GERMANY
Dr Saalis Maqbool and Dr Abir Aijaz of the Acute Medicine Department at Weston General Hospital, Bristol, UK, have earned international recognition after their research was selected for an oral presentation at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2026 in Munich, Germany. Their paper was reportedly among only eight selected worldwide for oral presentation, marking a significant achievement for the doctors and their institution. The ESC Congress is a major international forum for cardiovascular research, bringing together clinicians and scientists to share findings and advances in cardiac care.
The J&K government on Wednesday more than doubled the monthly stipend for MBBS and BDS interns, including Foreign Medical Graduates, from Rs 12,300 to Rs 25,000, ending an indefinite strike across the Union Territory.
DODA
Doda has recorded 241 dengue cases this year, emerging as Jammu and Kashmir’s second-worst affected district after Jammu, which has reported 863 cases,. Of Doda’s cases, 190 had been recorded by October 5, followed by another 51 in the next 17 days. Health officials say transmission, previously associated largely with travel, is now occurring locally, raising concerns over mosquito breeding and preventive measures. Dengue larvae have been detected in several pockets of Doda town, triggering criticism of the Health Department and Municipal Council over sanitation and delayed intervention. J&K has recorded 1,540 cases and one confirmed death in Samba, with around 20,072 tests conducted.
UDHAMPUR
A 27-year-old man has been taken into custody for allegedly setting his stepmother on fire after pouring diesel on her in Udhampur’s Housing Colony. The woman sustained severe burns and was taken to GMC Udhampur before being referred to Jammu for advanced treatment due to her critical condition. Her son, Sahil, alleged that the accused had been threatening and harassing the family for some time, and claimed they had previously approached police without action.
HARYANA
A Srinagar-bound sleeper bus operated by Star World Adventures was attacked on October 17, at the Divine Star Dhaba near Nilokheri in Haryana’s Karnal district. Driver Waqar Chowdhary alleged that attackers called him a terrorist, assaulted him and threatened to bar Kashmiri vehicles from the roads. Stones and bricks smashed windows and damaged seats, injuring four passengers, including an elderly man, and a dhaba worker.
Karnal Police described the incident as a parking dispute. Police said it a spontaneous quarrel and both sides had been drinking. Two men, Mohit and Sawan, were arrested and their car seized. Police said the dispute was settled at the station, with the dhaba owner agreeing to pay for the damage.
The driver and bus owner disputed this account, citing anti-Kashmiri slurs, a torn number plate and a second assault after the initial altercation.
A day later, another company Volvo was pelted with stones near Ludhiana on the Delhi-Jammu highway, driver Ishfaq Ahmad said. No injuries were reported. Doraha Police registered an FIR, while Khanna Police sought to establish a possible link with the Karnal incident.
RAMBAN
Ramban SSP Anna Lata Sinha has ordered a one-month de-addiction course for an Assistant Sub-Inspector found consuming alcohol on duty, following complaints from police supervisors and residents. The 2022-batch IPS officer conducted a surprise check with a medical officer, who confirmed the officer’s unfitness for duty. Sinha, who took charge on October 14, said the action followed due diligence and earlier complaints. In a district considered security-sensitive, the measure seeks to enforce discipline while addressing the policeman’s addiction. Officials said it signals zero tolerance for misconduct during duty hours.
More than 97,000 students began their Class 10 examinations across J&K today, with JKBOSE setting up over 1,000 centres across Kashmir, seven Jammu division districts, Leh and Kargil.
URI
A family from Saidpora in Uri, has appealed to the Centre to trace Ajaz Ahmad Gillani, who travelled to Russia about a month ago seeking work and is now believed to be in detention. His family alleges he was cheated by people who had promised him a job. Unable to contact him, relatives fear for his safety.
The family has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the Indian Embassy in Moscow, seeking verification of his reported detention, confirmation of his whereabouts and assistance in securing his return.
Gillani’s case comes amid a wider recruitment scandal following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Indian men allegedly lured by agents offering jobs as helpers, security staff and labourers, only to be enlisted in the Russian armed forces and deployed to the front.
MHA data suggests around 267 Indian nationals joined the Russian military. Of these, 139 were discharged following diplomatic efforts, while 51 have died. The whereabouts of 77 remain unknown, with Russian authorities confirming seven as missing. It remains unclear whether Gillani is among those covered by these figures or whether his reported detention has any connection with military recruitment. For his family, the immediate demand is simpler: establish where he is and bring him home.
BUDGAM
Kashmiri folk theatre artist Ravice Rashid, (Rayees Wathori), has received the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2025 in the folk theatre category for his contributions to Bhand Pather, Kashmir’s folk dance. He received the award in New Delhi from Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The Yuva Puraskar is given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi to young performers under 40 for outstanding work in music, dance, theatre and folk arts.
KOKERNAG
The body of Aijaz Ahmad Dar, 28, a labourer from Darpora, Hallpora, Gadool in Kokernag, was brought home from Punjab last week, nearly a month after he went missing. His family suspects murder and has demanded a thorough investigation. Son of Abdul Majeed, Dar had left home seeking work. After spending about 10 days in Srinagar, he moved to Ludhiana, remaining in phone contact with his family for a week before becoming unreachable. A missing report was filed on September 26. On October 17, relatives and residents protested over his disappearance, dispersing after assurances from the SDPO and SHO Kokernag. His body arrived two days later. Relatives said his face was badly damaged, raising questions about the circumstances of his death.
