POONCH
A year after Operation Sindoor, the scars of the India-Pakistan conflict remain deeply visible across Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in Poonch, which witnessed the highest civilian casualties.
Memories of the intense Pakistani shelling between May 7 and 11, 2025, continue to haunt survivors and bereaved families. At least 14 civilians were killed in Poonch town within minutes during heavy mortar shelling, while nearly 20 civilians, including children and a JKAS officer, lost their lives across Rajouri and Poonch districts during the escalation. Several others were injured, displaced, or left traumatised.
Among the most painful symbols of the tragedy is the loss suffered by Christ School Poonch, where three students, twins Zain Ali and Urwa Fatima of Class 5, and Class 8 student Vihaan Bhargav, were killed while fleeing to safer places. School principal Father Shijo recalled that students remained traumatised for months, fearing even the sound of crackers. Counselling sessions had to be organised for both children and parents, while classrooms attended by the deceased students were temporarily shut because classmates refused to enter them.
Families of the victims say the grief remains raw despite financial assistance and promises of support. Sanjeev Bhargav, father of Vihaan Bhargav, said no compensation could lessen the pain of losing an only child. He expressed disappointment that there was no official remembrance event for the shelling victims on the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor. Similarly, Rameez Khan and his wife Urusa continue to mourn the loss of their 12-year-old twins, who died during the shelling after the family had moved closer to Poonch town for the children’s education.
In Sikh-majority Syndicate Mohalla, families of Ranjit Singh and Amrik Singh also continue to live with memories of the shelling. Relatives recalled how Ranjit Singh died while attempting to rescue neighbours during the bombardment.
The conflict also exposed serious deficiencies in civilian protection infrastructure in border districts. Residents repeatedly raised concerns over the shortage of community and individual bunkers in vulnerable areas of Poonch and Rajouri.
Elsewhere in Kashmir, schools and homes damaged during the conflict continue to await compensation and reconstruction support. In Pulwama, a school building hit by an unidentified aerial object remains unrepaired due to lack of official compensation.
RAJOURI
Fourteen-year-old boxer Mohammad Yasir from Rajouri has assured India a medal at the Under-15 Asian Boxing Championship in Tashkent after defeating a Kazakh boxer to enter the semi-finals. Training at the Khelo India Boxing Centre Rajouri under Coach Mohammad Ishtiyaq, Yasir registered his third consecutive win and is now set to face an Iranian opponent in the semifinal on May 10. Officials described his participation as historic, making him among the first sub-junior boxers from Jammu and Kashmir to represent India at the continental level. Raised by his widowed mother under difficult financial conditions, Yasir earlier won gold at the Sub-Junior National Boxing Championship in Noida. The Rajouri administration also provided financial assistance to support his participation in the championship.
LADAKH
Amid rising concerns over climate change and glacier retreat, 179 high-altitude glacial lakes in Ladakh are under continuous scientific monitoring to assess risks of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), the Central Water Commission (CWC) has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The CWC said monthly monitoring of the lakes is conducted from June to October using advanced remote sensing techniques.
According to the CWC, Ladakh’s monitoring programme expanded in phases, with 164 additional lakes brought under surveillance from June 2025. A scientific risk-indexing framework evaluating 12 factors, including lake size, slope stability and downstream vulnerability, has also been developed. Based on assessment of 15 glacial lakes in Ladakh, none were found in the high-risk category. Two lakes were categorised as moderate risk and 12 as low risk.
KARNAH
The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has ruled that call detail records (CDRs) alone cannot establish involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy without supporting evidence such as voice recordings or conversation transcripts. Justice MA Chowdhary made the observation while granting bail to Abdul Rashid Kohli, accused in a heroin trafficking case under the NDPS Act. Police had recovered 11 kg heroin and over Rs 11.82 lakh cash in a 2023 raid, following which several persons, including Kohli, were implicated based on disclosure statements and phone contacts with co-accused. The Court noted that no contraband was recovered from Kohli and the only material against him were phone logs and statements of co-accused. It held that mere calls or WhatsApp contact do not prove criminal conspiracy.
