Kashmir.Watch

Category: Union Territory

  • Pakistan now sending COVID-infected militants into J&K: DGP

    Srinagar: Dilbag Singh, J&K Director General of Police (DGP) said on Wednesday that Pakistan is now pushing militants suffering with the coronavirus infection into the union territory.

    Singh visited quarantine centres in north Kashmir Ganderbal district earlier in the day, especially the one set up inside the Police Training School (PTS) Manigam in the district.

    In addition to reviewing the required facilities at the quarantine centre, the police chief also took a review meeting of the security situation in the area.

    Interacting with some media persons during his visit, the police chief said till now Pakistan had been sending militants with arms and ammunition into J&K, now the neighbouring country is pushing in militants who are infected with COVID-19.

    Singh cautioned people to watch out for these infected militants who could spread the virus in areas they hide in or visit during their subversive activities.

    During the recent days there has been a spurt in militant violence in Kashmir. Four militants were killed earlier in the day in a gunfight with the security forces in Shopian district of Kashmir.

    (IANS)

  • 27 more test positive, Kashmir tally rises to 351

    Srinagar: Twenty seven more persons tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the number of COVID-19 patients in Kashmir to 351.

    Of these cases, sources told GNS that 25 cases were confirmed at SKIMS Soura and two at Chest Disease hospital laboratories.

    Of the twenty five samples which returned positive at SKIMS include 14 from Shopian, 6 from Bandipora, 4 from Kupwara and one from Baramulla.

    Two of the tests which returned positive at CD are from one each from Anantnag and Bandipora district. (GNS)

  • 25 more test positive in SKIMS, toll mounts to 405 in J&K

    Srinagar, April 22: 25 more persons were tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday in Kashmir, taking the total number of cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 405 in Jammu and Kashmir.

    An official told news agency KINS that total 489 samples tested overnight at SKIMS in which 25 tested positive for COVID-19 virus.

    The total number of positive cases in J&K now stands at 405.(KINS)

  • Cyber Police Books Journalist Gowhar Geelani for ‘unlawful activities’

    Srinagar: Two days after booking two Kashmir journalists, J&K Police have registered another case against freelance journalist and author Gowhar Geelani for “indulging in unlawful activities by using social media.”

    Gowhar Geelani is a freelance journalist and author of the book ‘Kashmir: Rage and Reason.’ He has worked as Editor with Voice of Germany and appears as a commentator in various TV debates.

    In a statement, police said: “Cyber Police Station Kashmir Zone, Srinagar, has received information through reliable sources that an individual namely Gowher Geelani is indulging in unlawful activities through his posts and writings on Social Media platform which are prejudicial to the national integrity, sovereignty and security of India. The unlawful activities include glorifying terrorism in Kashmir Valley, causing disaffection against the country and causing fear or alarm in the minds of public that may lead to commission of offences against public tranquility and the security of State.”

    “Several complaints have also been received against the said individual for threatening and intimidation,” said the statement. A Case FIR No. 11/2020 under the relevant sections of law has been registered at Cyber Police Station Kashmir and investigation initiated,” added the statement. The is 3rd such FIR registered against the media fraternity in last three days in Kashmir. Earlier, FIRs were registered in Cyber Police Station Srinagar and Police Station Anantnag. In those FIRs, freelance photojournalist Masrat Zahra and Peerzada Ashiq of The Hindu were booked and questioned.

    Gowhar termed the FIR as “shocking.”

    “This is beyond shocking that new and ugly pattern has started in Kashmir to hound and silence journalists,” he told that. “I am a published author and journalist for over 15 years who has reported the Kashmir conflict, German elections, European recession and other events globally with professionalism.”

  • Two militants killed in J&K’s Shopian

    Security forces launch a cordon and search operation in the Melhora area

    PTI

    Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on Wednesday, police said.

    Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Melhora area of Shopian Tuesday night following information about the presence of militants there, a police official said.

    He said the hiding militants opened fire at the security forces, who retaliated, triggering a gun battle.

    Two militants have been killed so far in the operation, which was going on till the last reports were received, the official said.

    The identities of the slain militants are being ascertained, he added.

  • Encounter breaks out in Melhoora Shopian

    Shopian: An encounter broke out between government forces and militants in Melhoora village of Zainapora Sub division of South Kashmir’s Shopian district on Tuesday evening.

    An official told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that on specific inputs about the presence of militants, a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) was launched in the area by joint team of forces including 55 RR and Zainapora Police.

    During the searches, the hiding militants fired upon forces, which was retaliated, triggering an encounter, he said. Two to three militants are believed to be trapped in, officials said.

