Srinagar: A 23-year-old army soldier was killed when his service rifle accidentally went off in Gulmarg area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Sunday.
Official sources told GNS that the soldier of 19 Grenadiers was posted at Dewar Gali post along the Line of Control in Gulmarg.
A police official confirmed the incident to GNS and identified the slain as Akshay Kumar of Haryana.(GNS)
Pulwama: In a shocking incident, a 13-year-old boy in Qasbayar village of Southern district Pulwama committed suicide after his younger brother didn’t let him play the game on a mobile phone.
The incident happened in Dangerpora Mohalla of Qasbayar village when the duo was playing inside their home.
Local people told news agency KNT that playing PUBG mobile game on the mobile phone, which probably belonged to their father, became a bone of contention between the two brothers. Consequently, the elder one gave up and ended his life.
The slain boy, whom locals identified as Asrar Ahmad son of Farooq Ahmad Bhat, died after he hanged himself. (KNT)
Srinagar: Army on Sunday said that it was hopeful that there would curtailment in recruitment by the “Pakistani militants and their freedom of movement will be controlled” in Shopian areas after the gunfight at Amshipora in the south Kashmir district on weekend.
“We got information about the presence of 4-5 militants in the village. At 02:45 hours on July 18, while the cordon party was in the process of laying the cordon, they came under heavy fire from the fringes of the cordon and after 5 minutes they came under fire from the centre of the cordon,” 2 Sector Commander Brigadier Ajay Kotach told reporters as per a GNS correspondent.
“The cordon party was redeployed; additional parties were rushed to the spot to strengthen the cordon. By 04:30 hours, the police and CRPF reached the operational site,” he said.
At 05:30 hours, he said, after there was visibility, a search party was moved into the target house which was ‘newly constructed single house.”
“While the search party moved in, they came under fire and in the ensuing action, three militants were neutralized,” he said, adding, “The dead bodies with arms and ammunition along with IED material were handed over to the police in situ as per the standard operating procedures.”
There was no collateral damage to civilian life or property, he said. “The J&K police successfully prevented the stone peters to interfere with the operation,” he said.
The army officer said that there has been the presence of Pakistani militants in the area.
“We are hopeful that there would curtailment in recruitment by the Pakistani militants and their freedom of movement will be controlled and we will be effectively dominate this area now,” he added. (GNS)
Srinagar: Two persons were arrested during a nocturnal raid in South HB Kashmir’s Pulwama hamlet.
The raid was conducted during the intervening night of July 18 and 19 in Drabgam village of the district.
Local sources told news agency KNT that armored vehicles entered into the village and conducted raids on two houses.
They said two youth were picked up, bundled into vehicles and whisked away to unknown destination. The locals identified the duo as Irfan Ahmed Rather son of Ali Muhammad and Sameer Ahmed son of Firdous Ahmed.
When contacted a police official feigned ignorance about these arrests saying they might have been picked up by Special Operation Group Unit for questioning. (KNT)
Srinagar: The decision of Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs in Kashmir Valley to continue with biometric authentication for the public distribution system (PDS), popularly known as fair price or ration shops, in all districts have created fear among employees as well as common people.
The biometric authentication had been suspended in wake of current Covid-19 pandemic.
An employee wishing not to be named said when everyone says no to the biometric authentication system to prevent Coronavirus, the situation for officials in Kashmir, particularly in the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs is altogether different.
“There are so many people mostly ignorant of Covid-19 infection who don’t make use of sanitizers during the process of biometric authentication at points of sale. This is a serious concern and keeping the alarming situation in view this biometric authentication should be suspended,” he said.
Some PDS dealers and beneficiaries told news agency KNT that biometric authentication can lead to spread of the infection if it is not managed properly. Some locals from South Kashmir’s Anantnag district alleged that they were told that they shall get their ration from their respective sale depots via biometric system only, where the ration card holder has to put their thumb impression on the machine.
Assistant Director Food for Southern district Anantnag, Wali Muhammad said that the department is upgrading and updating the Aadhar for identification, where the family has to authenticate the head of the family for the purpose. “Certain errors in Aadhar have crept in and to rectify those, we have started biometric authentication.”
