CHITTISINGHPORA
Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has ordered a fresh probe into the 2000 Chittisinghpora massacre in which 35 Sikhs were killed during US President Bill Clinton’s visit. The announcement followed demands from Shaheed Singh’s Welfare Organisation for an inquiry, compassionate jobs, welfare parity with non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits, and a memorial. Sinha assured justice, jobs under SRO-43 provisions, and financial aid for self-employment. A government spokesperson said the families’ grievances would be addressed sensitively and with priority. SRO-43, which provided compassionate appointments, was replaced in 2022 by the Jammu and Kashmir Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme, which operates on a merit-based system.
Over 70 structures, including schools and a mosque, were damaged as land sank in Mendhar’s Kalaban village, displacing over 700 people. Around 70 families were evacuated.
LEH
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, along with the Leh Apex Body, began a 35-day fast to demand Ladakh’s statehood and inclusion under the Constitution’s Sixth Schedule. He said talks with the Centre had stalled two months ago despite earlier promises, including those made during the last Hill Council polls. Emphasising the peaceful and constitutional nature of their protest, Wangchuk accused government agencies of targeting him through income-tax notices and a CBI probe into alleged foreign contributions, which he denied. He also criticised land allocation for mega solar projects, warning that Ladakh’s people and fragile Himalayan ecosystem were being disregarded.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Kakryal (Reasi) has been granted 50 MBBS seats, enabling admissions to its first batch in the 2025-26 academic session.
SRINAGAR
The centuries-old Kashmiri craft sector received a dual boost with the inauguration of the Animal Fibre Quality Assurance Laboratory at SKUAST-Kashmir and the introduction of new support for the valley’s hand-knotted carpets. The lab, inaugurated by Union Textiles Secretary Neelam Shami Rao, is designed to curb adulteration in Pashmina, ensure authenticity through traceable certification, and save producers from depending on distant or foreign testing facilities. Rao said the facility would evolve into a Centre of Excellence, marrying science with Kashmir’s heritage. Later in Srinagar, she turned to carpets, distributing modern steel looms at the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology. Emphasising revival, she stressed the importance of preserving traditional motifs alongside contemporary designs and promised to upgrade testing and certification labs for carpets as well. Together, the initiatives aim to safeguard purity, promote branding, and restore global trust in Kashmir’s Pashmina and carpets.
Senior Congress leader and former Chenani MLA Dina Nath Bhagat died in Ludhiana at 79 after a brief illness. Bhagat had earlier represented the BJP before joining Congress in 2022.
DELHI
The Centre has announced the launch of a daily time-tabled parcel train from Budgam in Kashmir to Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar from September 13, 2025, offering a dedicated rail corridor for apple transport. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the service will empower growers by cutting costs and travel time, with each train carrying 18 tonnes of apples and reaching Delhi in about 23 hours, 12 hours faster than the highway route. Trial runs began on September 11 with two parcel vans, and railway authorities assured priority scheduling to ensure timely arrivals without disturbing passenger services. The move has been hailed as a milestone for Kashmir’s Rs 15,000 crore horticulture sector, which sustains over seven lakh families. Growers’ associations said it will stabilise prices, lower freight charges, and provide uninterrupted market access, particularly crucial during peak harvest months. A similar cherry consignment was successfully dispatched earlier this year, but the apple train is being seen as transformative given the scale of the industry. The decision comes amid unprecedented disruption in fruit transportation after landslides shut the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway for weeks, leaving over 1,500 apple-laden trucks stranded. Losses of Rs 200-300 crore were reported as fruit rotted on highways and mandis like Sopore, Asia’s second largest, were forced to close. Farmers said years of labour were being wasted and urged urgent alternatives.
Over 1.40 lakh hectares of crops, mainly paddy and maize, have been damaged in Jammu and Kashmir, impacting six lakh farmers, with losses above 33 per cent on 90,000 hectares.
LADAKH
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched a probe into a massive gold-smuggling racket operating across the India-China Line of Actual Control (LAC), seizing evidence through searches at six locations, including five in the National Capital Region and one in Ladakh. The investigation revealed that over 1,000 kg of foreign-origin gold, worth around Rs 800 crore, was smuggled into India during 2023–24 with the alleged involvement of Chinese nationals, Tibetans, and locals. Payments were routed through cryptocurrency (USDT/Tether). The racket came to light after the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) seized 108 kg of gold in Ladakh in July 2023 and detained three locals. The ED identified a Chinese national, Bhu-Chum-Chum, as the supplier and Ladakh resident Tendu Tashi as the mastermind managing logistics to Delhi. Gold was delivered to Delhi jewellers after crossing the LAC through Tibetan porters. Ten people are already in custody under COFEPOSA as investigations continue.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has signed an MoU with HRDS India, an NGO, to build 1,500 free smart houses for victims of Operation Sindoor, militant attacks, and floods.
