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Jammu, Jan 18: Lesser-known outfit ‘Shiv Sena Dogra Front’ believed to be ‘B-Team’ of Bhartiya Janata Party Tuesday carried out a rally amid Covid-19 upsurge in Roop Nagar Jammu, lauding the role of Jammu Development Authority for demolishing the structures of tribal last week.

The protesters said that all the people including Gujjar and Bakarwals should be evicted from the land they have encroached in Jammu.

President ‘Shiv Sena Dogra Front’ Shiv Gupta in response to a volley of questions said that politicians have given patronage to these ‘encroachers’ and these politicians are all involved in land scams. He castigated Mehbooba Mufti for visiting Roop-Nagar to show sympathies with the tribals.

Gupta targeted every political party except BJP saying that due to political intervention in the past encroachers were able to encroach the state land in Jammu.

In response to a question, he said that even the residential house of former Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh should be raised to the ground if it is illegal.

He said Roop Nagar Demolition Drive has snowballed into a controversy due to the interference from politicians.

Pertinently, the demolition drive carried out by Jammu Development Authority last week has drawn flak with most of the political parties terming the drive as a ‘biased’ one aimed at targeting a particular community. (KNT)

New Delhi: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Monday that although the “most likely scenario” is that Coronavirus will be circulating for many years to come, he believes the current wave of infections will be the final one that requires restrictions, Times of Israel reported.

Bourla gave an interview to French outlet BFM TV to mark the announcement of an investment package by the pharma firm in France.

Bourla also touted the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, saying that he believed people will continue to require booster shots, the report said.

“It’s important that people receive the three-dose regimen of Pfizer’s Coronavirus vaccine, and will likely then require annual boosters although the immunocompromised could require them every four months,” Bourla said, adding: “Children must be vaccinated in order to protect them. Its effectiveness in children is very, very, very good.”

Bourla also said that the company’s anti-Covid pill, Paxlovid, “changes everything” as a new way to fight serious illness.

Pfizer had said in December last year that its Paxlovid pill reduced hospitalisation and deaths in vulnerable people by almost 90 per cent, the report added.

One person (name with held) of Reasi lodged a written complaint on 28th of December 2021 that her daughter (name withheld) age 14 years went outside to fetch milk from shop & didn’t return back. He started searching for her but she could not be found anywhere. Complainant doubted that his minor daughter is kidnapped by some unknown person.

On getting this information case FIR no 245/2021 U/S 363 IPC was lodged at Police Station Reasi and search & investigations started.

Team of Police Station Reasi started finding clues of the kidnapped minor, enquired about her from family, neighbors and family friends. After hectic efforts on the basis of reliable sources the presence of the minor was established in district Poonch after kidnapping committed by Shakeel @Sonu.

Sh Shailender Singh Senior Superintendent of Police Reasi constituted a special team headed by Sub Inspector rank and sent the team to poonch  for  recovery of the minor.

With the help of Poonch Police team lost no time, raided possible places of her presence & recovered the missing minor girl from the house of Shakeel @Sonu S/O Abdul Latief R/O ward no.10, Poonch.
Sensing the approaching Police party accused Shakeel flees the spot and went underground.

Medical examination of the victim was conducted by board of doctors, statement of the minor recorded before judicial Magistrate & all legal procedures completed & girl reunited with family. On the basis of statement of the victim, offences U/S 376 IPC, Sec 4 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act is further established & added in the instant case.

Police team remained on chasing the accused constantly and finally arrested him from Belicharana area of district Jammu.

Shakeel is already married to a girl of Pouni (Reasi) & left her wife in destitution.

Mr Singh conveyed that the case will be investigated thoroughly to minutest of details & charge sheet against the accused will be produced in the court of law within stipulated time. Reasi Police is being regularly briefed to remain sensitive towards crime against women especially minors further appealed that girls should remain aware of such type of fraudsters who remain on the mission of spoiling the life of innocents.

Omicron: Most infectious variant of COVID-19, says experts

Srinagar, Jan 13: Omicron is the most infectious variant of the Covid-19 so far which has triggered a surge in cases in the rest of the world along with Jammu and Kashmir, experts said on Thursday.

Dr Nisar ul Hassan President Doctors Association of Kashmir and flu expert while talking with KNO said that Omicron is the most infectious variant of Covid-19 found so far and once any variant is so infectious it spreads swiftly and involves a large section of the population in a week or few days.

“Covid-19 behaves differently at different places and in different individuals. We are still learning about this and we have to see how it behaves in elderly and Immunocompromised people besides that in the unvaccinated section of people that are children below 15,” he said.

