Srinagar continued to be on the boil for the third day with protestor-security force clashes rocking it even as strict curfew-like restrictions remained in force in the old city on Sunday.
Telangana and Rajasthan are the last states to go to the polls in the current round of assembly elections, which also covered Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram.
A powerful hand grenade explosion rocked Srinagar on Wednesday evening. According to the police, militants tossed a grenade at a bunker of the paramilitary central reserve police force in the Kawdara area of the old city late today evening."The grenade exploded on the road, after missing the target and injured two civilians, who were taken to hospital for treatment," a senior police officer said.Today's blast in Srinagar comes after months of lull in militant violence.
In a communication to his troops on the occasion of the 'Valour day' of the force, CRPF Director General (DG) A P Maheshwari asked them to be strong and fit for serving the country during these tough times.
When the MPV carrying six personnel was around one km away from the camp, ultras triggered a powerful land mine blast, he said.
Pakistan on Wednesday rejected India's contention that Pakistani militants were behind a terrorist attack in Srinagar that killed five paramilitary personnel, saying such "knee-jerk reactions" could undermine efforts to normalise bilateral relations.
A Special Operation Group of the Jammu and Kashmir police and the Central Reserve Police Force launched a joint operation in village Ararth in the central Kashmir district of Badgam early on Monday morning.
'Last monsoon, we had them totally on the run. Their bodies were flowing down the streams,' says Chhattisgarh Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar.
Authorities disallowed the main Muharram procession as they apprehended it may create law and order problem in summer capital Srinagar.
'We have created fear in the minds of villagers so that they don't indulge in wrongdoing. We have already seized Rs 1 crore of bribe money,' Madurai Superintendent of Police Vijayendra Bidari tells Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar.
Militants on Wednesday made an abortive bid to target a CRPF camp in Anantnag district, about 52 kms from Srinagar, by hurling a grenade which exploded by the roadside without causing any damage.
Amidst a growing clamour for getting VIP security in the country, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday disfavoured such an approach as he said that he himself does not keep such paraphernalia.
According to latest statistics of the Home ministry, the seven forces -- the CRPF, the Border Security Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Seema Sahastra Bal, the Central Industrial Security Forces, the National Security Guard and the Assam Rifles -- have lost 1,067 men in combat or counter-insurgency operations over a period of three years. But more than thrice -- as many as 3,611 personnel -- have died due to illnesses.
One policeman was killed and three securitymen were injured on Monday in a fierce gunfight with a group of holed up militants in south Kashmir's Tral in Pulwama district.
On display was India's military might and cultural diversity.
Almost seven such "Malinois" breed dogs have been trained by the premier police dog training centre of the paramilitary Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at their academy near Chandigarh for about 22 weeks.
Strict security restrictions were imposed on Thursday in parts of summer capital Srinagar where violent protests had been going on for the past four days.
'Counter-insurgency operations cannot be conducted by following inflexible SOPs.' 'It is unwise to enter jungles with a large body of troops without precise intelligence,' asserts counter-insurgency expert Brigadier Narender Kumar (retd).
A video of Head Constable Iqbal Singh feeding the boy has gone viral on social media and has won plaudits for the security forces operating in Kashmir.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday for the third consecutive day of questioning in the National Herald money laundering case, with the agency seeking answers on decisions taken with regard to the media organisation and its owner Young Indian.
A day after farmers' tractor rally turned violent in Delhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday took stock of the security situation and measures taken to ensure peace in the city, officials said.
The Indian Air Force is probing the incident, an IAF source said.
A 55-year old man who was critically injured in alleged security force beating in south Kashmir's Pampore last week succumbed to injuries in a hospital in Srinagar on Friday morning, taking the toll in the over four-month-long Kashmir unrest to 111.
Militants shot dead a former militant in south Kashmir's Anantnag district. They also carried out a grenade explosion in north Kashmir's Sopore town on Tuesday evening injuring two persons.
The annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir started Friday amid tight security and despite the rains along the route this morning.
Heavily armed Naxals on Monday ambushed a Central Reserve Police Force patrol party in the jungles along the Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra border resulting in exchange of gunfire between the two sides.
Curfews like restrictions were imposed in more parts of Srinagar Monday to thwart a proposed separatist march.Early on Monday morning, police paramilitary and Central Reserve Police Force fanned out across the city restricting pedestrian and vehicular movement in Srinagar, which has been on the boil since Sunday last when a schoolboy was killed after being hit by a tear smoke shell.
At places in the border districts of Barmer and Jaisalmer, people walked miles through the desert to cast their votes.
Referring to state BJP president Dilip Ghosh's allegation that its workers were provoked by the police, he said, "They had carried arms. Is it then a provocation if the police took action? Action will be taken if there is any violation of law."
Three cops, including an officer, and a civilian were wounded in a powerful hand grenade blast in downtown Khanyar locality of the summer capital Srinagar on Wednesday evening.
Six civilians and a paramilitary, central reserve police force (CRPF) trooper were wounded in a grenade explosion in the Magam chowk, 33 km from Srinagar in central Kashmir Budgam district this afternoon.
R C Tayal is expected to serve as NSG DG till August next year when he is scheduled for superannuation.
Two officers of Deputy Commandant rank -- S Niwas and Prabhat Tripathi -- and three other men were injured in the blast suspected to be from an improvised explosive device hidden beneath the dirt track by the Naxals, officials said.
'Tibetans will participate in future conflicts with India (in all probability, some were already present in Galwan).' 'As nobody in India would like to have a deadly fight with Tibetan soldiers and officers, the issue needs to be closely followed,' observes Claude Arpi.
"There is scope of reduction of troops is the Home Ministry's view. There are more than adequate forces in Kashmir and it can do with less central forces," Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said.
One person was injured on Sunday when police fired rubber bullets following clashes between protestors and security forces for the second day in north Kashmir Baramulla and adjoining Sopore towns.
Many political detainees have been released but former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, who were whisked into custody in the early hours of August 5, 2019, are still in preventive detention.
When asked for a confirmation, BSF Director General M L Kumawat said: "The BSF has earlier played a leading role in anti-Naxal operations. We may go to Naxal-hit areas whenever ordered."
Authorities imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar on Sunday to foil a Shia Muharram procession in the city even though small processions are being allowed in the city interior without any restrictions.
