Incessant rains and flooding have caused widespread disruption in northern India, with states like Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir facing landslides, road closures, and displacement. Rescue efforts are underway as authorities grapple with the aftermath of the deluge.
At least 36 people were killed and 19 injured when a bus carrying passengers skidded off the road and rolled down into a 300-foot gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district on Wednesday, officials said.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a devastating cloudburst in Kishtwar district that claimed 60 lives and injured over 100. Abdullah expressed condolences and assured assistance, while also questioning potential administrative lapses.
Rescue operations continue in Kishtwar, J&K, following a devastating cloudburst. Anxious relatives cling to fading hope as the search for the missing enters its third day.
The nomination papers of 35 candidates including that of jailed separatist Sarjan Barkati were on Wednesday rejected during scrutiny for the first phase of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, leaving 244 contestants in the fray.
A cloudburst in a remote village in Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir, resulted in four fatalities and six injuries. Rescue operations are underway, and the district administration is monitoring the situation.
The authorities also declared unsafe a mosque and a religious school for girls at Nai Basti village in Thathri, 35 kilometres from Doda town along the Kishtwar-Batote National Highway.
He was oldest surviving militant in Jammu and Kashmir, where he entered from Pakistan in May 1997 from Rajouri sector as a militant of Lashker-e-Tayiba.
The shocking scenes of physical and psychological trauma unfolded on a massive scale as search and rescue operations were underway, digging out mud-buried bodies and rescuing the injured trapped in slush and rocks after flash floods triggered by a cloudburst devastated Chositi village in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Thursday.
Despite a massive search operation, terrorists affiliated with Kashmir Tigers, a shadow group of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit, who have recently infiltrated into the country, remain untraced.
Six security force personnel were also killed in the gun battle.
While two bodies were recovered on Wednesday, the death toll climbed to four on Thursday after the recovery of two more bodies from the Indira Priyadarshini Hydroelectric project site in Kangra district.
On Tuesday, July 16, 2024, four army personnel, including a captain, died after being injured in a gunfight with heavily armed terrorists in Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir.
A search operation by a joint team of security forces is underway to track down three Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists in a forested area of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, officials said on Friday.
The repatriation orders for the two Indian Police Service officers come in the backdrop of a spate of terror incidents in the Jammu region, along the India-Pakistan border.
Security forces in the Jammu region are maintaining a strong vigil and conducting operations to track down 40 to 50 terrorists active in the area. Multi-tier security measures, including anti-drone strategies and intensified night operations, are in place.
The troops of these two units are expected to be based in Samba and near the Jammu-Punjab border, the sources said.
The encounter broke out after the terrorists opened fire at the search party personnel, who retaliated, the officials said.
Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General M V Suchindra Kumar, other Indian Army officers and soldiers paid homage to the four bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice for the Republic.
Officials said there were no reports so far of any loss of life or damage to property.
Militants hurled a grenade at the Doda bus stand, which exploded near a passenger bus.
A turnout of about 59 percent -- the highest in the past seven elections -- was recorded in the first phase of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, Chief Electoral Officer P K Pole said, adding polling passed off peacefully.
A soldier of the special forces of the army was killed in an encounter between security forces and terrorists following a search operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district on Thursday, officials said. The firing took place in the Dudu-Basantgarh area during a cordon and search operation that was launched based on information about the presence of terrorists. The deceased soldier has been identified as Havaldar Jhantu Ali Sheikh of 6 Para of the Special Forces. The operation was still underway when the last reports came in from the spot, they added. Four suspects were also picked up for the area for questioning. This is the third encounter between terrorists and security forces in Jammu in the past over 24 hours.
Top security officials in Jammu and Kashmir met to discuss an integrated plan to crack down on the terror ecosystem in the Chenab Valley, which witnessed several terror incidents last year. The meeting, which included representatives from the Army, police, and intelligence agencies, focused on strengthening security measures and coordinating efforts to combat terrorism. The government's plan to arm ex-servicemen was also discussed to supplement the existing Village Defence Guards.
During a routine search in Baderwah town, troops recovered 40 kg of RDX in a lake in Baderwah town, which is surrounded by mountain.
Several newly-wed couples turned up at polling stations in wedding attire to cast their votes in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur constituency which went to polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday.
Modi began his nearly 45-minute speech by welcoming the people who attended the rally in the Kashmiri language. "This time, the (assembly) election will decide the future of Jammu and Kashmir, which has remained the target of foreign powers since Independence," he told the gathering.
The DGP, along with additional director general of police (law and order) Vijay Kumar and Jammu zone additional director general of police Anand Jain, visited Jammu-based White Knight Corps and interacted with General Officer Commanding Lt Gen Navin Sachdeva, the army said.
Security forces on Sunday intensified their operation to flush out terrorists from the forest area of Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on the second day of encounter that has left two soldiers and a civilian dead.
Hizbul's 'tehsil commander', identified as Abdul Hamid, was gunned down by security forces after a three-hour encounter during an operation in Panjosh village of Banihal area in the wee hours.
Heavy rains lashed parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, triggering flash floods and landslides that blocked the strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway with hundreds of vehicles stranded, and prompted authorities to shut schools in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts.
To ensure a comprehensive probe, the search operation to track down the terrorists, has been expanded to cover Reasi district's far-flung Arnas and Mahore areas which were terrorist hotbeds between 1995 and 2005.
Security forces tightened their cordon around a forest area in the higher reaches of Doda district on Tuesday evening following an encounter with hiding terrorists, officials said.
Father of martyred Army captain Brijesh Thapa on Tuesday said he was proud of his son who was killed in action while fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda.
In Doda's Bhaderwah town, a few buildings developed cracks due to the tremors.
"The prime minister asked them to deploy the full spectrum of our counter-terror capabilities," an official source said.
A massive multi-tier combing operation to track down a group of infiltrating terrorists continued for the fourth consecutive day in forested areas of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district. The operation, involving the army, NSG, BSF, police, Special Operation Group, and CRPF, is supported by helicopter, UAVs, drones, bulletproof vehicles, and sniffer dogs. The operation was launched on Sunday evening following an encounter between security forces and terrorists hiding in a nursery. Security agencies have questioned several persons in various areas and picked up three suspects for questioning.
Taken by surprise when heavily armed men ambushed their convoy but quickly gathering themselves, jawans of the 22 Garhwal regiment fired more than 5,100 rounds to protect their injured colleagues and forced the terrorists to retreat into Kathua's wooded hills, officials said.
Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir are continuing a multi-agency operation to track down three terrorists who have escaped multiple encounters. The operation has entered its 12th day and has seen the deployment of additional troops, aerial surveillance, and a crackdown on terrorist supporters.
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