Category: Union Territory

The Quint

Watch Video:

Panpompar is a short film by #ArchanaPhadke and #AvaniRai, which was initially set in Maharashtra.
However, it eventually found its context when the story was moved to #Kashmir.

Panpompar:

A film by Archana Phadke and Avani Rai

Director: Archana Phadke

Director of Photography: Avani Rai

Creative Director: Avani Rai

Story: Archana Phadke

Screenplay: Archana Phadke, Avani Rai, Rahul Desai

Music: Shane Mendonsa

Sound Design: Piyush Shah

Editor: Archana Phadke

Additional Editor: Shefai Jamwal

Associate Producer: Shahnawaz Bhat

Dialogue Translations: Shahnawaz

Bhat Cast: Nowsheen Bakshi, Ahsaan Zahoor Wani, Nusrat Shafi Bakshi

A Avani Rai and Archana Phadke Production

Disclaimer: This video is not a work by Kashmir Today Staff.

No copyright infringement intended.

Srinagar: Even as the adminstration and people are struggling to come to terms with COVID outbreak, authorties in SMC seem to have given a free hand to some people to raise constructions in violation of norms and rules. According to RNA, Former Deputy Mayor and corporator Sheikh Imran has come up with a startling revelations that “money has changed hands” in SMC which has emboldened the violators to raise illegal constructions during the pendemic lockdown. In a tweet Sheikh Imran alleged,

“Illegal construction going on even in COVID at Mir mohalla malaratta padan opp. Al munawar plaza. Allegedly ward officer involved &have paid their bosses in smc. Why is chief enforcement silent? “

while demanding an end to illegal constructions forthwith and an impratial probe , Imran said,

” Illegal construction needs to be stopped as people have taken huge money. Needs demolition and probe.” – RNA

Gets trolled, Leaves Twitter and Instagram

Srinagar: Zaira Wasim, who rose to fame with her spectacular performances in films like Dangal and Secret Superstar, exited the world of showbiz long back.

She, however, manages to remain in the headlines for some of the other reasons, most of which are controversial. Recently, the former actress took to her Twitter and quoted a verse from the holy book of Quran, which, as per the netizens, justified the ongoing locust attacks in India and she was bashed left, right and centre.

Soon after receiving backlash, Zaira deleted her tweet that read, “So We sent upon them the flood and locusts and lice and frogs and blood: Signs openly self explained: but they were steeped in arrogance- a people given to sin – Qur’an 7:133.” This didn’t go down well with the netizens, who accused Zaira of being insensitive at a time when several parts of India are facing locust attacks and are under high alert.

A lot of them called Zaira anti-India.
A user wrote, “Well She just used a Quran’s verse to Justify Locusts attack on a country which offered her an opportunity in cosmopolitan city.

If one wonders how does a millenial who was offered an opportunity in uber cosmopolitanism, end up with so much bigotry and hate, she is mentioning the source also. pic.twitter.com/k3FOZrRvub

— Vikas Saraswat (@VikasSaraswat) May 27, 2020

I will again say, The Source of Hate & bigotry is something else, Education and Secularism can never become the answer to radical Islamism,” while another wrote, “If one wonders how does a millenial who was offered an opportunity in uber cosmopolitanism, end up with so much bigotry and hate, she is mentioning the source also.” (Agencies)

Srinagar: A day after averting a major militant attack on parallel lines with the fatal Lethopora blast last year, Police on Friday said it has identified the owner of the vehicle who happens to be an active militant of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen from Shopian district.

“The Santro car which was used for IED belongs to Hidayatullah Malik, an active Hizbul Mujahideen militant who is a resident of Sharatpora Shopian. He had joined militant ranks in July last year,” a senior police officer told GNS but wished not to be named.

Addressing reporters here on Thursday, Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said that a major incident of a “vehicle-borne IED blast”, akin to 2019-Lethpora type explosion, was averted by timely detection of the car fitted with “40-45 kilograms of explosives” in Rajpora area of southern Pulwama district.
He said the security agencies were getting inputs about a possible attack by the militants for some time.

