POONCH
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, during a visit to Kalaban in Mendhar tehsil (Poonch), announced that five marlas of land at alternate locations will be allotted to families whose houses have sunk or are at risk due to land subsidence following heavy rains in August and September 2025. Affected families would also receive financial support under the Government schemes to build at least two rooms before winter. Stressing that people cannot endure tents in freezing conditions, Omar sanctioned Rs 38 lakh in immediate relief, in addition to the Rs 50 lakh already allocated under the SDRF. Over 1,000 people, 95 houses, a mosque and a graveyard have been damaged in Kalaban, with relief camps, tents, vehicles and control rooms deployed to aid more than 3,000 displaced persons.
Almond cultivation in Jammu and Kashmir has shrunk sharply from 16,374 ha and 15,183 tonnes in 2006-07 to 4,177 ha and 9,898 tonnes in 2019-20, even as apple output touched 62 lakh MT in three years.
RAMBAN
The Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested Anil Kumar of West Champaran, Bihar, for the Banihal triple murder involving 30-year-old Dhanmati Devi and her two minor children, residents of East Champaran. Their bodies were recovered on September 8 from beneath a culvert along the Jammu-Srinagar Highway in Rattanbass (Ramban), sparking widespread shock. A Special Investigation Team led by SDPO Banihal Manjeet Singh cracked the case using intelligence, surveillance, and scientific analysis. Kumar was traced to Mir Bazar in Kulgam and confessed during questioning. Police said the motive stemmed from an alleged illicit relationship.
The pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi Shrine resumed after a three-week suspension following the August 26 cloudburst tragedy.
JAMMU
Sachin Khajuria, 23, from Jammu, and two other local youths, along with 12 Indians, were allegedly misled by a Russian agent into joining the Russian Army under the guise of lucrative construction jobs near the Ukrainian border. Now facing frontline deployment without training or equipment, they fear for their lives. Families have appealed to elected representatives, MoS Dr Jitendra Singh, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for urgent intervention. They demand the safe release of the stranded youth, strict action against those responsible, and relief for others similarly trapped, highlighting growing anxiety over their children’s exposure to life-threatening risks in an armed conflict. Of the two Kashmiris who were trapped in the same situation, one was rescued and the other is still missing.
Student enrolment in Jammu and Kashmir rose to 26,54,012 in 2024-25 from 26,29,949 last year, even as schools dipped to 24,192 from 24,296 and teachers to 1,66,717 from 1,67,046.
KULGAM
A 13-year-old boy, Mohammad Abu Bakar Bhat of Katrasoo village in Kulgam, died after contracting suspected Hepatitis, while his sister remains under observation at the Children’s Hospital Bemina. A third sibling has recovered. Health officials said the infection, likely Hepatitis A or E, spreads through contaminated water and poor sanitation.
DELHI
Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, currently serving a life sentence, has submitted an affidavit in the Delhi High Court portraying himself as a long-time participant in a state-sanctioned peace track, not an isolated militant. He claims that successive Indian Prime Ministers, intelligence officials, and opposition leaders engaged him over three decades to support peace initiatives in Kashmir. Malik recalls meetings with Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, VP Singh, IK Gujral, and Left-Wing leaders, as well as interactions with Vajpayee’s team, including NSA Brajesh Mishra and IB officials, to build consensus around Vajpayee’s Ramzan ceasefire. He says he even urged militant leaders, including Syed Salahuddin, not to oppose the truce.
Malik details international contacts, White House officials, US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca, and controversial meetings, including one with banned Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed, allegedly facilitated by the Intelligence Bureau. He also insists that a Gmail account cited by the NIA as evidence of terror links was in fact created by IB Director Nischal Sandhu for sensitive communications.
Framing his current trial as part of the post-Article 370 crackdown, Malik has said the state once honoured his ceasefire, securing bail in TADA cases and granting him a passport for foreign travel, where he advocated non-violent dialogue. He recalls being called the “father of the non-violent movement in Kashmir” by Manmohan Singh.
Malik argued that the goodwill he built has been erased, as old cases are reopened and the NIA seeks to convert his life term into a death sentence. He asserts he will accept his fate with fatalism, asserting that if the state now disowns him after decades of backchannel engagement, he will embrace the end “with a smile.”
DODA
In a setback to the Aam Aadmi Party’s legal defence, senior advocate and Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association president Nirmal Kotwal has withdrawn from representing AAP MLA Mehraj Malik, recently detained under the Public Safety Act in Doda. Kotwal cited concerns over “national integrity” after videos surfaced allegedly showing Malik denying Jammu and Kashmir’s place in India and praising militants Burhan Wani and Masood Azhar. Kotwal said these utterances were never disclosed by AAP’s legal team and described them as “irresponsible and detrimental” to India’s sovereignty. He stressed that national interest must prevail over professional commitments. Malik, 37, was detained on September 8 for allegedly disturbing public order and was lodged in Kathua jail, sparking protests in Doda. Following days of unrest, the district has returned to normalcy.
