KULGAM
Around 500 high-density apple plants were axed by unidentified miscreants in Hatipora, Behibagh (Kulgam), causing losses estimated at over Rs 25 lakh to a local orchard owner. The damaged orchard was developed under the high-density cultivation model, a modern farming technique promoted to enhance productivity and incomes. Police have registered an FIR. Of late, however, such incidents are recurring. Earlier, a major HD orchard in Chadoora was completely devastated.
More than 17,000 candidates appeared for the SKUAST-K undergraduate entrance test, competing for 900 seats across 14 disciplines, with an attendance rate of 94 per cent.
GANDERBAL
The body of Rashid Ahmad Mughal, a 30-year-old man killed in an alleged encounter in Ganderbal on April 1, has been exhumed and handed over to his family, who reburied him in his native village of Chunt Walivar. Mughal was initially identified by the Army as a suspected militant, but his family disputed the claim, maintaining he was a civilian who assisted residents with official paperwork. The incident sparked political demands for an impartial investigation, prompting the Home Department to order a magisterial inquiry. The findings of the inquiry have not yet been made public.
Jammu and Kashmir’s 29 government departments have outsourced 22,454 jobs to over 200 private companies during the last two years.
LADAKH
Ladakh has secured Geographical Indication (GI) status for eight traditional handicrafts: Ladakh Challi Textiles, Thigma, Painting, Pabu, Nambu Textile, Pashmina Textile, Chilling Metal Work and Likir Pottery. The status provides legal protection to the region’s centuries-old crafts. The recognition is expected to preserve indigenous knowledge, prevent imitation and expand market opportunities for artisans. A GI tag certifies products whose qualities and reputation are linked to a specific geographical region.
Authorities are preparing DPRs for Rs 3,500-crore road projects covering 60 km to strengthen infrastructure along the Amarnath Yatra route.
KARNAH
A Pakistani national who was apprehended after crossing the Line of Control (LoC) into Karnah (Kupwara) has been repatriated to Pakistan, the Indian Army said. Chinar Corps said the 19-year-old Assad Khan was apprehended in the Seemari area of the Karnah sector on June 12 after allegedly crossing into Indian territory. Khan, son of Janzib Khan, is reported to be a resident of Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Official sources said local residents first spotted and detained the youth before handing him over to the authorities. Later, Khan was taken into custody and questioned while legal formalities and investigations were carried out. The Army said he was treated with dignity and compassion throughout his stay in India, in keeping with humanitarian values and professional conduct. Finding nothing adverse, he was safely repatriated to Pakistan on June 18.
6.39 lakh people across 1.28 lakh families living in multidimensional poverty in Jammu and Kashmir with Ramban, Reasi and Kishtwar worst affected
BANDIPORA
Pink lotus flowers have returned to Kashmir’s Wular Lake after an absence of more than three decades, marking a significant milestone in the restoration of one of Asia’s largest freshwater wetlands. The lotus beds had largely vanished following the devastating 1992 floods, which deposited heavy silt across the lakebed and buried the plants’ rhizomes. Years of siltation, declining water levels and the spread of invasive willow plantations further degraded the ecosystem. The revival is being credited to sustained conservation efforts by the Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA), which undertook large-scale desiltation and removed invasive willows from the wetland. Improved water circulation and habitat restoration created favourable conditions for the dormant lotus plants to regenerate. The lake is a Ramsar site of international importance and a vital ecological asset for Kashmir.
Four high-speed corridors worth Rs 50,000 crore are under construction in Jammu and Kashmir as DPRs for road projects worth Rs 65,000 crore are being prepared.
CHANDIGARH
Three persons accused in the sensational daylight killing of Janki Das, 45, a pharmacy cashier in Chandigarh’s Sector 11 market, have been arrested from Jammu and Kashmir, as investigators probe possible links to organised crime and extortion networks behind the murder. The breakthrough came after an extensive interstate manhunt that traced the suspects’ movements from Chandigarh to Delhi and then nearly 500 kilometres away to Jammu and Kashmir. Police arrested alleged shooter Sunny Mehra, 22, from Samba district, Aryan Sharma, 21, from Rajouri district, and later nabbed the prime suspect, Amit Kumar, near Samba.
CCTV footage showed two masked men entering the shop and firing multiple rounds at close range before fleeing on a motorcycle. Police said the accused used a stolen motorcycle to reach Chandigarh, stayed in the city before the attack and escaped through public transport routes after the crime. Investigators tracked them using CCTV footage, hotel records and technical surveillance across multiple states. The case took a dramatic turn later when Sunny and Aryan allegedly attempted to escape during transit to Chandigarh after a police vehicle met with an accident. Police said both sustained bullet injuries in retaliatory firing. Authorities are now focused on uncovering the larger conspiracy, including possible extortion and gangster links, behind the killing.
