The army chief's visit comes a week after protests against alleged molestation of a girl by a soldier in Handwara and subsequent firing by security forces that left three persons dead.
Candlelight marches were held at several places in Kashmir to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. The protests were held in Pahalgam, Srinagar, Sopore, Ganderbal, Handwara, Kupwara, Baramulla, and Bandipora, officials said. The protestors said the marches were to express solidarity with the victims of the attack and send a message of unity.
Punjab Police arrested three men from Jammu and Kashmir, uncovering a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) linked terror module in connection with the murder of a cab driver. The accused confessed to the crime and the victim's body and the weapon used were recovered.
Uneasy calm prevailed in the Valley as the police continue to place restrictions in several parts for the sixth day.
The girl, who is at the centre of the Handwara molestation storm, has recorded her statement before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in which she stood by her earlier statement that she was not molested by any army soldier on Tuesday.
Two militants were on Saturday killed in an encounter with army troops in Handwara area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district. "Two militants have been killed in an operation at Mooldari in Handwara area of Kupwara district," Defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel J S Brar said.Brar said two major hideouts were also busted in the area.
Strict restrictions have been imposed in Kupwara town, Kralgund, Handwara, Magam and Langate areas in north Kashmir to maintain law and order.
An encounter broke out on Tuesday morning between security forces and militants in Handwara area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district.
Kashmiris across the region condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, with widespread protests and a shutdown in Srinagar and other parts of the valley. The attack was seen as an assault on the foundation of Kashmir's economy, with residents highlighting the importance of tourism to the region's livelihood. Protests were held in various districts, including Srinagar, Kulgam, Handwara, and Ramban, with residents united in their condemnation of the violence and calling for an end to terrorism.
Victim says she was held in police custody 'against her will'.
The battalion had lost its first Commanding Officer, Colonel Rajinder Chauhan, on August 21, 2000.
Hilal Ahmed Bandey, one of the two accused identified, was arrested from Handwara by Jammu and Kashmir police on Monday night.
Two militants were killed and a jawan was injured on Friday in an encounter in the Handwara area of Kupwara district.
The encounter took place at village Malikpora in Vilgam area of Handwara, 85 km from Srinagar, when Army and police launched a joint search operation following information about presence of terrorists there, a senior police officer said.
The terrorists opened fire on a naka party of the Central Reserve Police Force at Wangam-Qaziabad in Kralgund area of the district, the officials said.
The terrorists attacked a police station in Handwara area of Kupwara by resorting to firing and also lobbed a grenade, a police officer said.
An official said that the search operation turned into an encounter after terrorists fired upon the forces.
Former deputy chief minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig was among the 24 candidates in Baramulla constituency whose deposits were forfeited.
The gunfight is over and the area is being sanitised, the official said.
The team of 21 Rashtriya Rifles had entered the house of a civilian to prevent a hostage situation when they came under attack from the terrorists who had already reached there. While the four army personnel and the police Sub Inspector lost their lives in the encounter, the civilians trapped in the house were safely evacuated.
After a brief gunfight, 'extreme restraint was exercised and opportunity given to the terrorists to surrender'.
A suspected Lashkar-e-Tayiba militant was on Wednesday killed in an encounter with security forces in Kupwara district of north Kashmir, police said.
The previous highest voter turnout in the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency was witnessed in 1984 at 58.90 percent.
The Army sources said the five personnel include two officers. According to the sources, a hunt has been launched to trace the missing personnel, while the operation to neutralise the militants was also on.
"My girl is just 16 years old and was alone in the police station when her statement was recorded. She was pressurised by police to give that statement," her mother claimed.
Officials said the polling went off peacefully in all segments including special polling stations along the International Border and Line of Control (LoC) with no untoward incident reported from anywhere.
"Alert troops noticed movement of heavily armed militants along the Line of Control in Keran sector of Kupwara at around 2.30 am. The militants were challenged, triggering off exchange of firing between the two sides," an army official said.
Curfew in many parts and separatist-sponsored strike disrupted normal life for the 30th straight day on Sunday in Kashmir Valley where violence has so far left 54 persons dead and more than 6000 others injured.
'The Army must always be balanced in response.' 'Rabble rousers will demand that it be given a free hand against anti-national elements in the streets. That is exactly what the adversaries want.' 'Burning the Kashmir Valley through the summer is their desire; the Army will never contribute to enhancing their aim,' says Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd), who served as the General Officer Commanding 15 Corps in Kashmir.
A woman, who was injured when security forces opened fire in Handwara town of north Kashmir to quell a stone-pelting mob, succumbed at a hospital in Srinagar on Wednesday.
The gunfight erupted after the army and police jointly surrounded Bhat Mohalla area of Handwara on specific information about presence of a group of militants there.
The Army and police immediately launched a search operation in the area to nab the militants.
A top Hizbul Mujahideen commander was killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Wednesday, police said.
An altercation broke out between worshippers, who were coming out of a mosque in Handwara town of Kupwara district, and Army personnel, who were recording videos.
Political parties and leaders wait with bated breath for the Haryana and Jammu-Kashmir assembly poll results on Tuesday.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday attached 17 properties of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Ahmed Shah Watali in a terror funding case, the agency said.
This is second attack on security forces in Handwara area in the past 36 hours.
Security deployment remained in vulnerable areas and mobile and internet services were yet to be restored in most parts of the Valley 48 days after the Centre abrogated Article 370 provisions of the Constitution.
The encounters took place in Pulwama, Ganderbal and Kupwara districts of the Kashmir valley, a police official said.
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