A police officer and his eight siblings, including five sisters, were deported to Pakistan on Wednesday despite a court order granting them temporary relief. The nine members of the extended family, who have been living in Jammu and Kashmir for generations, were among more than two dozen people, mostly from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), who were served deportation notices following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The deportation has sparked outrage, with protests and appeals for intervention from the home minister and lieutenant governor. The family members claim they are not Pakistani nationals and have been living in the region for generations, presenting revenue records to support their claims. The court has ordered a detailed report on the case within two weeks and will hear it again on May 20.
With these casualties, 17 people, including nine security personnel, died and 70 were injured in Pakistani shelling and firing along the LoC and International Border in the Jammu region this year.
Shah is scheduled to meet the families of twin terror attack victims in Rajouri district, officials said.
His elder brother Om Prakash Chettri, who recently retired from the Army, said Siddhant was passionate only about serving the nation.
Heavy Pakistani shelling in the border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir left nine people dead and 28 injured. The shelling, described by residents and officials as "barbaric and cowardly", started around 2 am, damaging dozens of residential houses, shops, vehicles, and heritage sites. The incident comes after India launched "Operation Sindoor" in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. India condemned the act, calling it a cowardly attack on civilians, and reaffirmed that civilian safety remains its top priority.
The terrorists opened fire and lobbed hand grenades, leading to a fierce encounter in which two terrorists from Pakistan have been killed, the spokesman said.
A series of blasts took place in Srinagar city as the security agencies brought down a drone that was seen hovering over Batwara area of the city, close to an army installation, officials said.
Images from Tuesday's security operations to eliminate terrorists in Shopian and Rajouri districts in Jammu and Kashmir.
Majid's family lives in the Ajot hamlet located between zero-line and border fencing along the LoC.
Heavy rains battered Jammu and Kashmir, triggering floods, damaging infrastructure, and disrupting normal life. Authorities issued advisories and rescue operations were conducted.
The officials identified the deceased as Ashwani Sharma (24), his brother Dwarka Nath (55), niece Virta Devi (26) and their guest Om Raj (38), a resident of Banshara in Rajgarh. The rescuers are searching for Sharma's sister-in-law, Bidya Devi (55).
Raj Kumar Thapa, additional district development commissioner, Rajouri, and his two staff members were seriously injured when an artillery shell hit his official residence in Rajouri town, the officials said.
Land sinking in a village in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district has damaged about 50 structures, mostly residential houses. A minister has assured relief and rehabilitation.
Pakistan dropped weapons and some cash in Indian currency using a drone in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, Director General of Police Dilbag Singh on Saturday said, announcing the arrest of three Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists who had picked up the consignment near the Line of Control.
Security forces on Tuesday continued the cordon and search operation in the Dhangri village area for the third consecutive day to trace the attackers.
Last month, two Army personnel and a 10-day-old baby were killed and several civilians injured in heavy Pakistani shelling and firing in the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region.
The bus on its way to Rajouri from Kandi skidded off the road and rolled down into the gorge at Mandir Gala area in Rajouri district, about 156 km from Jammu, on Friday afternoon, police said.
According to officials, 46 deaths have been recorded in terrorism-related violence since January this year in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch and nearby Reasi district.
With 19 border polling stations along the Line of Control in Rajouri and Poonch, a contingency plan has been worked out to deal with cross-border shelling though chances are negligible given the ongoing ceasefire between India and Pakistan that came into effect in February 2021, officials said.
Pakistan military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry told a hurriedly called press conference in Islamabad at around 4 am that th Pakistan air force's Nur Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi), Murid (Chakwal) and Rafiqui (Shorkot in Jhang district) airbases were targeted.
Security forces in the Jammu region are maintaining a strong vigil and conducting operations to track down 40 to 50 terrorists active in the area. Multi-tier security measures, including anti-drone strategies and intensified night operations, are in place.
Border skirmishes witnessed a spurt after India's preemptive air strike.
The Centre and state governments have shied away from highlighting the ISI's attempts to displace Hindus and create corridors of sympathetic demography to further their designs especially along the communication arteries from Jammu to the Kashmir Valley.
Qadri Javed Azad and Makwana Kumar are on a 2,000 km expedition from Porbandar to Pahalgam to spread the message of peace, unity and Operation Sindoor.
The firing exchanges are taking places in five districts out of seven border districts of Jammu and Kashmir. So far, there has been no firing reports along International Border in Samba and Kathua districts.
Naik Bakhtawar Singh was injured in the exchange of fire. He succumbed to his wounds while being evacuated to the military hospital, he said.
This was the fourth fatal casualty in ceasefire violations by Pakistan in the past five days. "A JCO was killed in unprovoked Pakistani firing and shelling in Nowshera sector of Rajouri," the officials said, adding that further details were awaited.
The state health department teams are conducting door-to-door surveillance in Badhal village, and the medical teams present in the district are monitoring the situation closely. The Medical experts have advised residents not to panic.
Amid growing concern over the mysterious death of 14 persons in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir over the past one month, health experts on Tuesday said certain neurotoxins have been found in the samples of the deceased.
Incessant rains and flooding have caused widespread disruption in northern India, with states like Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir facing landslides, road closures, and displacement. Rescue efforts are underway as authorities grapple with the aftermath of the deluge.
The officials said a massive joint search operation by the Army and the police is in progress in several areas including Shahsitar, Gursai, Sanai, Lasana and Sheendara top for the third day but there was no trace of the terrorists so far.
In March, Pakistan violated the truce four times along the LoC in Poonch.
Relentless heavy rain led to a landslide on the route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hill on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least five people and injuring 14, officials said.
The casualties were reported hours before India and Pakistan agreed to end hostilities, which soared after the Indian Armed Forces hit terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir earlier this week in response to the Pahalgam attack.
A cloudburst in a remote village in Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir, resulted in four fatalities and six injuries. Rescue operations are underway, and the district administration is monitoring the situation.
Suspected drones were observed along the International Border in Samba district of Jammu region on Monday, while armed forces downed a 'surveillance drone' in Punjab's Jalandhar district.
An army jawan was Tuesday killed in accidental firing in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, a senior police official said.
Curfew was on Thursday imposed in border town of Rajouri district in view of communal tension there following stone-pelting on a religious procession and subsequent tear gas shelling.
From using lavender in traditional Dogri embroidery to making essential oils, beauty products and food syrups infused with this flowering plant, Bhaderwah, once known for its maize fields, is embracing lavender to bring about an economic transformation to their small town.
The troops were patrolling the forward area in Nowshera sector when the explosion occurred, the sources said.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances