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The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed for traffic for the third consecutive day today following fresh landslides in Ramban district, leaving more than 800 vehicles stranded on the road. The 270 kilometre-long highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was blocked by mudslides and shooting stones between Chanderkote and Banihal in the district on Monday. "There was a major landslide on the highway at Rampari area in Banihal tehsil Wednesday morning. Besides, another landslide took place in Wagon," an official told PTI. Men and machines have been deployed to clear the highway, officials said, adding that it will take several hours to clear the area. Meanwhile, traffic officials have issued an advisory asking people not to travel on the highway. According to them, more than 800 vehicles are stranded at different points of the highway. The Mughal road, which connects Shopian district of Kashmir with Poonch district of Jammu, was...

Uttarakhand minister Ganesh Joshi on Tuesday said martyrdom is not the monopoly of the Gandhi family and the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were "accidents". "I pity Rahul Gandhi's intelligence. Martyrdom is not Gandhi family's monopoly. India's struggle for Independence saw the martyrdoms of Bhagat Singh, Sawarkar and Chandra Shekhar Azad. What happened with the members of the Gandhi family were accidents. There is a difference between accidents and martyrdom," Mr Joshi said. "But one can speak only according to the level of one's intelligence," he told reporters in reply to a question about the Congress leader's concluding speech at the end of his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar. Mr Joshi, who is the state's Minister for Agriculture, Farmers Welfare, Rural Development and Sainik Kalyan, also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the smooth conclusion of Rahul Gandhi's Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir. "T...

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said there is "nothing new" in President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint sitting of Parliament, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done his government's "advertisement" through her.  He said if the government through the President is claiming that the country has progressed so much, then why the poor continue to suffer due to unemployment and high inflation, even as he alleged that the schemes renamed by the Modi government are not reaching out to the poorest of the poor. Mr Kharge claimed that the new colleges and schools that the government claims has opened are all in the private sector as the poor people are unable to benefit from them as they cannot afford them. "The President's address is the government's statement that has come through the President. It is not a new thing... It is only a routine matter and she has expressed those programmes and achievements which the g...

Authorities in Kashmir went into overdrive on Tuesday to retrieve the encroached government land from influential persons, as they demolished outer walls of the properties belonging to a former minister, the family of a senior police officer and a businessman. The revenue department retrieved about 40 kanals of land allegedly occupied by the owners of Hotel Nedou's at MA Road here, officials said. Nedou's owners are in relation with the Abdullahs of the National Conference. The officials said the hotel is built on 153 kanals of land, out of which an area of 40 kanals is the state land and the rest is the leased land. They said a boundary wall and a shed were demolished as part of the eviction drive. In Anantnag district of south Kashmir, the boundary wall and a security bunker of the residence of former minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayyed – a Congress leader – at Dahmal Khoshipora area was demolished by a team of revenue department, the officials said. They said the structu...

India has emerged as a country that is "connecting" today's "divided world" in some form or the other amid several global challenges and questions over relevance and efficacy of decades-old international institutions, President Droupadi Murmu said on Tuesday. In her address to a joint sitting of Parliament on the first day of the Budget Session, she said the world is acknowledging New Delhi's "tough stand" on terrorism, and described the current phase of India's global relations as the "best" one. President Murmu said the government "firmly" believed that lasting peace is possible only when the country is strong politically and strategically, and that it is the reason why constant emphasis is being put on the modernisation of the country's military strength. In the around hour-long speech, President Murmu touched upon India's ongoing presidency of the G20, chairship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) a...

The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed for traffic for the second consecutive today due to a landslide in Ramban district, leaving more than 600 vehicles stranded on the road. The 270-kilometre-long highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was blocked by mudslides and shooting stones between Chanderkote and Banihal in the district yesterday. Traffic officials issued an advisory asking people not to travel on the highway. According to them, more than 600 vehicles are stranded at different points of the highway. Men and machines have been deployed to clear the highway, they said. The Mughal road, which connects Shopian district of Kashmir with Poonch district of Jammu, was also blocked for traffic due to heavy snowfall, they said. Efforts are on to clear the road of the snow and restore traffic on it, they said.  (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) R...

