The BJP leaders said the party wants to bring in new faces in the cabinet and work for the people of the state.
Border dwellers in Bobiya and adjoining hamlets in Hiranagar sector in Kathua district have been experiencing sleepless nights due to the intensified shelling and firing by Pakistan.
Here's a recap of moments captured in India in the last week.
Of the 22 people rescued, 15 were trapped in Kathua and seven in Jammu district.
The use of RDX in the explosion was confirmed by experts after samples from the scene were sent for examination. While one of the bombs was laced with 1.5 kg of RDX, the other contained nearly 1 kg of RDX, the officials said.
The government has launched a rescue operation to ensure the safety of the border residents following spurt in the incidents of cross border firing from the Pakistani side along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir.
A group of retired civil servants also called upon the PM to reach out to the families of the victims in Unnao and Kathua and "seek their forgiveness on behalf of all of us".
The major shake-up of the council of ministers -- including six of the BJP and two of the PDP -- follows BJP ministers Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga resigning from the cabinet earlier this month after they were criticised for taking part in a rally in support of those accused in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua.
'She was just a little girl. She didn't understand religion. Who is Hindu, who is Muslim.' 'She was just 8! Why punish her?' The family of the eight-year-old girl who was gang-raped and murdered in Jammu's Kathua district say everything has changed since that horrific crime.
Pakistani Rangers using 81 mm and 82 mm mortars have targeted 30 Border Outposts of the Border Security Force in Hiranagar, Kathua and Ramgarh sectors of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ganderbal district recorded the highest of 56.40 per cent polling in the Valley, while Poonch district of Jammu region polled the highest of 71.62 per cent votes across J-K.
The move comes in view of rising cases of the infection, weekly positivity rates and weekly deaths in some districts.
Since LeT is involved and the outfit is run from Pakistan, so in a way Pakistan's involvement cannot be ruled out, the police chief told reporters.
The brutal rape and murder of an eight-year-old Bakerwal girl has polarised the normally peaceful town of Jammu, with the local Bar association calling for a bandh against what it termed the "targeting of minority Dogras" while the state police had lodged a case against lawyers who allegedly tried to prevent it from filing a chargesheet against the accused.
The heavy shelling took place in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts.
Political and communal divide in Jammu and Kashmir has assumed such proportions that even the horrifying rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl is not bringing society together, writes Athar Parvaiz.
He visited areas falling under the operational command of the Rising Star Corps, including Kathua, Samba, Jammu and Pathankot, to review the security situation.
The terrorists holed up in the Kashmir valley have been facing acute shortage of arms and ammunition and they are desperately looking for some help from across the border for the same.
The court also said that under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, even intermediaries like social media platforms Google, Facebook and Yahoo could be held liable for penal action for display and circulation of photos and name of the victim by others.
Troops from the Border Security Force has foiled yet another bid by Pakistan-based terrorists to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir under the cover of firing from across the border and thick fog in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan Rangers, the border force of Pakistan, resorted to sniper attacks at Indian posts at Hira Nagar in Kathua at around 9.35 am.
The Friday morning encounter of all the four accused in the brutal rape-and-murder case of a 25-year-old woman veterinarian last month in Hyderabad triggered a nationwide debate on justice delivery, with one side supporting it as speedy justice and the other raising concerns over 'extra-judicial' measures. Here is a look at the legal status of some rape cases which shook the country.
'We are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea'
This is third day of shelling and firing by Pakistan troops along the International Border in Jammu frontier and comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.
This is the first such incident in Jammu region when a drone carrying arms and explosives was shot down by the BSF, frustrating Pakistan's attempt to smuggle weapons into the Union Territory using the hexacopter.
'Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti acted single-mindedly right from day one of the three month-long crisis.' 'She pursued her chosen administrative course, unmindful of the menacing jingoistic drum beating in the coalition backyard.' 'At one point, I asked her if she was willing to pay the price for taking her line of action to its logical conclusion.' '"Yes," was her spontaneous response,' reveals Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir.
An army jawan was injured on Tuesday as Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control in the Pallanwala sector of Jammu district, drawing retaliation from Indian forces. This is the fifth ceasefire violation in the past one week.
What the election demonstrated is that the BJP has a stranglehold on most of the Hindu votes in the Union territory, observes David Devadas.
The announcement by India and Pakistan to strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) and other sectors has rekindled hope for a peaceful future among border residents in Jammu and Kashmir who have been living under constant fear of firing and shelling.
Two army jawans and a woman were killed while 11 people were injured as Pakistani troops targetted villages and security posts at various places in Jammu and Kashmir since Friday night which triggered migration of hundreds of people from some border areas.
Pakistani Rangers violated the ceasefire by resorting to firing by small arms on Indian posts along the international border in Jammu district, prompting the Border Security Force to retaliate.
As per reports, Pakistan has fired 3000-4000 mortar shells targeting Indian villages and border towns in which 12 people have been killed.
'This is obvious to everyone except those in denial; it is a national shame.' 'To that extent, blaming any particular government is an insufficient response,' argues Mihir S Sharma.
"I have written to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, conveying my greetings on the National Day of Pakistan," Modi tweeted.
Dar, posted in Budgam district, was undergoing training in Kathua district in Jammu region of the state.
'The larger narrative doing the rounds was anti-Hindu, anti-India.' 'Despite the affinity, one could feel the lurking hostility.'
Shelling and firing by Pakistani troops was "very heavy" in 2018, virtually making the 2003 India-Pakistan border truce "redundant", said officials.
Santosh Gangwar said that a hue and cry should not be created if one or two such incidents rake up in a big country like India.
He said the BAJ had told the media repeatedly that Wednesday's bandh was not on the Kathua rape-and-murder issue as the case is in court now.
'They have no other agenda, but to perpetuate hate.' 'They have destroyed the economy and polity and they survive only on hate.' 'They think through hatred, they can mobilise the large chunk of Hindu votes.'
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