DELHI
Yasin Malik, jailed chief of the banned JKLF, has denied any role in the April 1990 abduction and killing of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat, saying he was himself fighting for his life when the crime took place. In a 25-page affidavit before a Srinagar court, Malik said he was critically injured after jumping from a building during a BSF raid at Narwara on April 8, 1990, and remained in a coma for days. He claimed he first learnt of Bhat’s murder on February 21, 1991, while in judicial custody.
Malik said that after then Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar took office, he was moved from Tihar to a farmhouse in Mehrauli, where senior officials visited him. He claimed an Intelligence Bureau officer known by the code name Dr Mathur told him that intelligence agencies suspected Khursheed Chalkoo, believed to be in Pakistan, of involvement in Bhat’s murder. Malik cited this as evidence that the present prosecution narrative is at odds with what agencies had suspected at the time.
He also questioned the SIA’s reliance on an alleged handwritten JKLF note recovered from the crime scene, saying it named him and two others but none was charged in the case for decades. Malik rejected the allegation that Bhat was killed because she was suspected of passing information to security forces, calling her an innocent civilian.
Yet, despite pleading not guilty, Malik said he would no longer contest the trial, citing his “personal circumstances”, and asked for capital punishment while making clear that his decision was not an admission of guilt. The affidavit followed the SIA’s filing of a 737-page chargesheet on June 29 naming him as a key accused.
The affidavit also contained a deeply personal disclosure: Malik said he had decided to dissolve his marriage with Pakistani wife Mushaal Hussein Mullick, saying he did not want her to spend her life carrying the burden of his circumstances or living as a widow. He also addressed their 13-year-old daughter, whom he said he had not heard from for eight years.
During 2026, 522 kanals and 15.9 marlas of migrant land were retrieved across J&K, with Bandipora leading at 146 kanals 7 marlas. Baramulla followed with 82 kanals 10 marlas, Kulgam 80 kanals 0.5 marlas, Ganderbal 53 kanals, and Srinagar 50 kanals 16.9 marlas.
SRINAGAR
A symbolic BJP protest in Srinagar has turned into an uncomfortable spectacle after a video showing a man molesting a woman during Wednesday’s demonstration at Hari Singh High Street surfaced on social media. The incident has exposed, in stark and disturbing fashion, how quickly the dignity and safety of women can be compromised in the rough-and-tumble of public political mobilisation. Incidentally, the video shows the woman also not reacting to the molestation.
After the video surfaced, the BJP took its time tested route: It denied any association with the man, with its J&K co-media in-charge Sajid Yousuf Shah saying the party had cross-checked the matter with multiple sources and found that he was not a BJP member or associate.
The National Conference, however, seized on the video to question the BJP’s conduct and ability to ensure women’s safety at its own protests. Chief spokesman and MLA Tanvir Sadiq said the episode was “even more shameful” and demanded the man’s identification and arrest.
There is, of course, a distinction between an individual’s alleged conduct and the responsibility of a political party. But that distinction does not make the incident any less troubling. Political protests are supposed to be public expressions of democratic dissent; when a woman participating in one allegedly becomes the target of molestation amid a crowd, the spectacle says something deeply uncomfortable about public life itself.
AKHNOOR
A pall of gloom descended on Nai Basti in Akhnoor after news reached the family of Ajay Bhagat, a soldier of 1 PARA (Special Forces), that he had died in a training accident in Haryana. Bhagat was among two personnel who went missing after a boat capsized during an exercise at Hathnikund Barrage in Yamunanagar. His body was later recovered from the Yamuna near Bartha village in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district, about 14 km downstream. The family was informed of his disappearance around 11 am on Wednesday and of his death by 8 pm.
JAMMU KASHMIR
Medical interns across Jammu and Kashmir have been on strike since August 31, demanding that their monthly stipend be raised from Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000, saying the amount has remained virtually unchanged for nearly seven years despite long shifts and demanding hospital duties. The interns, who describe themselves as a backbone of government hospitals, say they routinely handle OPDs, emergencies and night duties while receiving among the lowest stipends compared with counterparts elsewhere. The agitation has drawn support across the political spectrum, including PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, Congress, Apni Party, AIP and the BJP. Mufti has given the government 10 days to resolve the issue, warning that the PDP would join the agitation otherwise. Health Minister Sakina Itoo has acknowledged the demand as genuine but said the proposal has financial implications and is under consideration by the Finance Department. She has also urged the interns to end the strike, citing its impact on patient care. The interns, however, say they have heard similar assurances for about a year and will continue their protest until a government order revising the stipend is issued.