“Omicron is so infectious that it won’t spare anybody and we should presume that it will infect everybody but the good thing is it has a mild impact among around 95 percent of the people infected,” Hassan said.

“Most people have hardly any symptoms or mild symptoms,otherwise the positivity rate at this stage will be more as compared to the official figures,” he said.

Hassan said then when a mild variant is replacing the one which was causing severity, “it may change Covid-19 from pandemic to endemic stage.”

Hassan said that the third wave has erupted and being more infectious we will have a peak, plateau and decline in just a few weeks time unlike delta which took time in reaching peak and then decline.

He said that symptoms of Omicron include fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sorethroat, runny nose or nasal congestion and hoarseness of voice.

“People must continue with CAB, and go for vaccination and booster doses,” he said.

Omicron variant causes lot of infections, most of the infections are mild. Even though the positivity rate is high, most of the cases do not require hospitalization.

Srinagar, Jan 17: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Monday said lockdown should be decided on the basis of number of patients hospitalized with Covid rather than the number of positive cases.

“Hospitalization rates, not case count should determine curbs and restrictions,” said DAK President and Influenza expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan.

Dr Hassan said the number of cases should not be the metric for imposing restrictions.

“Daily case count was used as a barometer early in the pandemic to impose restrictions because that time a rise in cases inevitably led to increase in hospitalizations,” he said.

“With omicron those metrics have changed now,” said Dr Nisar.

He said while Omicron variant causes lot of infections, most of the infections are mild. Even though the positivity rate is high, most of the cases do not require hospitalization.

The DAK President said we need to recognize that omicron is all around us and it can infect anybody. We no longer need to identify and manage every single case of the variant.

“Case counts have lost relevance; hospitalization numbers are now reliable markers when it comes to assessing the threat from pandemic,” he said.

“We should be shifting our focus on Covid-related hospitalizations, bed occupancy and number of patients on ventilators.”

“That should be the major metric and not cases in deciding about imposing severe restrictions, like lockdown,” he added.

General Secretary DAK Dr Arshad Ali said the reason why we were tracking cases was because we were hoping we could eliminate the virus.

“But it is not in the nature of the virus to get eliminated,” he said adding “we have to live with the virus and it is going to stay with us.”

Spokesperson DAK Dr Riyaz Ahmad Dagga said we have reached a point in pandemic where policy should no longer be based around the idea that we cannot resume normal life until case number is below a particular level.

“These levels were set before vaccination. Setting threshold for activities according to case numbers no longer makes sense,” he said.

“Countries like Canada, Philippines and Singapore are now implementing an approach that is not focused on case counts,” he added.

Under the PSA, a person can be detained for a period of 3 to 6 months without trial.

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has detained a journalist, Sajad Gul, under the Public Safety Act, a day after a court granted him bail in connection with a police case that accused him of criminal conspiracy.

Under the PSA, a person can be detained for a period of 3 to 6 months without trial. In most of the cases, the PSA is repeatedly used against a detainee to put him in jail for extended period.

Officials say the journalist has been shifted to Kot Balwal Jail in Jammu.

Sajad Gul was working with a news portal and arrested by police for allegedly “spreading disinformation through fake tweets regarding the recent anti-terrorist operation”.

The police have accused him of uploading objectionable videos with anti-national slogans.

“His overall activities are prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and unity of India,” said the police.

Yesterday, a magistrate granted him bail, but the police refused to release him and he was subsequently detained under the PSA.

According to the lawyer of detained journalist, police filed a case under attempt to murder charges against the journalist after he was given bail in another case.

Suspected militants hurled a grenade on security forces in Safa Kadal area of Central Kashmir’s Srinagar district in which according to officials one cop and a civilian were reported injured.

Further details awaited.

Srinagar, Jan 16: Covid-19 cases continued to skyrocket in Jammu and Kashmir as 3499 new cases have been reported while six persons succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, officials said on Sunday.

They said that 1210 of the cases were reported from Jammu Division and 2289 from Kashmir Valley, taking the overall tally to 359373.

There were also six deaths in the last 24 hours, three each from Jammu division and Kashmir Valley. So far 4567 people have succumbed to the virus and include 2221 in Jammu and 2346 in Kashmir.

Giving the district wise details of the fresh cases confirmed in J&K, the officials told GNS that Srinagar reported 614, Baramulla 463, Budgam 404, Pulwama 94, Kupwara 157, Anantnag 230, Bandipora 166,
Ganderbal 27, Kulgam 127, Shopian 7, Jammu 556, Udhampur 126, Rajouri 39, Doda 20, Kathua 163, Samba 112, Kishtwar 20, Poonch 67, Ramban 18 and Reasi 89.

