KATHUA
A mother in Kathua has lost both her sons within five days after a brutal assault allegedly carried out by a close friend over a suspected love affair dispute. Nikhil Singh, 16, who had been battling for life at AIIMS Vijaypur since May 6, succumbed to critical head injuries late Sunday night, days after his elder brother Nakul Singh, 18, was beaten to death inside their home in Ward No 10.
The brothers were alone at home when the accused, identified as 19-year-old Parth Verma alias Sumit, allegedly entered the house and attacked Nakul with a cricket bat following an altercation. Police said Nikhil was assaulted when he came to his brother’s rescue and was allegedly attacked to prevent him from identifying the assailant.
Their mother was away at work when the attack took place. Residents said the woman, who had pinned all her hopes on her two sons, is now left devastated and alone. Police arrested the accused using call detail record analysis. The incident has triggered shock, grief and concern over rising youth violence in the region.
Jammu and Kashmir generates nearly 1,557 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily, of which only around 1,027 tonnes are scientifically processed, leaving nearly 352 tonnes untreated despite 1,530.8 tonnes being collected and transported every day.
SRINAGAR
In October 2025, two sisters walked into SMHS Hospital carrying far more than illness. The elder, around 52, suffered from a gangrenous leg wound; the younger battled severe depression and silence that deepened with each passing month. Abandoned and with nowhere to go, they survived between hospital wards, shrine staircases and benches, dependent entirely on doctors, nurses and volunteers.
After weeks of surgeries, the elder sister was discharged, only to return months later in septic shock because no one was there to care for her wounds. The younger sister meanwhile withdrew further into medicated silence. By April 2026, the elder sister was admitted for a third time. She never recovered. Declared brain dead, she died quietly in the same hospital ward that had become her only refuge.
Police traced relatives. None came. Not once.
Today, the younger sister remains in hospital, alone, grieving and mentally unwell, her story a painful reminder of what happens when family, mental healthcare and society all fail together.
NCRB 2024 data suggests 60 human trafficking victims were identified and 58 rescued in Jammu and Kashmir, including 36 trafficked for forced labour, 12 for forced marriages, 8 for sexual exploitation and prostitution, and 2 for domestic servitude.
PULWAMA
Authorities in Pulwama administered anti-rabies vaccines to more than 250 residents of Parigam village after meat from a bovine animal suspected to be infected with rabies was allegedly sold by a butcher, triggering panic among villagers. Health officials launched an emergency vaccination drive and used mosque announcements and ambulances to spread awareness, urging people not to panic. Medical Officer Dr Jureeda Qayoom said the vaccination campaign was started as a precautionary measure even though the infection has not been officially confirmed. She stated that properly cooked meat poses minimal risk, but transmission may occur while handling raw meat, especially if a person has cuts or abrasions on their hands. Residents who purchased meat from the butcher rushed to nearby health centres for vaccination. Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation into the incident.
Official figures reveal that encroachment entries over nearly 17,27,247 kanals of state land were expunged from revenue records, including 14,00,051 kanals and five marlas in Jammu division and 3,27,199 kanals in Kashmir division.
ANANTNAG
A 15-year-old student was charred to death while three others sustained burn injuries after a fire broke out at Darul Uloom Madani Tarbiyat Gah in the Mittan Chowk Court Road area of Anantnag. Officials said the blaze erupted inside the mosque-cum-madrasa, prompting a joint rescue and fire-fighting operation by Fire and Emergency Services personnel, police and local residents. The fire was brought under control after several hours. Four students aged between 15 and 17 suffered burn injuries and were shifted to Government Medical College Anantnag, where 15-year-old Bilal Ahmed Kumar of Wadwan succumbed to injuries. Two injured students are undergoing treatment at GMC Anantnag, while another was shifted to a Srinagar hospital in critical condition. Preliminary investigations suggest an electrical short circuit caused the blaze. The incident marks the second major fire at a Darul Uloom in Kashmir in recent months after a similar incident in Hyderpora, Srinagar.
The Jammu Tawi-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express carried nearly 45,000 passengers in its first 10 days of regular operations, including 28,762 travellers during the maiden week, reflecting strong demand for the service in Jammu and Kashmir.
SRINAGAR
Jammu and Kashmir Police has intensified its crackdown on narco-terrorism under the 100-day Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyaan, arresting 866 people in 724 NDPS cases within the first 30 days of the campaign, Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat said. Police seized 667 kilograms of narcotics and over 90,000 psychotropic units during the drive, while preventive action was taken against 24 habitual drug offenders.
The DGP said Jammu and Kashmir ranked first in the country in 2025 with 240 detentions under the PIT-NDPS Act. He warned Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti, accusing him of working with ISI-backed drug syndicates to pump narcotics into India.
Police attached 97 properties worth Rs 41.85 crore linked to drug trafficking, including properties outside Jammu and Kashmir in Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Chandigarh, a first for the force. Another 41 properties worth nearly Rs 15 crore were demolished after legal proceedings.