In Jammu , Police arrested 701 drug peddlers and seized over 14 kg of heroin and 260 kg of other narcotics during the first two months of the anti-drug campaign.
MUMBAI
Actor Daisy Shah will play an IPS officer in DGP Kashmir, an upcoming Bollywood flick inspired by real-life incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. Directed by Kashmir-born filmmaker Imtiyaz Bhat, the film traces the challenges faced by security forces while protecting civilians and maintaining law and order. Bhat said Daisy immediately connected with the role, describing it as her long-held dream to portray an IPS officer on screen. The film draws inspiration from several incidents in Kashmir, including the lynching of Deputy Superintendent of Police Ayoub Pandith in Srinagar in 2017 and security operations linked to the Hazratbal shrine. Bhat said these events shaped his decision to tell the story of police officers and their sacrifices. Marking Bhat’s transition from music videos to feature films, the movie features an ensemble cast including Daisy Shah, Puneet Issar, Sharib Hashmi, Mir Sarwar and Ashmit Patel. The film is slated for theatrical release later this year.
LADAKH
Eight persons have been apprehended by Leh Police for their suspected involvement in organised religious conversion-related activities in Ladakh. An FIR has been registered at Police Station Leh under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) following what police described as credible information regarding alleged proselytisation activities in different parts of the Union Territory.
According to police, the accused are suspected of recruiting local youth for conversion-related activities in Zanskar, Changthang and the Aryan Valley. Preliminary investigations revealed that the group had rented a residential premises in Skampari, Leh, where offices had allegedly been established for the translation and dissemination of religious literature. The premises are also suspected to have been used for activities linked to religious conversions. Police have launched a detailed investigation to ascertain the scale of the group’s operations across Ladakh. The inquiry is also examining possible financial transactions and suspected foreign funding links, if any. Several laptops, digital devices and other materials have been seized.
Meanwhile, the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) has written to LG VK Saxena seeking a thorough investigation into alleged attempts to convert members of the Buddhist community to Christianity. LBA president Chering Dorjay Lakrook alleged that around 20 local youths had been engaged on honorariums to translate the Bible into Aryan, Changthangi, Zanskari and other local languages. He urged the administration to investigate the source of funding and determine whether a larger conspiracy was involved.
PAMPORE
Kashmir saffron prices have risen by more than 30 percent over the past year, driven by lower local production, supply chain disruptions and uncertainty over saffron supplies from Iran, a major global producer. Market sources said GI-tagged Kashmiri saffron is currently selling at around Rs 380 per gram compared to nearly Rs 250 per gram during the same period last year, while non-GI saffron has increased from about Rs 200 to Rs 300 per gram. Despite the sharp price rise, many growers are unable to benefit fully because of a poor harvest that left them with limited stocks. Growers attributed the situation to reduced production in Kashmir and disruptions in the international saffron trade linked to developments in West Asia.
RAJOURI
Four families have been shifted to safer locations after deep and widening cracks appeared in buildings, roads and agricultural land at Kotli Kalaban village in Manjakote belt. The cracks, expanded significantly within 24 hours, damaging several houses, shops, cattle sheds and portions of farmland. Rajouri Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Sharma said experts from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) have been called to assess the situation. The administration has also kept a government school and panchayat building ready for evacuation if required. Officials said most of the village’s nearly three dozen houses remain unaffected, while investigations into the cause of the cracks are underway.
JAMMU KASHMIR
Private hospitals and dialysis centres in Kashmir have threatened to withdraw from the SEHAT health insurance scheme from July 1, alleging that the Jammu and Kashmir government has failed to clear more than Rs 250 crore in pending reimbursements accumulated over the past two years. The delays in payments, they said, are affecting their ability to provide services such as dialysis, intensive care, surgeries, oncology and cardiac treatment. Health Minister Sakina Itoo acknowledged the pending payments and said the government was considering ways to clear the liabilities, attributing the delay to financial constraints. Hospital operators said rising costs of medicines, implants and medical equipment, coupled with delayed reimbursements, were straining healthcare delivery, particularly for smaller hospitals and dialysis centres. Similar payment disputes had also disrupted services under the scheme in 2022.
GULMARG
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned nine prominent hoteliers from Gulmarg, including Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Club chairman Mushtaq Ahmad Ganai alias Chaya, in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in land transfers under the erstwhile J&K Roshni Act. They have been asked to submit financial, property and revenue records, including documents related to applications filed under the Roshni scheme. The probe stems from a 2009 vigilance case alleging that ownership rights over more than 35 kanals of prime Gulmarg land were illegally conferred on beneficiaries by manipulating records and bypassing statutory procedures. The ED is examining whether the alleged transfers generated illicit wealth constituting proceeds of crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