    The operation was under way when the report was last filled—(KNO)

  • Give reasons for not restoring 4G in J&K, SC tells Centre, UT

    Petitioners says lack of proper access to 4G is handicapping business, education and health services during lockdown.

    PTI

    The Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir administration objected in the Supreme Court on Tuesday to the idea of restoring 4G mobile Internet connectivity in the Union Territory during the COVID-19 lockdown, saying it would affect national security.

    However, petitioners, including the Foundation for Media Professionals, said the lack of proper access to 4G Net was handicapping business, education and health services during the lockdown.

    A Bench led by Justice N.V. Ramana, hearing the case through videoconferencing, directed the J&K administration and the Union government to file a counter-affidavit spelling out each and every reason why they are averse to restoring 4G in the Union Territory. The court ordered them to file by April 26. It listed the case for further hearing on Monday (April 27).

    Attorney General K.K. Venugopal cited militancy as a major hurdle in restoring 4G in the Valley. Hundreds violated the lockdown recently to attend the funeral of slain militants.

    Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmedi, for one of the petitioners, countered that 4G access could be restored in areas which were not tense.

    Advocate Charu Ambwani submitted that the future of over 25 lakh students in J&K were at stake as their schools were unable to hold classes.

    To Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s query as to whether these children did not have laptops and tablets, Ms. Ambwani said these gadgets hardly served any purpose without proper connectivity.

    Both Mr. Venugopal and Mr. Mehta said the authorities would file a consolidated report highlighting the issues that need to be brought to the court’s attention in the case.

    In fact, the court had issued formal notice in the case on April 9 itself. The authorities were supposed to have filed their replies by April 21. However, the government sought more time.

    The petitions submitted that doctors, patients and the general public were unable to access the latest information, guidelines, advisories, daily updates and restrictions on COVID-19.

    ‘A tool in fight against COVID-10’

    The petition filed by the Foundation for Media Professionals through its president and journalist Paranjoy Guna Thakurta and represented by advocate Shadan Farasat said the “citizens in Jammu & Kashmir should not be deprived of facilities that are already available to Indians across the country, i.e., effective and speedy Internet, an indispensable tool in the struggle against COVID-19”.

    It said, “The restriction in respect of mobile internet speeds effectively amounts to a targeted roll-back of such rights in respects of the residents of Jammu & Kashmir.” It pointed out that Internet in J&K had been restricted for over seven months, following the abrogation of the special status of the Kashmiri people under Article 370 in August 2019. It specifically challenged the Internet restricting order issued by the government on March 26. It said the right to Net connectivity had repeatedly been recognised by the Centre as a “basic necessity or an essential service to ensure the right to health”.

    The lockdown guidelines on March 24 had exempted “telecommunications, Internet services, broadcasting and cable services. IT and IT enabled services only [for essential services] and as far as possible to work from home”.

    The petition said there was need for real-time information, which the restricted Internet services running on the outdated 2G speed, largely used to receive and send text messages, cannot provide.

    It pointed that 4G was necessary in various critical fields, from telemedicine to supply of medical supplies to academics to online video consultations to professions and even commerce and trade in this time of complete lockdown.

    Not restoring the mobile Internet speed to 4G in J&K, in line with the rest of the country and in the light of the pandemic, on the “vague” ground of national security was a violation of the fundamental rights of life, dignity, free speech and shows non-application of mind.

  • SMHS Shifts COVID-19 Isolation To Casualty, Doctors Says It’ll Lead To Disaster

    Srinagar: The SMHS hospital Srinagar has shifted COVID-19 isolation ward to casualty, triggering concern among doctors and general patients.

    A number of doctors who spoke to GNS said that the decision will lead to a disaster and requested the authorities to reconsider the decision. Rather, they urged them to shift the isolation ward where there is least public movement.

    “The casualty itself means that there will be the rush of patients which cannot be controlled as all of them are acute cases,” a doctor said but requested anonymity.

    Opposite to the isolation ward, the doctor says, is the medicine casualty ward and whosoever comes out from there will have to pass through the same lobby as the isolation ward.

    “There are many wards in the hospital which are lying vacant but the administration has failed to create an isolation ward in those places for reasons better known to them,” the doctor added.

    Another doctor said that the way to CT scan and X-ray is through the isolation ward. “There is no justification in having the isolation ward in the casualty which is a common pathway for all the patients and staff,” the doctor, who also urged not be named, said. “I can tell you, the SMHS hospital is going to burst anytime with the infection of coronavirus,” the doctor said, adding, “The word isolation means that there should be nobody around and imagine medicine casualty just opposite to isolation and then CT and X-ray share the common way”.

