KULGAM
A 12-day anti-militancy operation in Kulgam’s Akhal forest ended after no fresh militant contact was found. Launched on August 1, following intel on armed militants, it claimed two soldiers’ lives, injured ten, and killed one militant. Despite drones, helicopters, and heavy reinforcement, militants likely escaped the dense, rugged terrain. Surveillance in the area will remain heightened.
An NIT Srinagar faculty member has won a Rs 73.92 lakh Ministry of Mines grant for a project to boost Jammu and Kashmir’s infrastructure using advanced material technology.
JAMMU KASHMIR
The Army has intensified surveillance and combat readiness along the 740-km Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, combining advanced technology with proven weaponry to counter infiltration. In Baramulla’s forward areas, the AK-203 rifle, adapted from the Kalashnikov and built in India under an Indo-Russian venture, has replaced older models, with over 48,000 produced since 2023. The SIG-716, offering greater range and stopping power, and precision weapons such as Dragunov and Sako TRG-42 sniper rifles, remains in use. New technology includes Trinetra unmanned aerial vehicles for reconnaissance, thermal imaging and infiltration monitoring, and Smart Fence Systems in Rajouri and Poonch, where recent infiltration attempts were foiled. Mobility upgrades feature Armado armoured vehicles, ATVs and Robotic Mules for transport, detection and reconnaissance in challenging terrain. These capabilities were validated during Operation Sindoor in May, which destroyed multiple camps across the LoC. Mini UAVs and armed drones now engage targets remotely, supported by dog squads, explosive detectors and trained Village Defence Guards along sensitive stretches.
Jammu and Kashmir recorded 3,532 medical terminations in 2020–21, 4,983 in 2021–22, 6,036 in 2022–23, 9,643 in 2023–24, and a provisional 9,193 in 2024–25; Ladakh reported 46, 57, 125, 115, and a provisional 108 for the same years.
SRINAGAR
Thirty-five years after the murder of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat, the Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency (SIA) has reopened the case, conducting coordinated raids at eight locations in Srinagar. Most raids were linked to now-banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) members, including Yasin Malik. Bhat, a 27-year-old from Anantnag, worked at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar. On April 14, 1990, during the amorphous days of the militancy, she was abducted from her hostel, accused of being a police informer, subjected to alleged torture, and killed. Her body was found five days later in Old Srinagar. Police registered a case in the killing. For decades, the case saw no progress. In 2017, and again in 2023, the Supreme Court dismissed petitions seeking investigations into the targeted killings of Pandits, citing the time lapse and lack of evidence. However, after reopening the 1989 murder case of Judge Neelkanth Ganjoo in 2023, the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha administration has pursued other such cases, with the SIA formed to fast-track terror investigations. According to a 2008 JK Police report, 209 Pandits were killed by militants between 1989 and 2008, 109 of them in 1990, with convictions in only a fraction of cases. Pandit groups maintain the toll is higher.
Jammu and Kashmir Police topped the nation in Gallantry Medals this Independence Day, with 127 personnel honoured for exceptional bravery, the Home Ministry said.
SHOPIAN
A monitor lizard has been spotted for the first time in Shopian district’s Alialpora area, surprising experts. Alerted by residents, the Wildlife Department rescued the healthy reptile, now in their custody. India hosts four protected monitor lizard species, all safeguarded under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and CITES. Experts warned that illegal hunting for meat, medicine, and superstitions threatens their survival, urging stronger conservation measures.
RAMBAN
The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh quashed criminal proceedings against three Ramban residents accused of violating COVID-19 restrictions during a 2021 protest. Justice MA Chowdhary ruled the FIR was filed “frivolously” to harass the petitioners, noting their trial would be an abuse of process. Charged under IPC and Disaster Management Act provisions, the trio allegedly defied Section 144 orders. The court found procedural flaws, including the absence of the minimum number required for an unlawful assembly, and cited similar case withdrawals following the pandemic. It ordered the charge sheet quashed, bail bonds discharged, and records updated for compliance.
MUMBAI
We Are Faheem & Karun, directed by Onir and co-written by Fawzia Mirza, is India’s first LGBTQIA+ film set in Kashmir, spoken primarily in Kashmiri and starring local actors. Premiered at BFI Flare 2025, it follows the slow, intimate connection between Faheem, a gentle Gurez Valley resident, and Karun, a Tamil paramilitary officer, amid the militarised landscape. Their bond unfolds through small acts, sharing tea, offering an apple, charged with political and cultural tension. Onir layers the love story with themes of trust, repression, and quiet defiance, portraying family dynamics shaped by patriarchy yet softened by a mother’s silent support. Resisting spectacle, the film focuses on tenderness, vulnerability, and survival in a space where queerness is doubly erased, by both regional conflict and societal taboo. Through its subtle storytelling, gender fluid representation, and rootedness in Kashmiri culture, it offers a radical, tender testament to queer existence in contested, silenced places.
