DODA
Nearly a month after suspending a cop for allegedly manhandling a Block Development Officer, Jammu and Kashmir Police have booked another officer for assaulting a doctor in Doda over a parking dispute. An FIR was registered on December 3 against Assistant Sub-Inspector Ghulam Ali following a written complaint by Anzar Majid Malik, who alleged that Ali wrongfully restrained and physically attacked him. The incident, captured on video, shows Malik trying to make space for Ali’s car in a market parking lot, after which Ali’s son intervenes, and Ali assaults Malik, snatching his phone. The Doda Police promptly registered FIR No 272/2025 under relevant sections and initiated an investigation, identifying the accused as an ASI. This follows the November suspension of a Nagrota DSP for a separate assault on a government officer.
In Jammu and Kashmir, 12,554 tuberculosis cases were reported up to October 2025, resulting in 408 deaths in 2024 alone. Ladakh recorded 246 cases and nine deaths.
DELHI
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman praised Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his “focused” and “determined” efforts to restore the region’s economy, particularly after the tourism sector suffered a major setback following external attacks, including the April 22 Pahalgam incident. Highlighting the Centre’s detailed interventions and the restoration of JK Bank, she appreciated Omar for meeting her twice and prioritising economic revival. Responding with humour, Abdullah thanked the Finance Minister and quipped, “Please show me the money, ma’am,” while stressing his government’s accountability and willingness to collaborate with the Centre without forming a political alliance.
Jammu and Kashmir recorded 28,510 road accidents between 2020 and 2024, leading to 4,031 deaths.
JAMMU KASHMIR
Amid controversy over upper age-limit relaxation and nationwide flight cancellations, the Jammu and Kashmir Combined Competitive Examination-2025 (prelims) was conducted as per the schedule, with 13,732 of 22,573 registered candidates appearing across 53 centres. The exam took place in two sessions across Jammu, Doda, Rajouri, Srinagar, Baramulla, and Anantnag, with observers and magistrates deployed at each centre to ensure smooth conduct. The examination, for 80 posts in JKAS, J&K Accounts (G) Service, and J&K Police (G) Service, saw varying turnout across districts, with Jammu province recording the highest participation. The exam followed prolonged deliberations over age relaxation, with the elected government seeking higher limits for Open Merit, reserved, in-service, and physically challenged candidates, while the JKPSC finally held the exam after the file was exchanged between the Lt Governor and Chief Minister’s offices without any decision.
Jammu and Kashmir has been allocated Rs 57.3 crore under the Nirbhaya Fund over the past five years to strengthen safety and security measures for women and girls
CHINA
A 29-year-old Chinese national, Hu Congtai, was detained in Kashmir for travelling to restricted regions in Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir in violation of his tourist visa, which allowed visits only to select Buddhist sites. He had arrived in Delhi on November 19 and secretly travelled to Leh the next day without registering with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office. Officials said he toured Zanskar and later entered Srinagar on December 1, staying at an unregistered homestay and visiting Harwan, Awantipur ruins, Shankaracharya, Hazratbal and the Mughal Gardens. His Indian SIM card, browsing history on security deployments, and visits to strategic locations triggered a multi-agency investigation. Following the forensic examination of his phone, authorities decided to deport and blacklist him. He was sent back to New Delhi on December 10 for onward deportation to Hong Kong. Police have filed FIRs against several hospitality units for failing to report foreign guests.
Jammu and Kashmir recorded Corporate Social Responsibility expenditure of Rs 282.24 crore over the past five financial years. It included Rs 25.27 crore in 2019-20, which increased to Rs 35.56 crore in 2020-21 and rose further to Rs 50.68 crore in 2021-22. The upward trend continued with Rs 72.19 crore in 2022-23, reaching Rs 98.54 crore in 2023-24.
POONCH
Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have issued two separate directives involving schoolteachers, triggering debate over the expanding scope of educators’ duties. In Poonch, the Chief Education Officer has ordered every government and private school to appoint a nodal officer responsible for monitoring stray dog activity, reporting sightings, coordinating with municipal and animal husbandry departments, and ensuring safety on campus. Teachers argue that this task falls outside their professional remit and adds to their workload, especially as schools must publicly display the nodal officer’s name and contact details. Separately, in Ramban district, a government schoolteacher was suspended for allegedly posting insensitive social media content targeting a particular community. Authorities said the posts caused concern among residents, prompting immediate administrative action.
The Reserve Bank of India has fined Jammu and Kashmir Bank Rs 99.30 lakh for lapses in grievance redressal, customer communication, KYC verification, and the handling of unclaimed deposits.