“The police were receiving inputs since a week that HM and JeM militants were planning to launch a big suicidal strike against security forces using car bomb. When the input matured on Wednesday, we developed it and nakas were placed in Pulwama,” he said

In the evening on Wednesday last, he said, when the suspected car reached a naka, the joint team of forces fired some warning shots and the militant turned the car away and fled.

“At another naka, the forces again fired some warning shots and the militant fled from the spot, taking advantage of darkness, and left the car behind (near Ayengund). The forces used lights to check the vehicle from a distance after finding something suspicious.

We tightened the cordon and waited for the first light of the day,” he said, adding, “This (Thursday) morning, a bomb disposal squad reached the spot and saw the vehicle was laden with explosives.” The IED was later diffused in a technical way, he said.

Responding to a question whether the bid was like Lethopra attack in which at least 40 CRPF personnel were killed on February 14 last year, the top police officer of Kashmir responded in affirmative. “Definitely. He would have targeted any police or security forces vehicle.” (GNS)

NIA to conduct probe, entire plot to be investigated: Security officials

Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency(NIA) is all set to have yet another huge assignment of probing the recovery of 45 kilograms laden private car detected and destroyed by the police along with other security agencies at Ayegund area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar in the presser has said that militants were planning a major strike against security forces by carrying out a massive fidayeen attack. The car, he said, had 45 kilograms of explosives fitted in it which when destroyed, went up to 15 meters up above the ground.

Police sources said that this was similar to what Jaish-e-Muhammad outfit did on February 14 last year that left 40 CRPF men dead. “The explosive material used by the militants in the car destroyed today was same that of what Jaish had used in last year’s fidayeen attack.

Militants had used ammonium nitrate, gelatin sticks and huge quantity of RDX last year’s suicide attack at Lethpora, and same material was used in the car that was destroyed today,” they said. The IGP also named similar material used by the militants in the car destroyed.

A top police official confirmed to news agency KINS that today’s case has been handed over to NIA that will investigate the entire plot—”how militants got such a huge explosive material, where the car was prepared, whose car was it actually, how they managed fake number plate that of an two wheeler belonging to a person living in Kathua, how many militants were involved in the act and who supported the militants in preparing the car for the attack” the official said.

“It will be a similar probe to that of last year’s Lethpora attack. NIA nailed almost all militants of Jaish and even OGWs including a woman who had provided logistic support to fidayeen Adil Dar, who blew himself up after ramming the explosive laden car into the CRPF convoy,” the official disclosed, requesting anonymity.

NIA teams will rush to the spot early morning tomorrow, take samples, and also check the vehicle that was damaged by the Bomb Disposal Squad to supplement the probe.

The IGP Kumar in a press conference stated that it was a joint plot by Hizb and Jaish militants and the suicide attacker jumped two Naka’s after security forces fired a few warning shots and later left the explosive laden vehicle at Ayegund, Rajpora and fled from the spot.

However, the development has sent security agencies into a tizzy as questions are being raised what if the militant would have succeeded in his plan and how car was fitted with huge quantity of explosive material despite heavy presence of security forces in South Kashmir. (KINS)

Pulwama: District authorities here on Thursday ordered a time-bound inquiry regarding discharging six persons from a quarantine center in Tral without waiting for their test report which came out to be positive later.

In this regard, officials told GNS that a committee headed by Additional Deputy Commissioner has been constituted. Deputy CMO and BDO Tral are its members, they said.

The committee shall submit its report to the Authorities within a period of 3 days.

Pertinently, a few days ago a group of returnees having travel history from outside J&K were quarantined at Tral and were subsequently sampled for COVID-19.

CMO Pulwama said that sampling, quarantining and discharge of returnees is to be done as per the government order and is the domain of Block Medical Officer and his medical teams.

Upon preliminary verification it was surfaced that BMO Tral has “negligently” discharged 6 persons from the quarantine Centre without waiting for their test reports, he said.
While taking cognizance of the matter, Deputy Commissioner Pulwama Dr Raghav Langer ordered the probe into the matter.

He said such “sheer negligence” on the part of BMO Tral has made hundreds of lives vulnerable with a looming potential to spike a new series of infections in the district.