People urged the administration to suspend biometric authentication as a precautionary measure to prevent possibility of spread of Covid infection which can easily spread through touch of objects like bio-metric machines.
Director Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) Bashir Ahmed told KNT that after and before the biometric authentication, one should use sanitizer properly. “Sanitizers are available at sale points and people should make use of them,” he added.
Pertinently, earlier Director FCS&CA had said that there is no biometric authentication procedure in vogue. (KNT)
Srinagar: Six more patients who were tested positive for deadly COVID-19 have died in Jammu and Kashmir, thus taking the total number of deaths due to the virus to 242 in the Union Territory.
Officials told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that patients who died include an 80-year-old woman from Rainawari Srinagar, a 59-year-old man from Turkawangan Shopian, an 84-year-old man from Kanispora Baramulla, a 50-year-old woman from Rajouri, a 75-year-old woman from Tumulahal Pulwama and a 70-year-man from Bunglow Bagh Baramulla.
An official said that the woman from Baramulla who was admitted on July 16 died at SKIMS on Saturday late night. He said the patient was suffering from bilateral Pneumonia.
He said that two patients including an 80-year-old woman from Rainawari Srinagar and a 59-year-old man from Turkawangan died at CD hospital.
Both the patients were suffering from Pneumonia and other ailments, he said.
Additional DC Rajouri, Sher Singh told KNO that a 50- year-old diabetic patient who was tested positive for COVID-19 passed away at Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu this morning.
An official from SMHS said that the 75-year-old woman from Tumluhal Pulwama who was suffering from many ailments, died at SMHS on Sunday.
An official from GMC Baramulla said that the 70-year-old patient who was suffering from some ailments died at GMC Baramulla on Sunday.
With six more deaths, the death toll related to COVID-19 has reached to 242 including 223 from Kashmir and 19 from Jammu—(KNO)
Kashmir is likely to get a relief from hot weather conditions as the Metrological department Saturday forecasted light rains between July 20 and 21 while its main activity would be Monday evening.
Director Meteorological Department, Srinagar, Sonam Lotus told that they were expecting light rains in scattered places of Kashmir from Monday till Tuesday afternoon.
“We are expecting a good spell of rains to occur at most places of Jammu, scattered places of Kashmir and at isolated places of Ladakh regions between July 20 and 21 with main activity on Monday night,” he said.
As per the weatherman, the spell would likely bring relief from hot weather conditions in the Valley.
In next 24 hours, there are chances of isolated to scattered light rain, thundershowers in J&K while mainly dry in the Ladakh region.
“There would be some respite from the heat as day temperature during the next two to three days was expected to drop a few degrees Celsius,” the weatherman said. “The temperature will rise again toward the end of this month.”
Srinagar: Hours after the doctors and other paramedical staff called-off their strike; the resident doctors on Saturday evening ‘fled from the hospital to save their lives’ after two of their colleagues and a security man were assaulted by the attendants at the cardiology ward.
Talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Dr. Bilal Ahmad Mir, Senior Resident General Medicine, said that a patient was very ill while a resident doctor who was treating the patient at cardiology ward was beaten by some attendants.
He said the resident doctor has suffered grave injury in his shoulder and has been shifted to Bone and Joint Hospital Barzulla.
Furthermore, he added that soon after the security man deployed there tried to save the resident doctors, he was also beaten like anything following which he suffered injury in his spinal cord.
The Senior Resident General Medicine further told KNO that a resident doctor who later reached the spot was also thrashed like anything and later suffered severe injury following which he was admitted in the emergency ward.
However, soon after the incident took place, the police reached the spot but till then the attendants involved in the act had fled from the spot. He further said that after the assault by the attendants, the resident doctors have fled from the hospital to save their lives and are currently in the park.
The doctors will resume their work only after the authorities ensure a conducive atmosphere in the hospital. Besides, proper security should be given to the doctors so that no one would even dare to touch the doctor and assaulting the doctor should be a non-bailable offence,” he added.