The only brother of seven sisters, Dar’s death has left the family demanding the death penalty for anyone found responsible. After the body arrived, relatives and locals staged another protest outside Kokernag police station.
AWANTIPORA
The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the RSS-affiliated trade union, has opened its first divisional office in Kashmir at Barsoo (Awantipora), signalling a shift towards a more visible organisational presence in Kashmir. In-charge Sameer Kuchay said the office would help workers secure their rights and dignity. He claimed 20 trade unions representing around 30,000 employees in Kashmir were affiliated with the BMS, which has chosen Awantipora for its accessibility to south Kashmir and Srinagar. Kuchay said the comparatively peaceful situation since 2019 had enabled RSS-linked organisations to operate more openly, though the RSS and its affiliates had maintained a presence in the Valley earlier through discreet activities. He denied that the BMS was a political or religious outfit or a proxy for the BJP, saying its role was confined to labour welfare.
SRINAGAR
Jammu and Kashmir Bank stocks took a hit wiping out a substantial portion of their recent value. The sell-off followed the bank’s September-quarter results and earnings call that unsettled investors over margin guidance, low-cost deposits and the potential impact of new provisioning rules. Net profit rose 10.6 per cent year-on-year to Rs 546.36 crore, but net interest margin fell to 3.17 per cent from 3.56 per cent a year earlier. Other income more than doubled to Rs 314.90 crore, largely on treasury gains, while core operating profit excluding other income declined sequentially. Management lowered its CASA target to above 42 per cent from 45 per cent and declined to quantify future margins or the expected credit-loss provisioning impact. Gross NPAs improved to 2.23 per cent, but the market reaction suggests investors want evidence that profit growth can be sustained by core lending rather than treasury gains.
SHALIMAR
SKUAST-Kashmir Professor Zahoor Ahmad Dar has been selected for the Dr SK Vasal Award for Excellence in Maize Research for his contributions to crop improvement, climate resilience and nutritional enhancement. Based at the university’s Dryland Agriculture Research Station, Rangreth, he has developed 38 maize varieties cultivated across more than 80,000 hectares nationwide. Dar will receive the award at the first International Maize Conference-2026 in Hyderabad in November. His research spans high-yielding, stress-tolerant and biofortified varieties suited to diverse agro-climatic conditions. He has published over 300 research papers, contributed to national maize research programmes and served on the editorial boards of 12 scientific journals.
JAMMU
The registration of a police case against an Army officer’s wife in Jammu and Kashmir for allegedly sharing sensitive information with foreign intelligence operatives, including individuals linked to China has highlighted a gap in military social media regulations. While serving personnel face strict restrictions, these rules do not directly apply to their spouses or children.
Now, the spouse of an officer will be covered under the Official Secrets Act, as applicable to any civilian.
The Army’s revised December 2025 policy permits passive social media participation but prohibits posting photographs in uniform, location-revealing images and footage of official functions. Dependants are sensitised about online security risks, but service rules cannot be enforced against them. Earlier advisories in 2017 and 2019 urged families to avoid sharing information that could expose serving personnel to intelligence operatives. Similar restrictions govern the Navy and Air Force.
LADAKH
Ladakh’s first medical college in Leh is expected to become operational in the 2027-28 academic session after the Union Health Ministry approved a one-time relaxation allowing preparatory recruitment before 80 per cent of its infrastructure is complete. The approval enables staggered recruitment against 103 sanctioned regular posts for Government Medical College at Spituk Pharka. The ministry has directed that recruitment follow approved rules and interim facilities remain temporary until the dedicated infrastructure is completed.
JAMMU
Former IPS officer Ram Prakash, who served in the erstwhile J&K cadre, died in Chandigarh following an illness. Recalling his famous confrontation with then Chief Minister Ghulam Mohammad Shah, former minister Naeem Akhter said that on Police Commemoration Day, Prakash, then DIG Traffic, broke the wreath-laying queue and placed a wreath on Shah’s lap instead of the police memorial. Shah had unseated his brother-in-law, Farooq Abdullah. “Aap shaheed-e-Azam hain, aap ney apney zameer ki qurbani di hai. Yeh police waley toa sirf jaan dete hain,” Prakash reportedly told Shah, saluting him before returning to his seat. He was suspended by evening.
KISHTWAR
Police have solved the murder of Special Police Officer Bashir Ahmed and arrested two suspects, a father and son, in Kishtwar. The SPO’s family reported him missing on October 15 after he failed to return home from duty at Police Picket Trigam. His service weapon was also missing. On October 16, police recovered his body, buried in a pit in a nallah in the Seran Wani area of Trigam forest, along with his weapon. The accused, distant relatives of the deceased, allegedly had a longstanding land dispute with him.
REASI
A 20-year-old man died by suicide in Baggodas village of Reasi district, while his mother remains critical after jumping from a window on discovering his body. The deceased, Muhammad Farooq, took the extreme step during the intervening night of October 18 and 19, according to SDPO Mahore Parul Bhardwaj. His mother, Basso Begum, sustained serious injuries and was referred from District Hospital Reasi to Government Medical College Jammu for specialised treatment. Police have registered a case but the reason behind Farooq’s death remains unknown.