He said Special teams were deputed overnight to the respective areas for quarantining of potential contacts and subsequent sampling of the same. He said that preterm discharging has made the lives of their family members and other contacts vulnerable. (GNS)

Srinagar: Over 45,000 people have been tested negative for Covid-19 at Kashmir premier health care Institute SKIMS Soura here in Srinagar city.

Divulging information about the Covid-19 cases, Director SKIMS, Dr Abdul Gani Ahangar told news agency KNT that since the outbreak of Coronavirus, 49,679 samples were tested at SKIMS, out of which 48,894 were tested negative. He said a large number of Covid-19 suspected patients were found negative and the current trend shows an improvement in the recoveries of Coronavirus positive patients.

“Total number of samples tested at SKIMS till date stand at 49,679 out of which 48,894 were tested negative, while 785 were found positive,” he said.

Dr Ahangar said that 51 patients who were tested positive for Coronavirus have been discharged from quarantine wards while number of patients who were tested negative and discharged from quarantine wards till date is 417.

“Since the outbreak of this deadly disease, 482 patients infected with Covid-19 were admitted in the hospital.”

He said so for five deaths occurred in the hospital due to this disease. (KNT)

Bandipora: A 17-year-old girl died of electrocution after she suffered a shock from electric heater in her kitchen on Thursday.
The incident occurred at Chewa Bandipora here in North Kashmir.

Sources told news agency KNT that Bisma Jan daughter of Muhammad Yousuf Chopan suffered burnt injuries after receiving shock from an electric heater. She was rushed to SMHS Hospital Srinagar, where doctors declared her brought dead.

“The incident has been recorded as a case of accidental death,” said a police official. (KNT)

The improvised explosive device IED was safely defused

PTI

A vehicle-borne IED blast was averted as security forces detected a car fitted with explosives in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, police said.

The improvised explosive device (IED) was safely defused.

“A major incident of a vehicle borne IED blast is averted by the timely input and action by Pulwama Police, CRPF and Army,” the Kashmir zone police wrote on its Twitter handle.

According to sources, a white coloured private car was flagged by security forces at a mobile vehicle check point but the driver sped away.

They said the security forces fired few shots at the car, which they found abandoned some distance away.

During checking, an IED was found fitted in the vehicle, which was later defused, the sources said.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Government on Wednesday extended ban on 4G internet in Jammu and Kashmir till June 17, claiming that the reports received by it suggest spurt in infiltration by militants during the coming weeks.

“The reports suggest rise in the infiltration of (militant) during the coming weeks due to the onset of summer and melting of snow, which gets facilitated through use of Voice on Internet Protocol (VOIP) and encrypted mobile communication, being used by the operatives/anti-national elements to communicate with their handlers from across the border,” Shaleen Kabra, Principal Secretary Home Department said and ordered the continuation of ban on high-speed internet till June 17.

He said that the order has been passed by him on consideration of the overall security scenario and the reports of the law enforcement agencies inter-alia bringing out the necessity of speed-related restrictions on mobile data services to prevent misuse of the internet.

“I, Principal Secretary to the Government, Home Department, being satisfied that, it is absolutely necessary to do so in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the Security of the State and for maintaining public order, hereby order that the directions/restrictions shall continue to remain in force till 17th June, 2020, unless modified earlier,” he said in the order, a copy of which lies with GNS.

“The (IGsP), Kashmir/Jammu shall ensure communication of these directions to the service providers with immediate effect and ensure their implementation in letter and spirit,” he added.

He said from May 12 till date, the mobile internet services and even mobile cellular services (voice and SMS) had to be suspended, although for limited periods of time and in specific areas, in view of a number of encounters and militant incidents including Nawakadal, a highly populated residential area of downtown Srinagar, where restrictions had to be imposed for three days due to likelihood of “misuse of the data services by the anti-national elements for mobilizing the crowds and creating law and order situation.”

“There have also been multiple instances of (militant) acts including attacks on security forces -leading to even death of the SF personnel, and attempts to encourage (militancy) through uploading and circulation of provocative videos and false propaganda -largely relying on internet connectivity, to disturb the public order,” he added. (GNS)