LADAKH
Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike demanding Ladakh’s statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards continues for more than 10 days, joined by 15 relay strikers and hundreds in solidarity. The climate activist has urged Prime Minister Modi to honour his 2019 promise on Ladakh’s protection. Meanwhile, the Leh Apex Body (LAB), leading negotiations with the Centre, underwent a major shake-up by removing political leaders, citing concerns over politicisation. Former MP Thupstan Chhewang rejoined after earlier quitting over internal rifts. Congress leaders also withdrew. Despite these changes, talks with the Centre have remained stalled since May, with LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance pressing for renewed dialogue.
GULMARG
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah criticised security agencies for keeping dozens of prime tourist destinations closed six months after the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians. Speaking at the inauguration of the Gulmarg Convention Centre and later addressing the Travel Agents Association of Kashmir, Abdullah said half of Gulmarg, along with Betaab Valley, Aru, Drung, Doodhpathri and Aharbal, remained shut, hurting tourism and livelihoods. He stressed that tourism promotion was pointless without reopening these sites and urged compensation for affected communities. Abdullah said he would appeal to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to restore access and rebuild confidence.
SRINAGAR
The Food Safety Department of Jammu and Kashmir has found several meat samples seized during recent inspections unsafe for human consumption, with lab tests confirming the presence of carcinogenic colouring agents like carmoisine, tartrazine, and erythrosine. These synthetic additives, banned in many countries and restricted under India’s Food Safety and Standards Regulations, pose severe health risks, including hyperactivity in children, allergic reactions, and cancer. Out of 57 samples collected from 11 districts, four were declared unsafe by national-level laboratories. The FDA has conducted 834 inspections across 13 districts, seizing 1,677 kg of unsafe meat and destroying more than 11,000 kg of spoiled food products. Legal action has led to fines exceeding Rs 87 lakh, suspension of nine food operators’ licences, and closure of several outlets.
PULWAMA
A Kashmir court has sentenced two men, Mushtaq Ahmad Ganaie and Bashir Ahmad Bhat, to life imprisonment for the 1996 Pulwama double murder of brothers Ghulam Nabi and Dr Abdul Rashid Sheikh. Rejecting the prosecution’s demand for capital punishment, Judge Dinesh Gupta ruled that the case did not fall within the “rarest of the rare” category. The convicts, with no prior criminal record, had already spent long periods in custody. They were fined Rs 75,000 each, payable to the victims’ widows, with additional concurrent sentences under other sections of the Ranbir Penal Code. Both retain the right to appeal.
KATRA
Pawan Kumar, a visually impaired archer from Jammu and Kashmir, has been selected to represent India at the Para World Archery Championship 2025 in Gwangju, South Korea. To support his participation, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) has sanctioned Rs 7 lakh in financial assistance. Trained at the SMVD Sports Complex, Katra, Pawan’s selection is seen as a milestone for both the shrine board and the Union Territory, highlighting his resilience and discipline. The sports complex has already produced Arjuna Awardees Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi, and currently nurtures over 150 athletes across disciplines under the Khelo India programme.
JAMMU KASHMIR
The Supreme Court’s interim order on the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, has left Kashmir’s political and religious leaders dissatisfied, arguing it fuels anxiety in the Muslim community and warrants closer scrutiny. The court stayed contentious provisions, including district collectors deciding Waqf ownership and requiring a five-year practising Muslim to create a Waqf deed, while limiting non-Muslim representation on boards. Leaders, including PDP’s Waheed Para and CM Omar Abdullah, criticised external interference and called for all objectionable clauses to be reconsidered. Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema said partial relief does not address broader constitutional and religious concerns, urging urgent final hearing to restore historic protections and Muslim control over Waqf properties.
JAMMU
Heavy rains in Jammu have severely damaged three vital bridges on the Jammu-Pathankot-Delhi National Highway—Devak near AIIMS Vijaypur, Sahar Khad near Kalibari in Kathua, and the Ravi bridge at Lakhanpur—causing traffic disruptions and financial losses worth crores. Experts attribute the damage to weak design, inadequate embankment protection, encroachments, and illegal mining, reducing river discharge capacity. Despite repeated calls for a probe, NHAI and the Ministry of Road Transport have taken no accountability measures. NHAI’s Regional Officer R S Yadav said repairs for Devak and Sahar Khad bridges will be completed by March 2026, while concerns over the old Ravi bridge remain unaddressed.
BARAMULLA
Dr Itinderpal Singh, a dental surgeon from Baramulla, is recognised as Kashmir’s “first-aid man” for his two decades of disaster relief work. Since the 2005 Uri earthquake, he has trained over 30,000 volunteers across India, including 10,000–15,000 in Kashmir, in first aid, rescue, and rehabilitation. Actively involved in major disasters, from floods in Kashmir and Bihar to the Nepal earthquake, he has collaborated with UNICEF, UNDP, and Save the Children, and represented India internationally. Honoured with multiple awards, including the Mahatma Gandhi Rashtriya Seva Medal, Singh stresses the need for grassroots disaster preparedness, youth engagement, and community training to mitigate evolving risks like flash floods and cloudbursts.