President Droupadi Murmu today said India has a "fearless, decisive government today" as she addressed parliament on the opening of the Budget session. "The government will complete nine years soon. The biggest change today is that every Indian is at the peak of their confidence. Today, India is becoming a solution to the world's problems," President Murmu said in her debut address. "Today India has a stable, fearless, decisive government that can work to fulfil big dreams. Today India has a government that respects the honest and works to solve the problems of the poor and empower them permanently." President Murmu said "Amrit Kaal", described by the government as the 25-year period to the centenary of India's independence, is the time to build an India which is 'aatmanirbhar' (self-reliant) and also fulfils its humanitarian obligations. The government, in its nine years till now, has taken decisions in the country's inte...

Several Congress MPs, including Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, will not be able to attend the President's address to a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament on Tuesday due to delayed flights from Srinagar on account of inclement weather. Party leader Jairam Ramesh said several Congress leaders and MPs are in Srinagar for the concluding events of the Bharat Jodo Yatra on Monday. Congress leaders could not attend the meeting of various political parties convened by the government on Monday ahead of the budget session of Parliament. Senior party MP Naseer Hussain was to attend the meeting but failed to do so as all flights from Srinagar were cancelled due to heavy snowfall. Due to delayed flights from Srinagar airport on account of inclement weather conditions, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, @kharge ji & many other Congress MPs will be unable to attend the President's address to both Houses of Parliament at 11am today. — Jairam Ram...

Taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi's picture of playing with snowballs, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that Rahul Gandhi should remember the time when the Bharatiya Janata Party hoisted the flag at the Lal Chowk amid fear of bombs and guns. "We saw Rahul and Priyanka playing with snowballs, saw them enjoying a picnic, but maybe they forgot to thank PM Modi, who after coming to power abrogated Article 370 and 35-A," he said. "And who was it who sowed this seed (Article 370), it was Congress," he added. He further said that Jammu Kashmir was given special status after independence. More than 45,000 people have been killed there. He asked Rahul Gandhi who is responsible for it. Bharatiya Jansangh Chief Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee sacrificed his life to keep Jammu and Kashmir an integral part of India. He had started a yatra to integrate India. He died under suspicious circumstances. There is no answer to that to date, "Union Minister Anura...

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday narrated a story of four children whom he met during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and said that they were beggars who did not wear sweaters, shivering in winters, which inspired him not to do the same during the yatra. Rahul Gandhi's remarks came while addressing the concluding function of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar, marking the end of the yatra. "Four children came to me. They were beggars and had no clothes on ... I hugged them ...They were cold and shivering. Maybe they didn't have food. I thought that if they're not wearing jackets or sweaters, I too shouldn't wear the same," Rahul Gandhi said. The Congress leader further narrated a story of a young girl whom he met during the yatra and said that she gave him a note to read which talked about his "hurting" knees. "I learned a lot. One day, I was in a lot of pain. I thought I've to walk for 6-7 hours more and it'll be...

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge today said the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra was not for winning elections but to counter the hate spread by the BJP and the RSS in the country. Addressing a rally to mark the culmination of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, amid heavy snowfall, he also said Mr Gandhi was determined to restore Jammu and Kashmir statehood. "The yatra was not for winning elections but against hate. BJP people are spreading hate in the country. Rahul Gandhi has proven that he can unite the country from Kanyakumari to Kashmir on issues like unemployment and inflation," Mr Kharge said at the rally here to mark the culmination of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar. He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RSS and the BJP were pursuing the policy widening the poor-rich divide in the country. "(Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji, RSS and BJP want to keep poor people poor and to make rich, richer. Ten per cent people are looting 72 ...

