The previous highest voter turnout in the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency was witnessed in 1984 at 58.90 percent.
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.
Security expert B Raman on the encounter in Kupwara.
Curfew on Monday remain clamped in nine districts of Kashmir while it was relaxed in Bandipora and Handwara town of Kupwara. The curfew, which had been relaxed in a phased manner over the past few days across the Valley, was reimposed on Sunday following sporadic incidents of violence over varied issues, including the Amarnath accord, official sources said.
A suspected Lashkar-e-Tayiba militant was on Wednesday killed in an encounter with security forces in Kupwara district of north Kashmir, police said.
Hundreds of residents along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir were evacuated to safer zones after Pakistani shelling following Indian airstrikes on terror targets in Pakistan. The shelling killed 12 people, including four children and two women, and injured over 50. The evacuations come amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead. The government has provided temporary shelter for those evacuated.
After a brief gunfight, 'extreme restraint was exercised and opportunity given to the terrorists to surrender'.
Police said army and Special Operations Group of the police on a specific information surrounded a forest area in the mountains of picturesque Bungus valley of north Kashmir's Kupwara district during which the hiding terrorists fired upon the surrounding security forces. "The troops also retaliated and returned the fire, triggering a fierce gun battle and so far an army trooper and two terrorists have been killed," a senior police officer told rediff.com.
A driver by profession and a resident of Thandipora, was injured in a firing incident in the Thandipora area of Kupwara on Saturday.
Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Kalaroos village of the district following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area, a police official said.
Two militants and a soldier were killed in a gunbattle in Kupwara district of north Kashmir, police said on Saturday.
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 anti-terror operation is still on.
A policeman was injured when unidentified terrorists fired upon a police team even as a stone pelter was arrested in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.
"The troops along LoC in Tangdhar sector observed some suspicious movement past midnight. On being challenged, the militant opened fire at Army positions which was retaliated," an Army spokesman said in Srinagar.
The security forces have been engaged in a fierce gunfight with terrorists in the forest area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district since Wednesday afternoon.
India on Thursday night swiftly foiled Pakistan's attempts to hit various key Indian installations including military stations at Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur with drones and missiles, the defence ministry said.
He said one civilian, Waseem Ahmad Mir, also sustained bullet injury 'in the nearby area' and later succumbed at a hospital on Friday.
The army has killed five militants of Lashkar-e-Tayiba outfit in north Kashmir's forest area during the ongoing operations launched Monday last.
None of the other injured, including 10 security men, had received bullet injuries, they said, but were hurt in the clashes which were going on since morning.
Troops guarding the Line of Control intercepted a group of five to six terrorists, who were trying to sneak into this side, near Toot Mari Gali in Naugam sector early this morning, an Army official said.
Nearly 200 stranded passengers, including women and children, were rescued in a night-long operation in Jammu and Kashmir's frontier district of Kupwara, the police said on Tuesday.
Five militants were killed in a day-long fierce gunfight in frontier north Kashmir Kupwara district on Saturday.
An unidentified militant was on Saturday killed as security forces scuttled a major infiltration bid in Machil sector of north Kashmir's Kupwara district, Army said.
Lt Colonel KS Natt was cremated with full military honours in Jalandhar earlier in the day.
The infiltration bid was foiled by Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police early on Sunday morning.
Hundreds of locals assembled outside the police station at Lolab in Kupwara district, 120 km from Srinagar, and demanded that they be shown the bodies of the slain ultras, police sources said.
Two AK rifles, one UBGL and other war-like stores were recovered from the scene of the gunbattle
"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.
Acting on specific input about the presence of terrorists in the Wanigam Payeen Kreeri area of Baramulla district in north Kashmir, security forces launched a cordon and search operation there early Thursday morning, a police official said.
President Droupadi Murmu on July 5, 2024 conferred 10 Kirti Chakras, including seven posthumously, to personnel of the Army and paramilitary forces for displaying indomitable courage and extraordinary valour in the line of duty.
Jammu and Kashmir is facing a severe water crisis this year due to a massive rainfall deficit. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed concern about the situation and called for a proactive approach towards water management and conservation. The state has witnessed an 80% deficit in rainfall this year, raising the possibility of drought in the valley this summer. Several water bodies are flowing below the zero level mark, and some springs in south Kashmir have dried up completely. The water level in Jhelum and other major streams is alarmingly low.
The guidelines come after director general of police RR Swain said that posting any content on social media that promotes disharmony will be a criminal offence in Jammu and Kashmir.
The operation at the Keran Sector in Kupwara is still underway, the Army said.
The Delhi police has arrested an alleged member of Lashkar-e-Tayiba module operating in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara, officials said on Tuesday.
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.
A cold wave has intensified in most parts of north India, with temperatures in the Kashmir Valley dipping below freezing point. The national capital saw a brief respite from the bitter cold during the day, but cold conditions persisted in parts of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. The weather department has issued a yellow warning for cold wave, ground frost and dense fog for some places in Himachal Pradesh. There is a possibility of rain and snowfall in parts of northwest India later in the week.
The Army and police immediately launched a search operation in the area to nab the militants.
"The holy water of the Sharda Kund at the Sharda Peeth PoK was collected by Tanveer Ahmed and his team. Our civil society member across the LoC (Line of Control) carried it to Islamabad, wherefrom it was sent to his daughter Maghribi in the UK.
Head constable Bashir Ahmad laid down his life and two officers -- a DSP and an assistant sub-inspector -- were injured in the encounter, he said, adding both the officers are stable.
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