KASHMIR
Farooq Abdullah has alleged that threats issued to Kashmiri Pandit employees are part of a “conspiracy” to create fear and delay restoration of J&K’s statehood, questioning why senior Hindu officers posted in the Valley have not received similar threats. The remarks came after two letters attributed to the little-known United Liberation Council (ULC) named Pandit employees and disclosed their personal details. Security agencies are examining the letters and suspect the ULC could be a front for Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. Abdullah directly blamed the Lt -led administration, asking where the threats were coming from despite repeated claims that militancy had ended. The BJP hit back, accusing him of trivialising threats to Kashmiri Hindus and offering “soft support to terrorists”. His remarks also contrast with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s earlier response, when he called the threats a serious concern and urged police and intelligence agencies to identify those behind them. The episode comes as several decades-old cases involving killings of Kashmiri Pandits are being reopened. The political argument over the threats, meanwhile, risks obscuring the most immediate question: who issued the letters, how were private details of the targeted employees obtained, and can those responsible be identified and prosecuted?
LADAKH
Ahead of the first anniversary of the September 24, 2025 violence in Leh, a 15-day Kargil-Leh padyatra will begin on September 10 to press for Ladakh’s demand for statehood, Sixth Schedule status and justice for those killed and injured in last year’s protests. Organised by the Socialist Party and civil society and political groups, the march has received full backing from the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), with MP Hanifa Jan attending its meeting. The padyatra will travel from Kargil to Haniskot under KDA coordination and from Haniskot to Leh under the Leh Apex Body. It will culminate in Leh on September 24 with a candlelight vigil marking the deaths of four people and injuries and detentions of hundreds during last year’s protests.
JAMMU
Major Rishabh Singh Sambyal, the Jammu-born Army officer who became widely known on social media as the “national crush” while serving as President Droupadi Murmu’s Aide-de-Camp, has taken premature retirement after 12 years in uniform, citing family commitments. A resident of Jammu from the Samba region, Sambyal comes from a family with a military tradition. He joined the Special Forces after serving as a Republic Day parade contingent commander and later became ADC to the President, where photographs and videos of him accompanying Murmu drew widespread attention. He said the decision to leave the Army was among the hardest of his life and followed four months of deliberation. Sambyal, who served with 4 Para Special Forces and earned the Balidan Badge, said he is now working on a new initiative aimed partly at inspiring young minds and contributing to the country’s growth.
JAMMU
A retired Army soldier was killed after his throat was slit by a Chinese kite string while he was travelling on a two-wheeler through the Ring Road in Jammu’s Bishnah area, officials said. Naib Subedar Lakhvinder Singh (retd) sustained critical injuries after coming into contact with the banned string late Sunday while returning home to RS Pura from Bari Brahmana, where he worked as a private security guard at an industrial unit. He was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
The death has renewed concerns over the continued availability and use of Chinese manja, despite a ban imposed by authorities. Police have registered a case and are investigating to identify those responsible.
The latest fatality comes after two other deaths linked to the prohibited kite string were reported in the Jammu region in 2025. Sahil Kumar, 37, died in July 2025, after the string slit his throat while he was riding on the Jammu-Akhnoor flyover. In August, 25-year-old Rajinder Kumar was killed in Udhampur after Gattu Dor, another name used for the synthetic kite string, cut his throat.
The thread has also caused numerous serious injuries. Newspapers reported in August 2026 that around 11 people had suffered serious injuries from Chinese/nylon kite string in different parts of Jammu city.
DELHI
Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman, the IAF fighter pilot who became a symbol of India’s military response to Pakistan after the 2019 Balakot strikes, has retired after 22 years of service and moved into commercial aviation. Varthaman, then with Srinagar-based 51 Squadron, scrambled during the February 27, 2019 air battle and, according to his Vir Chakra citation, shot down a Pakistani F-16 before his MiG-21 Bison was hit and he ejected over Pakistan-occupied territory. He was captured and held for nearly 60 hours before being handed back to India at Attari-Wagah on March 1. Awarded the Vir Chakra, Varthaman subsequently returned to operational fighter flying after medical clearance and rose to Group Captain. He retired from the IAF on March 31 this year and has since joined Goa-based regional carrier FLY91 as a commercial pilot. His journey from Srinagar’s skies to a civilian cockpit marks a striking second chapter after one of the most consequential aerial engagements in recent India-Pakistan history.