HYDERABAD
The Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police has booked the managing director and executives of Hyderabad-based Capital Protection Force Pvt Ltd for a multi-crore scam involving the Falcon Invoice Discounting investment app. Major General Rajat Jagani alleged losing over Rs 2.21 crore, while Pardeep Kumar Gupta claimed a Rs 62 lakh loss. Both said the firm duped thousands of investors through fake vendor profiles, fabricated deals, and false claims of multinational partnerships. Police said the Ponzi-style scheme was promoted via social media, luring victims with promises of high returns. An FIR has been registered in the case.
SAMBA
Samba Police have cracked the 2024 Diwali night murder of 29-year-old Sushil Singh Manhas in Bari Brahmana’s industrial area. Two Bihar natives, Jalil Nutt and Mohammad Azad, were arrested after a sustained investigation. The accused confessed to stabbing the victim in revenge before fleeing. On Azad’s disclosure, police recovered the murder weapon, a Chinese-made secessior, and seized the scooty used in the crime. Azad was traced to Gujarat, while Nutt was caught in Bihar. The investigation was led by the SHO Bari Brahmana under the supervision of SDPO Bari Brahmana and SSP Samba. Further investigation into the case is ongoing.
ANANTNAG
In a historic boost to regional connectivity, the first-ever freight train carrying cement from Rupnagar, Punjab, arrived at the newly commissioned Anantnag Goods Shed in Kashmir last week, completing the 600-kilometre journey in under 18 hours. Loaded with 21 BCN wagons, the train marks the start of a regular weekly cement service, expected to accelerate infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, housing, and public works. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the development as a milestone for commerce and connectivity. Northern Railway called it a symbol of integration and progress, enhancing logistical capacity and economic growth in the Kashmir Valley. So far, two cement-laden trains have come to Kashmir, and it is said that it is expected to be a weekly affair now.
UDHAMPUR
Rajinder Kumar, 25, died in Udhampur after his throat was slit by a banned Chinese kite string, or Gattu, while riding his motorcycle. Despite a ban under Section 144 of the Jammu and Kashmir Criminal Procedure Code, the nylon-coated, glass-laced string continues to be used, causing repeated fatalities, including Sahil Kumar’s death last month, and injuries in Muthi and Bishnah. Past police seizures, such as 1,080 rolls in 2021, have failed to curb its trade, which thrives during kite-flying season. Kumar’s death has renewed demands for a strict, zero-tolerance crackdown on the manufacture, sale, and use of the killer string.
LADAKH
The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and Leh Apex Body (LAB) began a three-day hunger strike in Kargil on August 9, demanding Statehood for Ladakh, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil, and creation of a Public Service Commission. The protest at Hussaini Park follows the Centre’s delay in holding the next round of talks promised in May by the High-Powered Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Leaders said there has been no concrete discussion on their core demands in four years, accusing the Government of deliberate delay and warning that the agitation will intensify if ignored.
JAMMU
The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau has exposed a major land scam involving fraudulent allotment and sale of over 750 kanals of Custodian land in Asarwan, Mishriwala, and Bhalwal, Jammu. Land mafia, in collusion with Form Alf holders and Revenue Department officials, tampered with records and forged orders to usurp land already allotted to displaced persons. Eight new FIRs have been registered under corruption, conspiracy, cheating, and forgery laws against several former officials and private individuals. Investigations are ongoing into the nexus that caused massive losses to the government exchequer, despite earlier probes and 16 FIRs already filed in related fraudulent land allotment cases.
SRINAGAR
On August 15, marking a shift from recent years when the Lieutenant Governor led Independence Day functions, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah presided over the main ceremony in Srinagar, hoisting the national flag at Bakshi Stadium. Deputy Chief Minister attended the Jammu event, while Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha unfurled the tricolour at Raj Bhavan, urging people to honour freedom fighters and take pride in the nation’s achievements. Cultural programmes and the Chief Minister’s customary high tea were cancelled in mourning for the Padder tragedy, where a cloudburst killed dozens. The Chief Minister is currently in Padder, overseeing relief efforts.
