"This Diwali, we thought of his comrades in arms, who suffer harsh climes and the enemy from across the border, as well as some within. We thought this would be a nice gesture for soldiers, who spend Diwali away from their families," said one of Santosh Mahadik's friends.
'Kashmir Police established Minority distress #helpline at PCR Kashmir. In case of #emergency, one may call for #assistance on 0194-2482626,' IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar tweeted.
He said the army was retaliating strongly and effectively to the ceasefire violation.
Shah, 34, was working with the Jammu and Kashmir Police as a Special Police Officer and had been given an out-of-turn promotion and selected as a constable.
The body of Sehrai, 77, was handed over to his family on Wednesday evening and taken in a police escort to Kupwara in north Kashmir, at least 350 km from Jammu, where he would be buried at his ancestral graveyard in accordance with the COVID-19 guidelines.
The police on Saturday detained Independent Member of Legislative Assembly Sheikh Abdul Rashid after he tried to take out a protest march against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public rally in Srinagar.
This is the second such incident of mutilation of the body of an Indian soldier on the LoC since October 29.
An army jawan was also injured in the encounter that began on Saturday night after troops launched a search operation in Khumhair forests of Handwara tehsil.
"Around 5 am, militants opened firing on an army camp at Langate in Kupwara district, which was retaliated by the alert jawans," an army official said.
On February 25, 2021, India and Pakistan announced that they have agreed to strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and other sectors.
Braving inclement weather, Army aviation pilots on Monday airlifted the five injured soldiers from Macchil to Srinagar for specialised treatment. Unfortunately, all five brave hearts attained martyrdom, an army official said.
Jammu and Kashmir cops mistakenly used the image of Irfan Shah, a resident of Kupwara, instead of militant Abdul Qayoom Najar.
The joint separatist camp, including Hurriyat Conference factions led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik-led Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front, has asked the people to march to Tral to pay tributes to Wani, who was killed in an encounter with security forces on this day last year.
Thousands of villagers from Maharashtra's Nashik district and surrounding areas on Monday bid a tearful adieu to soldier Shankar Chandrabhan Shinde, who was killed while fighting highly-trained militants in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.
This move by the BSF is in protest to the growing incidents of ceasefire violations across the Line of Control and the International Border.
Security agencies braced for a march called by separatists on Monday.
The search operation turned into an encounter after the terrorists fired upon the security forces who retaliated, he said.
Hundreds others were wounded many of whom received bullet and pellet injuries and are undergoing treatment in various hospitals.
Troops noticed suspicious movement along the LoC and challenged the intruders, leading to a gunfight.
Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar will be given the honour
Here are the latest updates from the Valley.
Militants on Wednesday shot dead a youth and injured another, who were working as porters with the army, in Keran area of Kupwara district near the Line of Control in Kashmir, the army said.
Six government employees, including two policemen, were on Wednesday dismissed from service for their alleged links with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, taking the total number of employees sacked in last nearly six months to 25, officials said.
Social media users in Kashmir are divided over a recent circular issued by district authorities in Kupwara which directed administrators of 'Whatsapp' groups disseminating news to get themselves registered within 10 days.
The gunbattle broke out at Dardpora in Lolab area of Kupwara on Friday night after security forces launched a search operation there, the official said.
The ongoing crackdown on Khalistan supporters has brought to light a questionable delay in revoking arms licences granted to the armed guards of radical preacher Amritpal Singh in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
The army on Monday said Pakistan had a "direct role" in the mutilation of a soldier's body along the Line of Control in Machhil sector of Kupwara district on November 22.
He will be cremated with full military honours including a 21-gun salute in his village, Pogarwadi.
On sustained questioning, the SSP said, the trio admitted they are working for Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist outfit and were luring young boys into militancy.
The police spokesman said the LeT terrorist has been identified as Sajad Ahmad Shah, a resident of Gund in Chogul area in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.
Here's a recap of the events from the past 24 hours.
Indian Army retaliated befittingly to the unprovoked ceasefire violations.
This classification of districts is to be followed by states and union terrotories till a week post May 3, when the second phase of lockdown will end, for containment operations.
An army major was killed in an accident during a cordon and search operation in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday.
The police on Tuesday said businessman Mohammad Altaf Bhat was killed in the "cross-firing" between militants and security forces at Hyderpora on Monday, but he would be counted as a "harbourer of terrorists" as he did not inform authorities about the tenants in his building.
A large quantity of weapons, including AK-47 rifles and mines with Pakistan-marking were recovered from the slain terrorist.
This is the first case in the Valley in which Indian Army personnel have been awarded life terms on these charges.
These Army posts -- some at the highest altitude of about 12,000 feet -- are the first line of defense against the intruders in these infamous, traditional routes of infiltration. These infiltration routes converge at the mighty Shamsabari range.
For the soldiers at this frontier, it's a battle that has to be fought on two fronts -- hostile neighbour and harsh winter, which is approaching.
Families of two civilians killed in the Hyderpora encounter in Srinagar held a protest here on Wednesday, demanding justice for the victims and the return of their bodies.
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