Furthermore, the Senior Resident General Medicine said that a minimum number of attendants should be allowed in the ward so that a doctor can treat the patient in a conducive atmosphere without any hindrance.
He added that it is very difficult for them to work in such a situation.
Principal Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, Dr. Samia Rasheed while talking to KNO termed the incident as ‘unfortunate’.
She had yesterday supported the doctors after they began strike after one of the female doctor was assaulted by the attendants—(KNO)
Srinagar: Strange but true is the fact that in Jammu and Kashmir, more than 36 percent of government-run-schools are using timber firewood and other tools to prepare the Mid-Day Meals (MDM) against the suggested Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
The Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) in its Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWPB) said that 36.89 percent schools providing MDM to students were using smokeless Chulha, firewood and other tool as a fuel to prepare it while the 63.14 percent were using LPG.
According to the MHRD documents, a copy of which lies with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), out of 22205 schools, only 14021 were cooking meals by using LPG
The Jammu and Kashmir authorities in a reply to the queries of MHRD regarding the steps taken to provide LPG as fuel in MDM in all schools said: “Instructions were already conveyed to the department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCSCA) to cover all leftover schools by providing LPG as fuel in MDM in all schools.”
The authorities also told MHRD that there were some schools located in remote and hilly areas where use of LPG is not feasible because of massive head load and therefore, “The timber is used for cooking of meals in those schools which has been found as the best alternative for those schools,” it reads.
The JK government also said that out of 11815 sanctioned kitchens-cum-store, the state has completed 7118 and the balance of 4697 kitchen cum-stores could not be completed within the existing rates prescribed by MHRD
In the financial year 2018-19, the JK government said it was using timber firewood as a major tool in at least 27 per cent of schools to prepare—(KNO)
Srinagar: The medical experts in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir Friday ruled out the possibility of transmission of coronavirus through reproductive organs stating that the recent studies have found no change or abnormal behaviour in a man or woman after proper research.
Kashmir valley was abuzz with the speculations after a number of unmarried and married people turned positive for the novel coronavirus whether the virus affects the reproductive capabilities of both the genders, however, the medical experts have ruled out the possible transmission.
Talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), valleys top influenza expert, Dr. Nisar Ul Hassan said that so far there is no evidence and study to prove that this virus affects the fertility of men or women and the recent study about the same has ruled out any change or abnormality in reproductive system.
He said the main reproductive organs of male have cells which contain receptors (ACE2), which are important for viral entry into the cells like other organs because the virus is believed to enter through these proteins on the surface of the cells which are present in all organs.
“In a recent study wherein 181 male patients were infected with this virus and they had recovered, the researchers didn’t find the virus in the semen of the patients though there were some hormonal changes during the infective phase in these men but the main sex hormone testosterone level remained the same in the infected individuals,” he said.
Dr Nisar said that there was no difference in the male sex hormone but some changes witnessed were temporary and after they (Patients) recovered these hormones came to baseline which can happen with any virus including this coronavirus.
“It was not studied what happens to the sperm count which is important whether there is any reduction in count and abnormality of sperm during the illness but then the researches drew the conclusion that there is no fertility issue as the virus was not found in the semen and there is no change in the main sex hormone,” Dr. Nisar said.
He said the research is reassuring and encouraging because it doesn’t affect the fertility capability of a person.
“There are ACE2 receptors in the reproductive organs (Ovaries, uterus) of women as well where hypothetically the virus could enter these organs through these receptors but there is no evidence as of now that the virus affects these organs.”
He said that there is no evidence about the pregnant positive ladies leads to the transmission of the virus from mother to the baby as there is no miscarriage so the results are encouraging for both male and female.
“As of now we have no evidence that there is any effect in fertility of men or women by the virus but we have to wait because the virus is new and these studies are early and conclusion has to be drawn by way of larger studies.”
He also said “we need to learn more about it by way of larger studies especially for the absolute conclusion and we need to follow these patients by way of sperm count and the quality of the sperms to be really sure that this virus doesn’t cause any problem in the reproductive system.”—(KNO)