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Srinagar: An army man was injured seriously on Thursday night after India and Pakistan exchanged fire and shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

Official sources told GNS that the indo-Pak armies exchanged fire along the LoC at Churanda area of Uri sector late last night.

In the incident, an army soldier received a sniffer shot in his right leg and has been airlifted to army’s 92 base hospital Badamibagh, Srinagar for treatment.

The injured soldier has been as identified the injured as Param Jeet Singh of 17 JAT and is being treated upon in the military hospital.

Army’s Srinagar based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia confirmed the incident.

“Unprovoked Ceasefire Violation by Pakistan in Uri sector today morning. One soldier injured and evacuated to 92 BH. Own troops retaliated appropriately,” Kalia said.

Meanwhile, cross border shelling reported along the LoC in Malti and Kalsan area of Poonch heavy cross border shelling going on in these areas. (GNS)

Srinagar: Investigation by Crime branch into rape-and-murder of 8-year-old Asifa Banu in Kathua has revealed that the person claimed to be juvenile is actually an adult and that it was not an ordinary crime but was in consonance with a large conspiracy to dislodge Bakerwal (nomad) community from Rasana Village in the district.

Highly reliable sources told Srinagar-based news agency Global News Service (GNS) that medical board constituted to ascertain the age of the person who was claimed to be a teenager by police, has turned to be an adult. “On the basis of physical, dental and radiological examination, the approximate age of the individual is above nineteen years (19+),” reads the report by the medical board constituted in consonance with the Jammu and Kashmir High Court’s direction to the Special Investigation Team of the crime branch, probing the gruesome rape-and-murder.

The sources said that high court had directed the SIT to ascertain the age of the individual claimed to be juvenile by the police which probed the case earlier. Subsequently, a medical board was constituted by the principal GMC Jammu who examined the individual on February 28. The opinion of the medical board was communicated to the SIT by the principal GMC on March 5, the sources said.

Subsequently, the SIT questioned Deepak Khujuria alias Deepu, sources said, revealed that the clothes of the victim were washed by police head constable by name Tilak before sending them to FSL to destroy the evidence in the case.

The SIT, the sources said have submitted these details before the high court in a status report and has stated that it seems that the Head Constable had done so with an intention to screen the offenders from legal punishment. The Head Constable has been arrested on March 7. “The role of other officials who remained associated with the initial investigation, in the destruction of material evidence, is being looked into,” the SIT has submitted in the report as per the highly reliable sources.

They said the SIT, based on witnesses conversant with the facts and circumstances of the case, has concluded that the entire game plan of the gruesome rape and murder was premeditated and the mastermind has been identified and would be arrested soon. “The mastermind behind the entire game was bent upon to dislodge the Bakerwal community and in order to execute the nefarious design, he hatched conspiracy with (others),” they said.

Asifa Bano had been missing since January 10 when she failed to return home from watering horses in her native Rassana forests, and her body was found on January 17.

The next day, after protests rocked the area, the Kathua police had said that a SIT under SDPO border, had been set up to investigate the case and a medical report of the murdered girl was expected within a couple of days.

On January 20, the government transferred the Station House Officer of the Hiranagar police station, ordering a magisterial probe, and three days later, on January 23, handed the case over to the Crime Branch. (GNS)

