer Ki Gali.
Gurez-Bandipor, Sadna top and Razdan Top, Keran in Kupwara roads in north Kashmir also remained closed for vehicular traffic due to accumulation of snow.

Srinagar, Dec 31: Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday said that there was a 37% decline in terrorist recruitments this year as compared to last year.

“This year, 100 fresh recruitments into terrorist ranks were reported showing a decline of 37% compared to last year. Maximum (74) joined LeT. Out of total recruitment, 65 terrorists neutralised in encounters, 17 terrorists arrested and 18 terrorists are still active,” said the ADGP Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, in a tweet.

In 2022, he said 93 successful encounters took place in Kashmir in which 172 terrorists including 42 foreign terrorists got neutralised. “Maximum terrorists neutralised from LeT/TRF(108) outfit followed by JeM (35), HM (22), Al-Badr (4) and AGuH(3) outfits,” he added.

Kumar said the life span of newly recruited terrorists declined drastically, this year. “Out of total 65 newly recruited terrorists killed this year, 58 (89%) were neutralised within first month of their joining,” he added.

The ADGP said that huge quantities of weapons were recovered this year. “…360 weapons that included 121 AK series rifles, 08 M4 Carbine & 231 pistols. Besides, timely seizure of IEDs, Sticky Bombs and Grenades averted major terror incidents,” he said, in a series of tweets.

Civilian Killings

On civilian killings, he said 29 civilians were killed by terrorists, including 21 local residents (6 Hindus, including 3 Kashmiri Pandits, & 15 Muslims) and eight from other states. “All terrorists involved in these terror crimes have been neutralised except Basit Dar & Adil Wani who will be neutralised soon,” he said.

The ADGP said that 26 security forces personnel were killed this year, including 14 cops of Jammu and Kashmir Police. “During the year, total 26 Security Forces personnel including 14 JKP personnel attained martyrdom during terror attacks/encounters. Majority of terrorists involved in these terror crimes have been neutralized,” he said.

Kumar said that they have observed two “remarkable changes” in the society. “House owners started denying shelter to terrorists and Parents don’t feel proud if their wards join terrorism. Rather they appeal them to return, curse terrorists openly & work with JKP for the return of their wards,” said the ADGP.

SRINAGAR, Dec 31: Mercury plunged to season’s lowest in famous resorts of Pahalgam and Gulmarg, recording a low of minus 9.0°C and 8.0°C respectively, even as most other places saw a rise in minimum temperature on Saturday.
A meteorological department official said that Srinagar recorded a low of 0.4°C against last night’s minus 0.3°C. The temperature was 2.5°C above normal for the summer capital, the official said. Srinagar, which witnessed mist this morning, has so far seen the coldest temperature this season on December 25 when mercury plummeted to minus 5.8°C.
Qazigund recorded a low of 0.5°C against minus 2.0°C on the previous night. The temperature was 2.8°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, he said.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 9.0°C against minus 4.9°C on the previous night. The minimum temperature was 3.8°C below normal and the coldest night recorded this season in the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, he said.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 0.6°C against minus 2.0°C on the previous night, he said. It was 2.1°C above normal for the place, he said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 8.0°C against minus 5.5°C on the previous night, the official said. It was 1.8°C below normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, the official said.
In Kupwara town, the mercury settled at minus 1.1°C against minus 0.8°C on the previous night in the north Kashmir area, he said. The official said that the temperature was 2.1°C above normal.
Jammu recorded a low of 6.1°C against 7.3°C on the previous night. It was 1.3°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital which also remained engulfed in fog this morning, he said.
Banihal recorded a low of 1.2°C (above normal by 0.5°C), Batote 1.4°C (below normal by 0.87°C), Katra 6.2°C (0.4°C below normal) and Bhadarwah 1.0°C (2.4°C above normal).
In Ladakh, Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 13.6°C and 10.2°C respectively, the official said.
Kashmir is under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day long harsh winter period that started on December 21. It does not mean an end to the winter either. It is followed by a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that occurs between January 30 and February 19 and a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which is from February 20 to March 1.
Regarding the forecast, the MeT official said that mainly dry weather was expected with a fall in minimum temperature across J&K till January 8.