A number these cases were confirmed at diagnostic laboratory of GMC Srinagar and GMC Anantnag.

Female (30) (NA) from Kalamabad mawar, male (45) (NA) from Tutigund, male (30) (NA) from Rajwar, male (32) (NA) from Handwara, female (18) (NA) from Zachaldara, male (32) (NA) from Zachaldara, female (27) (NA) from Wudipora, male (65) (NA) from Dingree, male (55) (NA) from Dohama, male (23) (NA) from Punzwa, male (55) (NA) from Vilgam, male (75) (NA) from Pazipora, male (47) (NA) from Rajpora pulwama, male (30) (NA) from Bamnoo pulwama, male (42) (NA) from Bellow pulwama, male (31) (NA) from Bellow pulwama, male (40) (NA) from Ratsuna, male (32) (NA) from Tral, female (21) (NA) from Saimoh, female (25) (NA) from Dadsara, male (38) (NA) from Tral, female (28) (NA) from Tral, female (23) (NA) from Tral, male (30) (NA) from Panzoo, male (35) (NA) from Tral, female (35) (NA) from Marsari, male (35) (NA) from Sontipora, female (40) (NA) from Warsun, male (24) (NA) from Warsun, female (24) (NA) from Shamnag, male (20) (NA) from Aloosa, female (38) (NA) from Dardpora, male (50) (NA) from Aloosa, female (19) (NA) from Dardsun, female (50) (NA) from Dardpora, male (62) (NA) from Batergam, female (67) (NA) from Kalaroos, male (30) (NA) from Herril mawar, female (55) (NA) from Lalpora, female (63) (NA) from Ganipora Handwara, male (25) (NA) from Langate, male (14) (NA) from Braripora, male (38) (NA) from Batagund mawar, male (44) (NA) from Kalamabad mawar, male (25) (NA) from Pungroo mawar, female (70) (NA) from Tarkpora Handwara, female (35) (NA) from Vilgam, male (37) (NA) from Trehgam, male (57) (NA) from 184Bn BSF Trehgam, male (55) (NA) from 184Bn BSF Trehgam, female (70) (NA) from Gushi kupwara, male (35) (NA) from Tral, female (28) (NA) from Chattabal, male (24) (NA) from Athwajan, female (33) (NA) from Haft chinar, male (36) (NA) from Batamaloo, male (24) (NA) from Budgam, male (28) (NA) from Kulgam, male (25) (NA) from Chattabal, male (21) (NA) from Natipora, male (25) (NA) from Kargil, male (45) (NA) from Qazigund, female (25) (NA) from Qazigund, female (25) (NA) from Batamaloo, female (27) (NA) from Rawalpora, male (24) (NA) from Bagi mehtab, male (43) (NA) from Sgr, female (50) (NA) from Nowpora, male (65) (NA) from Rainawari, male (18) (NA) from Sanatnagar, male (55) (NA) from Nishat, female (45) (NA) from Batamaloo, male (47) (NA) from Hyderpora, male (31) (NA) from Lalbazar, male (70) (NA) from Alochibagh, male (23) (NA) from Kulgam, male (75) (NA) from Brain, female (29) (NA) from Mehjoornagar, female (35) (NA) from Shopian, female (21) (NA) from Brain, female (38) (NA) from Elahibagh, male (26) (NA) from Indranagar, female (57) (NA) from Safakadal, male (51) (NA) from Sgr and male (33) (NA) from Tral.