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who set off a national debate when he walked the Bharat Jodo Yatra in a T-shirt in north India's cold winter, donned a 'pheran' to ward off Kashmir's bone-freezing chill today. As the snow fell steadily, carpeting much of the Valley in white, the former Congress president was seen in a sleeveless jacket over his trademark white T-shirt earlier in the morning and then in the traditional long cloak worn by Kashmiris. Soon after attending an event at the Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters on Maulana Azad Road here, Mr Gandhi, who walked over 4,000 kilometres in 136 days, emerged in a grey pheran as he headed to the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket stadium for the closing ceremony of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Mr Gandhi's white T-shirt hit the limelight when the yatra entered Delhi, his supporters praising his resilience while his opponents criticised him.  Mr Gandhi, on his part, said he decided to wear only T-shirts during the march after meet...

Life in Kashmir was disrupted on the final day of the 'Chilla-i-Kalan', the harshest winter period in the region, today as fresh snowfall snapped the Valley's connections with the rest of the country, affecting surface and air traffic, officials said. Moderate to heavy snowfall was recorded in the plains of Kashmir, while the higher reaches experienced heavy to very heavy falls, they said. The officials said Srinagar received about seven inches of fresh snowfall, Gulmarg more than a feet, Pahalgam nine inches, Gurez 1.5 feet and the plains of Kupwara district around four inches. In the upper reaches, it was around one-two feet. They said the snowfall started late Sunday night in most places and continued till the last reports came in. The snowfall brought normal life to a halt and snapped the Valley's connection with the rest of the country, the officials said. The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was closed for traffic due to snow and landslides at many places alon...

Heavy snowfall in Kashmir's Srinagar might dampen the celebratory spirit of the closing ceremony of Congress's pan-India foot march 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', scheduled for today. Congress is organising a mega rally at Sher-I-Kashmir Cricket Stadium to mark the end of 135-day long Kanyakumari to Kashmir yatra. Besides the entire Congress leadership, over a dozen leaders from opposition parties are expected to attend the rally. However, the snowfall has forced the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, and may disrupt air traffic as well. Many opposition leaders who were expected to arrive for the finale of the yatra, led by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, might not be able to make it. Low visibility and continuous snowfall has delayed all flights to Srinagar, Kuldeep Singh Rishi, Srinagar's airport director said on Twitter. Vistara Airlines has cancelled both its flights from Delhi to Srinagar for the day. The closing ceremony will start with a flag-hoisting event a...

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has created such a situation in Kashmir that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi could raise the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. Speaking to ANI, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said Mr Gandhi could raise the flag because PM Modi abrogated Article 370. "How could Rahul Gandhi peacefully raise the Tricolour at Srinagar's Lal Chowk today? It happened because PM Modi abrogated Article 370. Jammu and Kashmir received a high number of tourists. During the Congress government, there was terrorism and fear in Kashmir," said Mr Prasad yesterday. BJP MP Rajyavardhan Rathore said that the Modi government has created such a situation in Kashmir that now any Indian citizen can raise the Tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. "Rahul Gandhi proudly raised the Tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. Today, the Modi government has created such a situation in Kashmir that now any Indian citiz...

Congress's Rahul Gandhi again sounded a warning about China today and said around 2,000 sq km of India territory in Ladakh has gone under Chinese occupation.  "I keep repeating that the approach the government is following, by denying that the Chinese have taken our land, is an extremely dangerous approach," Mr Gandhi said at a press conference in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar today.   This, he added, is "going to give them the confidence to do even more aggressive things". "I think the way to deal with the Chinese is to deal with them firmly, and to make it clear that they are sitting on our land and it is not something we will tolerate," he said.   Repeating the allegation he had raised after the 2021 clashes at Ladakh's Galwan, Mr Gandhi said the country is under the impression that the Chinese have not taken any land from India.   "I recently met some ex-army people and even a delegation from Ladakh has clearly said that 2,000 sq km...