KARGIL
In a rare humanitarian gesture, the mortal remains of six-year-old Zulqarnain Ali from Ladakh, who drowned in the Suru River on March 20 and was swept across the Line of Control into Baltistan, were handed over to Indian authorities on May 6 at the Teetwal crossing in Kupwara district. The body reached his native village Hunderman in Kargil on May 7 after being received by officials a day earlier. The Teetwal bridge, closed for civilian movement since 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370, was temporarily reopened for the repatriation. Zulqarnain and another child had drowned while playing near the river. While one body was recovered soon after the incident, Zulqarnain’s body drifted into Baltistan across the LoC.
SRINAGAR
A sharp political confrontation has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir, with the ruling Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the BJP exchanging accusations over alleged cross-voting in last year’s Rajya Sabha elections and growing speculation of political instability.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah dismissed rumours of defections within the NC, calling claims of BJP-backed efforts to split the party “baseless”. He accused the PDP of secretly helping the BJP win a Rajya Sabha seat in 2025, citing an RTI disclosure showing the PDP had not appointed polling agents during voting. The BJP further fuelled speculation after Opposition leader Sunil Sharma declared J&K was the party’s “next target” after West Bengal, though he denied destabilisation attempts.
The PDP hit back, accusing the NC of using the Rajya Sabha row to divert attention from governance failures, including the closure of Siraj-ul-Uloom, alleged erosion of Urdu, demolition drives and dismissal of employees.
SHOPIAN
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch on Thursday filed a chargesheet against 11 accused in the multi-crore HDFC Bank fraud case linked to the bank’s Shopian branch, involving alleged financial irregularities running into several crores over nearly five years.
Filed before a Shopian court under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act, the chargesheet names former branch managers Adil Ayoub Ganai and Irfan Majeed Zargar, besides several bank employees and associates. All accused were arrested on February 18 and remain in judicial custody.
The fraud surfaced during an internal HDFC Bank audit in June 2025, which detected discrepancies between physical cash holdings and digital records. Investigators allege the accused created fake fixed deposit receipts, manipulated loan accounts, forged banking documents, diverted customer funds and carried out unauthorised transactions.
At least 15 customers were allegedly affected, including one case involving nearly Rs 20 lakh deposited for a fake fixed deposit. Crime Branch said the case will now move to trial proceedings.
ANANTNAG
Police have registered an FIR against the wife and son of Congress MLA Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed after a government-run health facility in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district was allegedly locked, disrupting medical services in the area.
The case was registered at Achabal Police Station under FIR No 32/2026 on the directions of a First Class Magistrate, Kokernag. Authorities said the case includes charges related to obstruction of government work and intimidation.
The controversy centres on the New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) in Damhal Khosipora, operating since 2008 in a building owned by the MLA’s family. Officials said the MLA’s wife allegedly locked the facility despite repeated requests from the Health Department. The administration later broke open the lock to restore services, but the building was allegedly locked again.
The MLA’s family claims the structure has become unsafe and had earlier sought relocation of the health centre, saying the property remains privately owned.
GANDERBAL
Kashmir is set to dispatch its first large-scale strawberry consignment by train, with nearly 120 tonnes of the highly perishable fruit being transported to markets in Delhi, Chandigarh and Punjab. The move is being seen as a breakthrough for growers who have long relied on road transport and suffered losses due to highway disruptions, delays and spoilage. Officials said special focus has been placed on packaging, cold-chain support and timely logistics to preserve fruit quality during transit. Farmers from key strawberry-growing districts including Pulwama and Budgam said the rail service could transform the economics of cultivation by ensuring fresher deliveries and better prices. In Gassu, popularly known as Kashmir’s , growers expressed cautious optimism after recovering from last year’s heat-wave and economic disruptions. Officials said more consignments are expected later this month as harvesting peaks, potentially opening stable national supply chains for Kashmiri strawberries.
JAMMU
Three labourers were killed and two others injured after a portion of an under-construction bridge collapsed in the Thathar area of Bantalab on the outskirts of Jammu. The incident occurred when workers were carrying out retaining wall and foundation work on the old bridge, which had been damaged in last year’s flash floods. Four labourers were initially trapped beneath the debris after the structure gave way. A massive rescue operation involving Police, Army, SDRF, NDRF and Fire and Emergency Services continued for nearly 12 hours under floodlights. Rescue teams recovered three bodies and pulled out two injured persons, including a Divisional Fire Officer injured during the operation. The government has constituted a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the collapse.
