2019 was the Bharatiya Janata Party's breakout year, when it stretched the boundaries of what was thought possible and ended up with 303 seats on its own steam. Now it is forced to play defence, on a pitch queered by too many variables, asserts Prem Panicker.
A 22-year-old youth Wasim Ahmad Lone died when security forces opened fire to disperse a stone-pelting mob in Nadihal area in Baramulla district.
A prominent social activist was on Wednesday shot dead by militants in Sopore township of north Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said.
2017 has also seen a sharp increase in ceasefire violations at the LoC by Pakistan.
Dense to very dense fog engulfed the Indo-Gangetic plains, including Delhi, for the second morning on the trot on Tuesday, lowering visibility to 50 metres in the city and affecting road traffic and train movement.
The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service was cancelled on Monday following the recovery of 114 kg narcotics from a truck, which crossed over from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, triggering a standoff between the two sides.
A village gets electricity after 75 years. A rare bird rescued. Why Kashmiris love Harisa. Do watch these interesting videos.
With this death, the toll in the ongoing unrest in Kashmir has gone up to 69.
'We are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea'
It has met 20 such delegations and members of the public from Ramban, Rajouri, Poonch, Kishtwar, Kathua and Doda districts.
The dismissal of the five --most of whom have cases registered against them for terror activities -- was ordered under Article 311 of the Indian Constitution.
Just two days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jammu and Kashmir, security forces on Friday foiled a suicide attack in Jammu by the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed, eliminating two suspected Pakistani terrorists in an encounter after they fired on a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) bus and killed an officer.
The shelling from across the border started in Nowshera sector around 12.30 pm, ending over 12-hour-long lull in the border skirmishes which intensified after India's pre-emptive strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed's terror camps at Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan on Tuesday.
Normal life remained affected in Kashmir Valley for the 98th day due to the ongoing unrest.
With the operation getting fiercer by the minute, more troops have been called in.
In the fire exchange, Naik Muddasar Ahmed was grievously injured when mortar shells landed on his bunker, the spokesman said, adding that he was evacuated to the medical room where he succumbed to injuries.
Bodies of three men, including that of an alleged militant, were found on Monday about 30 kms from here in Baramulla district, triggering protests by locals even though police said the deaths appeared to be a result of fight between two militant groups.
The incidents occurred just days ahead of the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah starting October 4.
Captain Bhoopendra Singh was subjected to court martial after a Court of Inquiry and Summary of Evidence found that troops had "exceeded" powers vested under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, they said.
Bullet-riddled body of a Hizbul Mujahideen militant was found in a jungle on Saturday in north Kashmir, with police suspecting the hand of break-away Hizb faction Lashkar-e-Islam.
Restrictions on the assembly of people would remain in force across the Valley to maintain law and order.
At present, the railway services in Kashmir operate between Banihal in Ramban District and Baramulla only.
In Srinagar, wearing black bands, scores of PDP leaders and activists, led by party president Mehbooba Mufti, took out a protest march from the party's head office near the Sher-e-Kashmir Park.
The first phase of the polls in the Kashmir Valley saw 8.3 per cent turnout on October 8 while only 3.4 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise in the second phase held two days later.
Body of Reyaz Ahmad, with a big perforation in the abdomen, was found outside Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital.
Arms and ammunition and other incriminating material were recovered from the site of the encounter.
The police on Thursday claimed to have busted a module of Hizbul Mujhaideen by arresting four terrorists involved in the killing of a Special Police Officer and attack on a sarpanch in Sopore area in Baramulla district of north Kashmir.
The meeting came after terrorists carried out a series of targeted killings in the Kashmir Valley that include non-Muslims, security personnel, an artist and local civilians.
While 26 trucks crossed over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, 13 from there reached the Indian side.
With Lone's death, the number of people killed in the unrest in the Valley, which entered the second month on Monday, reached 55, including two police personnel.
The Lok Sabha election will be held in 7 phases, beginning on April 11, 2019 and ending on May 19, 2019.
Restrictions were imposed in north Kashmir and some areas of central Kashmir to thwart the march announced by separatists to Jamia Masjid.
Several avalanches and landslides hit the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on Friday even as the death toll in the series of snow slides that have hit Jammu and Kashmir crossed 20 with the recovery of the bodies of four soldiers.
The deceased jawan was identified as 20-year-old Sepoy Mustapure Shubham Suryakant, a resident of Konerwadi village in Parbhani district of Maharashtra.
Earlier, a youth injured during clashes last week succumbed at a hospital in Srinagar on Monday morning.
Curfew remained in force in six police station areas of the city, Anantnag town, Kokernag and Khanpora in Baramulla district as restrictions on assembly of four or more people continued in entire Kashmir.
Landslides have occurred near Ramban and Battery Cheshma which have forced the closure of the highway.
Nine security force personnel were injured in the firing by the terrorists, they said adding five of them succumbed to injuries.
Additional director general of police Jammu region Mukesh Singh visited both the sites and said high explosives might have been used in carrying out the blasts which were of the same pattern.
She is the first lady to be deployed on the Siachen Glacier, the world's highest battlefield.