Congress's Rahul Gandhi hit out at Union home minister Amit Shah over the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, days after his Bharat Jodo Yatra had to temporarily stop over an alleged security lapse.  While the police denied any lapse, the BJP has made jibes at the Congress leader, alleging that he was making "baseless claims".   Pointing out that targeted killings and bomb blasts have become a regular occurrence in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Gandhi said, "If the situation is so good why don't the BJP people walk from Jammu to Lal Chowk?" "Why doesn't Mr Amit Shah walk from Jammu to Lal Chowk if the situation is so secure?"  he added, speaking at a media conference in Srinagar, where the concluding ceremony of the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra will be held tomorrow. Mr Gandhi's security has generated headlines since he entered Jammu and Kashmir. On Friday, the Congress had suspended the yatra, citing a security lapse. As the Yatra cross...

The Congress has started a 'Haath Se Haath Jodo' campaign in Uttar Pradesh, as a follow-up to its 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', to reach out to people in the hinterlands ahead of the 2024 general elections. This state-level campaign, party leaders said, will strengthen the Congress' prospects and act as an extension of the Kanyakumari to Kashmir 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' that passed through the politically crucial state earlier this month. Uttar Pradesh sends 80 members to the 542-member Lok Sabha. The 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is currently in its final lap in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, with Rahul Gandhi hoisting the national flag at Lal Chowk in the city on Sunday. AICC national general secretary and in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to visit the state in February for the programme, party leaders said. The 'Haath Se Haath Jodo' campaign is aimed at apprising people at the grassroots level of the failures of the central government, ...

A Norwegian man, who was reported missing while skiing in Jammu and Kashmir's Gulmarg resort, was rescued by the police on Saturday, officials said. "Police today rescued a foreign tourist -- Oeyvind Aamot of Norway -- who lost his track while skiing and got stuck in the forests of Drung," a police spokesperson said. Mr Aamot had arrived at Gulmarg on Saturday morning and gone for skiing, the official said. After receiving information, two police teams were formed to follow two tracks around the forest area, the spokesperson said. "Finally, the team reached at the location of the foreigner and brought him back to Gulmarg safely," he said. SSP Baramulla Amod Ashok Nagpure appreciated the rescue teams and announced a cash reward in their favour. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Read full article

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday took part in a road show in Kundgol, as part of Karnataka BJP's 'Vijaya Sankalp Abhiyan', in the run-up to the Assembly polls in the state, due by May. Targeting the opposition Congress and JD(S) and accusing them of dynasty politics and corruption, he sought support for the BJP to form a government with full majority in Karnataka. A crowd beaming with spirited enthusiasm. Live from the roadshow at Kundgol, Karnataka. ಉತ್ಸಾಹ ಭರಿತ ಜನ ಸಮೂಹ. ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಕುಂದಗೋಳದಿಂದ ರೋಡ್ ಶೋ ನ ನೇರ ಪ್ರಸಾರ. https://t.co/dA8HeRd0vq — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 28, 2023 Amit Shah took part in the road show on a specially decorated open vehicle from Basavanna Devara Matha to Gali Mariyamma temple here, amid loud cheers and waving of BJP flags by large number of party supporters and workers gathered. He was accompanied by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, party's General secr...

Security measures for the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir on Saturday were stricter than a day before when Rahul Gandhi had to cancel his foot march, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said here. "After yesterday's incident, the administration made strict arrangements. But, despite that, thousands of people - men, women, children, elderly, every section of the society - stood on the roads and welcomed the Yatra and Gandhi heartily," Mr Ramesh told reporters at a presser here. The yatra resumed from Awantipora in Pulwama district in south Kashmir this morning. The Congress had on Friday alleged that police arrangements by the Jammu and Kashmir administration had "completely collapsed" following which Mr Gandhi had to suspend his walk. "There were strict arrangements. All roads had been closed, traffic was suspended, and people faced difficulties. We received many phone calls that people were not allowed to move. But, despite that, many people came out ...