Next date of hearing on 14 March

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch which is investigating Kuthua rape and murder case, Friday submitted the status report before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
On January 17, body of minor Muslim girl was found in the forests near Rasana, Hiranagar.The, girl had been missing for a week. According to police, she had been abducted and raped, while media reports later revealed that she had been even drugged to keep her from trying for help.
Talking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), Inspector General of Police Crime Branch Syed Afadu- Mujtaba said that the status report was submitted before the Jammu and Kashmir high court. “Yes the report has been submitted before the high court. The next date of hearing is on 14 March,” the IG said however refused to share the details of report.
It is to mention here that Syed Afadul- Mujtaba Thursday had told KNS that Crime Branch will submit the status report into the Kuthua rape and murder case to High Court on Friday.
The rape and murder of Muslim girl has divided the ruling parties of the state. The BJP has been demanding transferring of case to the CBI and criticizing the role of the Crime Branch.
However on Thursday the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, has turned down the demand of alliance partner BJP to handover the investigation of rape and murder of 8-year-old Gujjar girl Asifa to the CBI.
“Crime Branch is investigating the case of Asifa. There might be some lapses in Crime Branch probe due to which people of Hiranagar have been demanding CBI probe. We raised the issue with the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today and demanded that investigation should be handed over to CBI. But she declined to hand over the case,” Health Minister, Bali Bhagat, had told media after meeting the chief minister in Jammu.
The PDP has accused the BJP of “communalizing” the Kuthua incident.
It is to mention here that on January 23, the Mehbooba Mufti government had ordered a probe into the incident, and subsequently handed over the case to the Crime Branch of police.
Reports on Thursday said that the crime branch has arrested a police sub-inspector and a head constable for their involvement in destruction of crucial evidence.
Hawaldar Tilak Raj, posted at the Hiranagar police station, was arrested after it was prima facie established that he had washed Asifa’s clothes that were soaked in blood and mud before sending them for forensic test. Sub-inspector Anand Dutta, who was the investigative officer, has been detained for questioning, reported one of the National news channel.
“We arrested a hawaldar and a sub-inspector is being questioned in connection with destruction of evidence,” the report quoted director general of police, SP Vaid as having said.
Two special police officers, Deepak Khajuria and Surinder Verma, have already been arrested, while two more persons, including a juvenile, have also been arrested for the kidnapping, rape and murder of Asifa, mentioned the report.
“They claim that call details and mobile tower data place the accused on the location of crime, adding that there is evidence that drugs used to sedate Asifa was bought by Deepak Khajuria from a chemist shop in Kathua days before Asifa was kidnapped,” the report said.
In a letter to the director general of police, the crime branch has detailed lapses by the Kathua police. Besides destruction of evidence, they accuse the local police of not preserving the crime scene. No searches were carried out in the village even after Asifa’s family filed a missing complaint, the crime branch said in its letter. (KNS)

Srinagar: A beacon official was injured after mud and snow slide triggered while the agencies concerned were clearing the snow at Ferkiyaan top along the Kupwara-Keran road on Sunday.

A senior army officer based in Kupwara told GNS that a group of beacon labourers of 109 RCC regiment presently attached with Army’s 268 brigade in Keran was pressed into service by authorities to clear snow along the Kupwara-Keran road.

‘A bulldozer and at least twelve labourers were on job. Suddenly, a mud and snow slide occurred and the driver (of bulldozer) Amandeep Singh (belt no. 15588066 L) came under it,” the officer said.

He added that the soldiers of the nearby brigade immediately started the rescue operation and evacuated the driver, who was in an unconscious state. “He was immediately shifted to nearby military hospital for treatment where his condition is said to be stable,” he said.

In the incident, all the 12 labourers had a miraculous escape.

The officer, meanwhile, ruled out the avalanche and said: “it was actually a mud and snow slide which came at a time when the bulldozer was clearing the heap of snow along the road, and its upper side the slides occurred”. (GNS)

When you have a botched public transportation system like the one in Srinagar, you can imagine four people riding a scooty.

An elderly man roves a Shikara while crossing Dal lake in Srinagar on Tuesday morning.

Devotees photographed in front of Dargah Hazratbal that has been decorated as part of celebrations of Eid-i-Milad-u-Nabi on Saturday

Parts of Dal Lake in Srinagar freeze on Saturday morning as night temperatures continue to remain several notches below the freezing point in Kashmir valley.

Nandni tunnel on the Srinagar-Jammu highway thrown open to traffic on Saturday.

Students hold a candle-light vigil to express solidarity with the families of victims of Peshawar attack at Press Enclave in Srinagar on Wednesday.