The GMC Anantnag cases include male (42) from Bamboo Pul, male (39) from Awneera, male (25) from Dachu, male (30) from Kujjar, four females (26, 21, 28, 21) and male (35) from New Colony, two males (26, 29) from Janglat Mandi, male (30) from Tahjiwara, male (28) from Tailwani, female (32) from Hardpora, male (35) from H Pora, male (58) from Achabal, female (28) from Wardan, male (62) from Tailwani, female (60) from H Tooru, male (38) from Deethu, two males (70, 35) and four females (66, 34, 31, 37) from Moominabad, male (63) from Kokernag, male (50) from Dupatyar Bij, male (45) from Adlash Bij, male (42) from Uranhall 90BN CRPF, male (30) from PS Kokernag, male (30) from Adigam Kokernag, male (40) from Irkumoo Kokernag, four males (33, 38, 45, 42) from PHC Mattan, female (30) from Veersiram Anantnag, female (50) and male (50) from Pahalgam Ang, male (55) from Salia Ang, female (50) from Bumri Ang, male (50) from Aino Ang, male (20) from Pahalgam Ang, male (40) from Hangalpora Ang, male (55) from Aamad Ang, male (45) from Vail Nagbal Ang, female (50) from Salia Ang, male (60) from Lehend Ang, female (30) from Pahalgam Ang, female (26) from Aishmuqam ang, male (40) from Wahden Ang, male (50) from Malikgund Ang, female (7) from Aino Ang, male (30) from Manigam Ang, female (50) from Ledru Ang, female (50) from Akad Ang, male (59) from Vail Nagbal Ang, two males (4, 50) from Seer Ang, male (9) from Nagbal Ang, female (30) from Khanyar Ang, male (59) from Chandrigam Ang, male (39) from RC Pora Ang, male (40) from Gopripora Ang, male (65) and two females (30, 60) from Pehru Ang, male (50) and two females (42, 60) from Mattan Ang, male (34) from Sarnal Ang, male (23) from Rakhy Brah Ang, three females (21, 42, 14) from Iqbalabad Sarnal, female (40) from Tulhaad Aishmuqam, male (10) from Aishmuqam PGM, male (65) from Jajbal PGM, female (22) from Ainoo Aishmuqam, male (25) from Aamad Aishmuqam, male (60) from Aishmuqam PGM, female (19) from Kullar Pahalgam, male (23) from Bij Ang, male (30) from Mumbai India, male (38) from Gujrat India, male (49) from Srg, male (30) and female (14) from Pune, male (25) from Uttar Pradesh, two females (26, 26) from Bangalore, female (32) from Lucknow, male (25) from Bangalore, male (30) from Chennai, female (75) from Utreso, female (24) from Seer, male (50) from Sarnal Bala, male (32) from Krangsoo and male (40) from Damhall.

Besides, they said, 470 Covid-19 patients recovered during the time—308 from Jammu Division and 162 from Kashmir. So far 338923 people have recovered, leaving active case tally at 15883 —6589 in Jammu and 9294 in Kashmir.

They said there was no new confirmed case of mucormycosis (black fungus) reported today. So far 51 black fungus cases have been confirmed in J&K, the officials said.

They also informed that 33419 doses of covid-19 vaccine were administered during the time in J&K. (GNS)

Srinagar, Jan 15 (PTI) The BJP’s Kashmir unit on Saturday urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene in the issue of a factional feud between two groups for the management of Kashmir Press Club (KPC).

In a statement, the party’s media in-charge and youth leader Manzoor Bhat also termed the politicising of the issue by some political parties a matter of grave concern.

“It is unfortunate that our so-called political parties are adding fuel to fire by issuing misleading statements rather than finding a solution to the issue of journalists,” he said.

Bhat said there has been an issue between the two bodies of journalists at KPC and there are allegations and counter-allegations between the two groups.

“To verify the same, an independent body should probe the issue and get it resolved,” he said.

He appealed to the lieutenant governor’s administration to take cognizance of the issue and find out the reality.

“BJP is not in support of politicising the issue of fourth pillar of democracy that has more responsibilities and get issues resolved on priority basis,” he said.

The Kashmir Press Club (KPC) was witness to unfamiliar activities on Saturday when a few journalists accompanied by policemen reached there and claimed to be its “new management”, a move that came hours after the Jammu and Kashmir administration had put on hold its registration.

The policemen claimed to be Personal Security Officers of one of the journalists who released a statement to the media stating that “some journalist forums” had chosen them to be new office-bearers.

The claims of the interim body were countered soon by a statement issued by around nine journalist bodies in Kashmir who denounced the forcible takeover of the KPC office with “open support from administration” and termed it “a wrong and dangerous precedent”. PTI SSB SMN SMN

This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. The Kashmir Today holds no responsibility for its content.

Budgam, Jan 15: Body of a Kashmiri MBBS student, who died in a Bangladesh College on Wednesday, reached her native village in Budgam on Saturday, officials said.

An official told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the body of Seema Zehra, a resident of Zabar Mohalla in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district, reached her home on late Saturday evening where her last rites were performed.

Seema was a 2nd year student at Addin Sakina Medical College Jessore , Bangladesh and died on January 12 at her College campus.

Arrangements were made to airlift the body from Bangladesh to Srinagar after Jammu Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha assured the family of all possible help to bring back the student’s mortal remains, the officials said—(KNO)