KASHMIR
The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered an urgent inquiry into allegations of carcinogenic residues in eggs after National Conference MLA Tanvir Sadiq flagged reports of nitrofuran and nitroimidazole, banned in food-producing animals due to cancer risks. Quickly, the government directed the Legal Metrology Department and Food Safety authorities to verify the claims and submit a report within two days. Following heightened public concern, the Food Safety Department lifted egg samples across Srinagar and Jammu for laboratory testing, urging consumers not to panic until results are available. Officials noted that the specific brand mentioned in the allegations had not been found during market inspections, stressing that only laboratory analysis could confirm contamination.
Between 2020 and 2025, 180 Jammu and Kashmir residents underwent organ transplants, while an equal number remain on the waiting list, most of them seeking kidney transplants. During the same period, 147 corneal transplants were carried out.
QAZIGUND
Nineteen-year-old all-rounder Majid Yousuf Sheikh from Panzath in South Kashmir has been signed by Ahmedabad Lions for Rs 3 lakh in the ISPL Under-19 category, a breakthrough that has thrilled his village. The son of a tailor, Majid honed his skills on a rough local ground before rising through competitive cricket. Now training in Delhi, he has said his hard work and perseverance brought him here.
Between July 2020 and November 2025, Jammu and Kashmir saw the closure of 7,066 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), leading to the loss of over 7,000 jobs and highlighting the severe impact on local employment and the region’s business ecosystem.
JAMMU
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said the Jammu and Kashmir government has adopted a firm policy of granting employment only to families of terror victims while denying any jobs or relief to those linked with terrorism. Handing over appointment letters to 41 eligible families in Jammu, he said, past governments had allegedly provided jobs to individuals connected with terrorism, but this practice had now ended. Citing Parliament data on civilian killings, he said justice would reach victims’ families alone. He added that old cases would be reopened and that no authority could grant jobs to the kin of terrorists.
Jammu and Kashmir has registered 36,11,958 unorganised and migrant workers on the Union Labour Ministry’s eShram portal.
ARUNACHAL PRADESH
Itanagar police have arrested two Kupwara residents, Nazir Ahmad Malik and Sabir Ahmed Mir, for allegedly spying for Pakistani handlers. The duo, posing as clothes sellers, had been travelling across Arunachal Pradesh for years and allegedly gathered sensitive information on Army movements and installations in forward areas such as Kibitho, Anini and Tezu. Investigators have claimed they sent photographs, videos and intelligence through a Telegram channel linked to a handler network named Al-Aqsa. Nazir has reportedly told police he was recruited by Sabir for money, and both began their latest espionage activities in April, following detailed instructions from across the border. Police have booked the pair under the UAPA and seized devices connected to their communication channels.
SRINAGAR
Jammu and Kashmir Police in Srinagar have arrested two former separatist leaders, Javed Ahmad Mir, erstwhile leader of now-banned JKLF, and Shakeel Bakshi, in connection with a nearly three-decade-old militancy-related case. The arrests relate to FIR No 192/1996, which alleges that Mir, Bakshi and several separatist figures led a violent procession during the July 1996 funeral of militant Hilal Ahmad Beigh, resulting in clashes, stone pelting, injuries to police personnel and property damage. Mir, once a militant commander, and Bakshi, founder of the Islamic Students League, were taken into custody as part of efforts to conclude long-pending cases from the 1990s. As proceedings resumed in Jamia Masjid, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed concern over renewed arrests in decades-old cases, urging the elected government to review detentions, address humanitarian issues and ensure fair, timely trials for Kashmiris held in and outside the region.
JAMMU KASHMIR
Eight uncapped Jammu and Kashmir cricketers, including fast bowler Aquib Nabi, have been shortlisted for the IPL 2026 auction, each with a base price of Rs 30 lakh. They join a 350-player shortlist selected from more than 1,300 aspirants. Four established players from the region have already been retained by franchises. The auction will be held in Abu Dhabi on December 16.
SRINAGAR
With Christmas approaching, Kashmir’s Papier-Mâché artisans are working overtime to dispatch their final festive décor consignments to Europe, North America, the Middle East, and domestic markets. Master craftsmen like Syed Javaid Iqbal and Ghulam Ali are hand-painting bells, crescents, and Santa figurines, adapting to fusion designs demanded by global buyers. Despite challenges such as new US import duties and past geopolitical shocks, exports remain robust, while domestic online sales provide a steady market. Meanwhile, four Kashmir artisans received national recognition at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, under the Shilp Guru and National Handicrafts Awards. Khwaja Nazir Ali and Manzoor Ahmad Khan won National Awards for Sozni embroidery and handmade carpets, respectively, while Mashkoora Hameed and Mir Arshad received Certificates of Excellence for Sozni shawls and Papier-Mâché.