KASHMIR
The State Investigation Agency (SIA) Kashmir last week carried out raids in Anantnag and Pulwama districts in connection with the 2005 escape of a banned outfit, Hizbul Mujahideen commander Amin Baba to Pakistan, a case that has resurfaced nearly two decades later. Baba, then divisional commander of the outfit, is alleged to have been helped by former National Conference MLA Gul Rafiqi, his private secretary, and others. According to investigators, Baba travelled on a fake passport and was ferried from Anantnag to the Attari border in Punjab in Rafiqi’s official vehicle, enabling his escape across to Pakistan. The case, initially registered at Police Station Bijbehara under FIR No 98 of 2005, was transferred to the SIA in 2023 for specialised investigation. The agency has since filed a chargesheet against four accused, including Rafiqi, while the hunt for others continues. The SIA said its renewed raids reflect its determination to gather additional evidence and ensure all conspirators face trial. The case first unravelled when a suspect arrested in a Bijbehara blast disclosed Baba’s escape. Rafiqi, who had been arrested earlier in the case, is currently out of jail.
Three mobile phones were recovered during a search in Rajouri district jail, sparking a probe into security lapses despite jammers and a three-tier protection system.
R S PURA
A Pakistani national, Siraj Khan from Punjab province, was arrested by the Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday night after he crossed the International Border in the RS Pura sector of Jammu. Despite warnings, Khan advanced aggressively towards the border fence at the Octroi outpost, prompting troops to fire before taking him into custody. Only Rs 30 in Pakistani currency was recovered from him. Khan claimed he entered India to meet actress and social media influencer Avneet Kaur, though authorities are probing his background thoroughly. The BSF has handed him over to the local police and protested with Pakistan. This incident follows heightened security along the Jammu frontier after flash floods damaged fencing and border posts. It also comes months after BSF foiled a similar infiltration attempt in Gujarat, where a Pakistani intruder was shot dead. Investigations into Khan’s intentions and movements are ongoing, with agencies treating the case seriously.
Nearly 12,000 km of roads, including the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, have been damaged across Jammu and Kashmir following the recent floods and landslides.
BIHAR
Sankarshan Thakur, one of India’s most respected journalists and Editor of The Telegraph, passed away in Gurugram on September 8, 2025, aged 63, after battling lung cancer. Known for his incisive political commentary and empathetic reportage, Thakur earned admiration for chronicling the lives of ordinary Kashmiris with rare sensitivity. Unlike many reporters, he stayed in homes, listened deeply, and wrote without judgment, making him a trusted chronicler of Kashmir’s grief and resilience. His works, including Subaltern Sahib, Single Man, and The Unmaking of Bihar, stand as political landmarks blending sharp analysis with literary depth. Awarded the Prem Bhatia Award and the Appan Menon Fellowship, Thakur reported widely, from the Kargil conflict to India’s political heartlands. Colleagues and leaders alike remembered him as courageous, brilliant, and humane, qualities that made his writing timeless. His death leaves a void in Indian journalism, particularly in the honest telling of Kashmir’s story.
KISHTWAR
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has quashed the Public Safety Act (PSA) detention of Mohammad Jaffer Sheikh from Kishtwar, ruling that mere Daily Diary Report (DDR) entries without specific allegations cannot justify preventive custody. Justice MA Chowdhary observed that the grounds of detention did not culminate in criminal cases and therefore lacked validity. The court stressed that personal liberty is a cherished constitutional right and that preventive detention laws must adhere to Article 22 safeguards. Lawyers argued that stale FIRs from 1997, 2015 and 2019 formed the basis of detention. The ruling follows recent similar quashings of PSA orders.
PAHALGAM
A special NIA court in Jammu on September 11 rejected the agency’s plea to conduct narco and polygraph tests on two accused in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians. The court held the application was legally untenable as the accused, Bashir Ahmad Jothatd and Parvaiz Ahmed, both pony riders from Pahalgam, refused consent, a mandatory requirement. Arrested the day of the attack, the duo was accused of providing food and logistical support to militants. The NIA, which took over the probe from J&K Police on April 26, argued that their inconsistent statements hindered the investigation, but the court dismissed the plea.