Authorities also destroyed illegal poppy and cannabis cultivation spread across 117 kanals, inspected 5,238 chemist shops, acted against 151 establishments, and suspended or cancelled 162 driving licences and 92 vehicle registrations linked to narcotics cases.
MBBS and BDS interns across Jammu and Kashmir get a monthly internship stipend of around Rs 12,300, one of the lowest in India.
JAMMU KASHMIR
Remarks by RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale advocating dialogue with Pakistan and keeping channels of engagement open drew swift support from Kashmir’s political leadership, including former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, both of whom had earlier faced criticism for favouring talks with Islamabad. The statement, seen as a significant shift by the RSS after the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and Operation Sindoor, was also backed by former Army chief Manoj Naravane, who said people-to-people contact could improve India-Pakistan ties. Abdullah termed the remarks “a very big move,” asserting “war is not an option” and disputes must be resolved through dialogue. Mufti said the comments vindicated the PDP’s long-standing position and recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s approach towards Pakistan. Sajad Kargili also welcomed the outreach, urging humanitarian measures for divided families in Ladakh and Baltistan separated for over seven decades.
KASHMIR
A six-month-long rainfall deficit across Jammu and Kashmir has triggered fears of a looming water crisis, threatening agriculture, drinking water supplies and hydropower generation. Meteorological data shows J&K recorded a 26 per cent rainfall deficit between March 1 and May 6, while April alone saw only 86.5 mm rainfall against the normal 99.6 mm. The region has also witnessed its seventh consecutive dry winter with below-normal snowfall and precipitation.
Several districts reported alarming shortages, including Shopian with a 67-71 per cent deficit, Kathua 60-63 per cent, Anantnag 46 per cent, Kulgam up to 53 per cent, Budgam 34-40 per cent and Srinagar over 20 per cent below normal rainfall.
Farmers in Kashmir’s paddy-growing belt said irrigation canals, streams and tubewells were drying up ahead of the crucial sowing season. Environmental experts also warned of accelerated glacier melt, including at Thajwas Glacier near Sonamarg, which could reduce long-term water availability downstream. Officials fear prolonged dry conditions may soon trigger acute shortages in rural water supply schemes dependent on springs and glacier-fed streams.
KASHMIR
A fierce debate over liquor prohibition has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir amid the ongoing anti-drug campaign Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyaan, with political parties, religious leaders and civil society questioning why the administration is aggressively targeting narcotics while allowing alcohol sales to expand. The UT earned nearly Rs 2,152 crore in excise revenue over the last two years, including Rs 184.48 crore from Kashmir alone. Srinagar generated Rs 65.57 crore in 2024-25, while Jammu district topped the UT with Rs 509.13 crore.
The controversy intensified after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah defended liquor sales as a matter of “personal choice”, later clarifying that his government neither promotes alcohol nor permits new liquor outlets near youth spaces. NC president Farooq Abdullah opposed prohibition unless the Centre compensates revenue losses, recalling similar arguments made by Sheikh Abdullah in 1977.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, BJP leaders Ashok Koul and Altaf Thakur, Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari, and chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq have all weighed in, with many citing prohibition models in Gujarat, Bihar and Tamil Nadu while arguing that alcohol, like drugs, is destroying families and social stability in the Muslim-majority region.
DELHI
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi and held detailed discussions on restoration of statehood, pending Transaction of Business Rules, rationalisation of reservation, appointment of the Advocate General, and broader governance issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting also reviewed the prevailing security and economic situation in Jammu and Kashmir, with emphasis on ensuring sustained peace, stability, inclusive growth and improved public service delivery.
Before leaving for Delhi, Omar said restoration of statehood could not be achieved “in one meeting” but reiterated that he raises the issue during every interaction with the Centre. He said he would also discuss the reservation matter referred to Delhi by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, besides governance-related concerns requiring Centre-UT coordination.
On the Centre recently granting telecom-related powers to the LG, Omar backed the move, saying such authority appropriately lies with the office handling security and law and order.
SAMBA
A family in Samba had a narrow escape after a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) mobile tower collapsed onto their house during a powerful midnight storm accompanied by heavy rain, lightning and high-speed winds in Pangdour village. The tower crashed onto the residence of Banarsi Dass around 12:30 am, damaging two rooms, tin sheds and solar panels. Dass said the sound of the collapse was so loud that the family initially could not understand what had happened and remained inside until the rain subsided. Fortunately, no one was inside the damaged rooms at the time. The storm also caused widespread destruction across Samba and Kathua districts, uprooting trees, electric poles and wires, disrupting electricity for hours and damaging houses and sheds. Farmers reported heavy losses after 40 to 50 per cent of mango crops were destroyed by strong winds and hailstorm. Local MLAs sought compensation and immediate assessment of damages by authorities.