The gardens at the President's official home, Rashtrapati Bhavan, have been given a common name as part of the "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav" celebrations, news agency ANI reported. "On the occasion of the celebrations of 75 years of Independence as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the President of India has given a common name to the Rashtrapati Bhavan gardens as Amrit Udyan," Deputy Press Secretary to the President Navika Gupta told ANI. The Rashtrapati Bhavan's website, however, mentions both names - Mughal Gardens and Amrit Udyan. Spread over 15 acre, Amrit Udyan has often been portrayed as the soul of the presidential palace, the website says. Amrit Udyan draws its inspiration from the Mughal Gardens in Jammu and Kashmir, the gardens around the Taj Mahal and even miniature paintings of India and Persia. "The Amrit Udyan had up till now been opened for the public only during the annual festival, Udyan Utsav, held in the months of February-March but Mughal G...

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday joined her brother Rahul Gandhi at the Bharat Jodo Yatra at Lethpora in Jammu and Kashmir as the party's foot march entered its penultimate day. Priyanka Gandhi walked alongside the former Congress president amidst tight security arrangements before the yatra stopped for a break at Lethpora. आज #BharatJodoYatra में @RahulGandhi जी के साथ कांग्रेस महासचिव @priyankagandhi जी सम्मिलित हुईं। कन्याकुमारी से मोहब्बत की खुशबू को देश की फिजाओं में बिखेरते हुए तिरंगा कश्मीर पहुंच चुका है। pic.twitter.com/iSQpcsDhfe — Congress (@INCIndia) January 28, 2023 The yatra resumed from Awantipora where PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and her daughter Iltija Mufti joined Rahul Gandhi, the Lok Sabha member from Wayanad in Kerala, for the march. Rahul Gandhi also paid homage to the 40 CRPF personnel who were killed in a suicide car bomb attack at Lethpora by laying a bouquet at the spot where the security force's bus was blown up in Februar...

The Congress has to be the "fulcrum" of any Opposition alliance to take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections as it is the only political force with a pan-India presence, senior leader Jairam Ramesh said today. The Congress general secretary also said in his view the Congress should be preparing to fight on its own in every state in the 2024 general elections. In an interview with PTI, Mr Ramesh said he would certainly put his weight behind doing another yatra from Gujarat's Porbandar to Arunachal Pradesh's Parshuram Kund this year but the party has to take a call on it eventually. "I certainly have been giving thought to it. Now whether the party will or not (undertake such a yatra), I cannot say. But ideally when the Bharat Jodo Yatra was thought of in Udaipur, there was also a thinking of moving West to East," said Mr Ramesh, who along with Digvijaya Singh is considered to be the brain behind the Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra which will c...

After the Congress alleged lapses in security arrangments in the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Jammu & Kashmir Police on Friday said that it was not consulted before taking any decision on discontinuation of the yatra after 1 km by the organisers. Taking to Twitter, the Jammu & Kashmir Police said, "JKP was not consulted before taking any decision on discontinuation of Yatra after conducting 1 km yatra by organizers. The rest of yatra continued #peacefully. There was no security lapse at all. We will provide foolproof security." "Only authorised persons identified by organisers and the frisked crowd were allowed inside towards the route of Yatra," the police added. The police further stated, "Organisers and managers of BJY did not intimate about large gatherings from Banihal joining the Yatra, which thronged near the starting point." "Full security arrangements were in place including 15 Coys of CAPFs and 10 Coys of JKP, comprisi...

