On Monday, a man painted the Tricolour on his body and waved the national flag with a model of the BrahMos missile on the hand on Republic Day at Lal Chowk in Srinagar.
Lal Chowk in the heart of Srinagar was Kashmir's leading venue for protests where fortified defences had been set up by security forces. Today a group of youngsters dances at the Chowk and makes reels.
The busy Lal Chowk city centre on Saturday reverberated with slogans like 'We want justice' and 'Administration haye haye' (down with administration) as scores of Kashmiri Pandits took out a protest march against the killing of Rahul Bhat, officials said.
Braving sub-zero temperatures, hundreds of locals and tourists thronged the iconic Ghanta Ghar at Lal Chowk on New Year's eve in Srinagar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created such an atmosphere in Kashmir that any Indian can hoist the national flag with pride at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, the Bharatiya Janata Party said on Sunday and asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to thank him for the change in the Valley.
Murli Manohar Joshi had hoisted the national flag at Lal Chowk in 1992 at the peak of militancy in the valley.
Three senior separatist leaders along with pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik and their 13 supporters were detained by the state police on Wednesday as they tried to march towards Lal Chowk to hoist the party flag on clock tower.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah refused to term the latest militancy incident at Lal Chowk as a suicide attack saying it was just a confrontation between the security forces and militants on the run.
Taking a 30-minute break from the Kanyakumari to Kashmir foot march at Sonawar, Gandhi drove to the Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters on Maulana Azad Road before heading to the clock tower, locally known as 'Ghanta Ghar', to unfurl the tricolour.
A top Harkat-ul-Mujahideen militant, suspected to be mastermind behind the suicide attack in Lal Chowk in Srinagar, was on Wednesday killed along with another ultra in an encounter with security forces in Sopore town of North Kashmir.
While there was no resistance, some women expressed resentment, saying the exercise could have been done away from the public glare.
"Four policemen, three Central Reserve Police Force personnel and four civilians were injured in the terror attack."
Communist Party of India-Marxist's top leader in Jammu and Kashmir Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami tells rediff.com's Krishnakumar Padmanabhan about Bharatiya Janata Party's plans to hoist the national flag at Srinagar's Lal Chowk on Republic Day, and how 'it will disturb the region's fragile peace.'
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called on Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday morning and discussed with him the current situation in the state.
The Kashmir interlocutors on Wednesday asked Bharatiya Janata Party to reconsider its plan to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Republic Day, fearing it could lead to law and order problems in the Valley.
Tension mounted in Jammu and Kashmir capital Srinagar, as state authorities shut the Jammu-Srinagar national highway to prevent entry of Bharatiya Janata Party activists who are planning to hoist the national flag in Lal Chowk locality of the city.
In a breakthrough in the Lal Chowk terror strike, the police have arrested two people who had allegedly provided SIM cards to two Lashkar-e-Tayiba militants who killed two persons during the 22-hour siege.
Slamming the Jammu and Kashmir government for stopping them from entering the state, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday rejected Centre's appeal to turn back and vowed to go ahead with the proposed flag hoisting at Srinagar's Lal Chowk on Republic Day.
Asking Bharatiya Janata Party to drop its plan to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Republic Day, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday warned the party that it would be responsible for "any repercussions" in the Valley.
The Bharatiya Janata Party organised an exhibition at the iconic Clock Tower in Lal Chowk, Srinagar, highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's life and achievements.
'The situation is normal now. The Kashmiri Pandits should come back.'
Jammu and Kashmir Police detained over 50 people for alleged involvement in anti-state activities following raids across multiple districts. The crackdown targeted separatist networks, overground workers, and individuals linked to Pakistan-based Kashmiri natives.
Disgruntled BJP leader Jahanzaib Sirwal criticizes his party for allegedly using the plight of displaced Kashmiri Pandits for political gains and calls for meaningful action to address their grievances.
The Akhil Bhartiya Gau Sewa Foundation has organised an ambitious 180-day journey to raise awareness about cow protection across India, including in Jammu and Kashmir.
A strike in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) over unfulfilled demands turned violent, resulting in one death and multiple injuries. Mobile and internet services have been suspended in the region.
On Thursday, January 30, 2025, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad students and other Kashmiri students held a Tiranga rally at the historic Ghanta Ghar at Lal Chowk in Srinagar to celebrate Republic Day.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha claims a significant reduction in the fear of terrorism in the Kashmir Valley, citing increased industrial activity in Pulwama and a decline in local terror recruitment.
'Often people outside paint a wrong picture of us of Kashmiris. We are not like that. We are cool and bindaas,' said the lady, a teacher, caressing my cheeks in the pressing crowds.
A large number of devotees, including Pandits and other locals, filled the streets with religious slogans, dancing, and joy.
Glimpses from India and around the world that will make you smile and cry.
Mock drills were conducted on Saturday in states and Union territories adjoining the western border -- from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat -- to enhance wartime emergency preparedness and response capabilities, officials said.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a plea on August 8 seeking directions to the Centre for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The plea highlights concerns about the delay and its impact on democratic rights and development.
The scenes in Kashmir, as security is put on high alert after the judgment of Article 370 was passed by the Supreme Court on Monday, December 11, 2023.
Shinde's remarks come in the middle of the election season in JK.
At Srinagar's famed Lal Chowk, Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf meets a computer engineer who drives an auto for a living and discovers that Kashmiris are more interested in finding jobs than discussing the assembly election.
Kashmir tourism is staring at a loss of Rs 2000 crore with tourists pulling out in droves post the Pahalgam terror attack, and travel agents are pinning their hopes on social media by actors reverses the trend and brings back tourists to the Union territory.
In a historic moment, on Thursday October 31, 2024 night, Srinagar's Ghanta Ghar at Lal Chowk lit up with thousands of diyas to celebrate Diwali for the first time.
In a significant shift, Kashmiris from villages once considered strongholds of militancy have joined the condemnation of the recent massacre of 26 people in Pahalgam, raising slogans against terrorism and expressing solidarity with the victims. This unprecedented display of public sentiment across the valley marks a possible turning point in the region's fight against violence.
On Monday, August 7, 2023, security forces carried out surprise search operations in the Lal Chowk area of Srinagar.
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