    The doctor said that the wards are lying vacant but the administration is unable to shift the isolation in any of them.

    An official from the administration termed the decision unfair and perplexing. “The decision seems to be deliberate as it would ensure patients despite complication will avoid visiting the hospital,” the official said. “It seems to be an unjust decision and needed to be reconsidered immediately.

    When contacted by GNS, Medical Superintendent of the hospital Dr Nazir Choudhary refused to comment over the decision and requested to contact GMC authorities.

    However, repeated attempts to reach the GMC principal over the phone for the comment did not fructify. (GNS)

  • Cyber Police books another journalist ‘over misuse of social media’

    Srinagar: Police on Tuesday booked another prominent journalist — Gowher Geelani “for unlawful activities through his posts and writings on Social Media platform”.

    “Cyber Police Station Kashmir Zone, Srinagar has received information through reliable sources that an individual namely “Gowher Geelani” is indulging in unlawful activities through his posts and writings on Social Media platform which are prejudicial to the national integrity, sovereignty and security of India,” a police statement issued here said.

    “The unlawful activities include glorifying terrorism in Kashmir Valley, causing disaffection against the country and causing fear or alarm in the minds of public that may lead to commission of offences against public tranquility and the security of State,” the statement said.

    The statement further said that several complaints have also been received against the said individual for threatening and intimidation. A Case FIR No. 11/2020 under the relevant sections of law has been registered at Cyber Police Station Kashmir and investigation initiated.

  • Elderly people, persons with low immune system more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection: Experts

    Srinagar: Experts have warned that elderly and persons with low immunity are more vulnerable to Covid-19 as they are at greater risk of contracting the virus.

    Talking to new agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), renowned flu expert of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr. Nisar ul Hassan said that elderly and persons with low immunity are more vulnerable to Covid-19 because of physiological changes that come with ageing and potential underlying heath conditions.

    He said that there are several factors which make elderly people and persons with low immunity vulnerable to Coronavirus. “As people get older, it is more frequent that they have co-morbid conditions such as diabetes, renal failure and arthritis. Many co-morbid conditions both the number and type of co-morbid conditions, predispose people to infections,” he said.

    He said that people who get older there is Immunosenescence among them which means their immune system doesn’t function well and the combination of increased co-morbid conditions and the decrease in activity of the immune system can make people more prone to infections.

    “Our body is constantly bombarded by pathogens like bacteria, fungi and viruses that make us sick and it is our body’s defence system that fights against these invaders,” he said adding that even before we are born, our body starts producing B-cells and T-cells (types of white blood cells) that can recognize pathogens and blocks their growth.

    He said that during an infection, our B-cells proliferate and produce antibodies that grab pathogens and block their ability to spread within the body and T-cells work by recognizing infected cells and killing them and together T-cells and B-cells make adaptive immune system.

    “People with low immune systems are weaker and when a pathogen invades the difference between illness and health is a race between how fast the pathogen can spread and how fast immune response can react without causing too much damage,” he said adding that as people grow older, their innate and adaptive immune responses change, and there is shifting balance.

    “Due to their weak immune system, aged people are more vulnerable to infectious disease and the underlying heart disease, diabetes or kidney issues weakens their body’s ability to fight,” Dr, Nisar said adding that people in J&K have died due to their weak immune system and that was due to their underlying health condition and not due to Covid-19.

    As per the data available with KNO people below 40 have 0.2% chances of dying, people of age group 40-50 have a 0.4%, people in their 60s have 1.3%, people in their 70s have 3.6%, people in 80s have 8% and people over 80 have 14.8% chances of dying due to Covid-19.

    Data also suggests that over 95% of deaths occurred in the age group of above 60 years. More than 50% of all fatalities involved people aged 80 years or older.

    Reports show that 8 out of 10 deaths are occurring in individuals with at least one co-morbidity, particularly those with cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes, but also with a range of other chronic underlying conditions.

    Pertinently in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory, so far 5 persons have died due to Covid-19 and all of them were from the age group of over 50 years.

    On 17 April, a 70-year-old man from Arampora Sopore died at JVC Bemina, on 8th April, a 61-year-old lady from Udhampur died at GMC Jammu and on 7th April, a 54-year-old man from Bandipora died at SMHS Srinagar.

    On 29 March, a 50-year-old man from Tangmarg area died at CD hospital and on 25th March, a 65-year-old Tableegi preacher from Hyderpora died at CD hospital who was the first person to die of Covid-19 in Jammu and Kashmir—(KNO)