The Congress on Friday accused the government of withdrawing security personnel from around Rahul Gandhi as the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' reached near Qazigund in Jammu and Kashmir, and demanded action against those responsible for the alleged security breach. "Lapse in Shri Rahul Gandhi's security detail in Jammu and Kashmir during Bharat Jodo Yatra is disconcerting to say the least. It is GOI's prime responsibility to provide security. India has already lost two PMs and scores of leaders & we demand better security for the Yatris," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Twitter. Lapse in Shri @RahulGandhi 's security detail in Jammu & Kashmir during #BharatJodoYatra is disconcerting to say the least. It is GOI's prime responsibility to provide security. India has already lost two PM's and scores of leaders & we demand better security for the Yatris. — Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) January 27, 2023 "The sudden withdrawal...

Attacking the government, the Congress on Friday alleged that an "undeclared emergency" prevailed in the country and an attempt was being made to "make the judiciary part of the PMO". Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Bharat Jodo Yatra is aimed at highlighting such "dangers" facing the country. Addressing a press conference here, Mr Ramesh said the yatra is aimed at flagging increasing economic disparity, the RSS and the BJP allegedly spreading social polarisation for electoral advantage and the "political dictatorship" prevailing in the country. "There is an undeclared emergency in the country. There is rule by one person, Parliament is being ignored, debates don't take place in Parliament. One example is of the danger on our borders, two-and-a-half years have passed but it has not been discussed," Mr Ramesh said, referring to the border standoff between India and China. "Constitution is being ignored, cons...

National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah today hit out at the BJP-led UT government saying that Jammu and Kashmir has not seen the days of "no assembly elections" even in the worst days of militancy. "It has been eight years straight since the last Assembly elections were conducted in Jammu and Kashmir. This is the first time that there has been such a long gap between polls here. Such a situation never even occurred during the worst days of militancy in J-K. It was in 2014 when the last Assembly elections took place," NC leader Omar Abdullah said addressing the media persons in J-K's Banihal. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Friday joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir's Banihal. Further, talking about the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, former Chief Minister expressed his faith in the judiciary and alleged the Centre for not allowing the hearing to take place in the Supreme Court. "I still believe that Article 370 was m...

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah Friday alleged that the outer ring of security cordon maintained by Jammu and Kashmir Police "simply vanished" as soon as the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra entered the Kashmir Valley. The march was stopped on Friday near Qazigund, the gateway to the valley, after the Congress alleged breach of security and mismanagement of crowd by the Jammu and Kashmir administration. I'm witness to this. The outer ring of the cordon which was maintained by J&K police simply vanished within minutes of @RahulGandhi starting to walk. We had just crossed in to Kashmir from Jammu & were looking forward to the 11 KM walk but unfortunately it had to be cancelled. https://t.co/H2DByCRYCi — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) January 27, 2023 "I'm witness to this. The outer ring of the cordon which was maintained by the Jammu and Kashmir police simply vanished within minutes of Rahul Gandhi starting to walk," Mr Abdullah said in...

Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir was scrapped today with the Congress alleging "very serious security lapses". Rahul Gandhi was to walk 20 km in the Kashmir Valley but had to stop after about a km in Banihal. Congress leaders allege that as Rahul Gandhi walked into Kashmir valley, a sudden withdrawal of security caused the security breach and a large waiting crowd there breached security hold area. A "sudden withdrawal of security personnel" caused a serious security breach, said Congress sources, adding that the Jammu and Kashmir administration mismanaged the crowds. After Rahul Gandhi crossed the Banihal Tunnel on the way to Srinagar, a huge crowd and inadequate security forced the Congress leader to stop, said party leaders. Rahul Gandhi couldn't move for about 30 minutes, Congress leaders said. He was taken away in a security vehicle and the party called off the yatra for today. "The police drove off after we crossed Banihal Tunn...

Union Minister Jitendra Singh today launched a scathing attack on the Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and said that if the Congress had respect for the judiciary, it would not have supported the BBC documentary. Mr Singh told ANI, "Whatever Mallikarjun Kharge is saying is completely different from the reality. If he and his party men had respect for the judiciary, they would not have supported the BBC documentary." "I do not agree that the Judiciary itself had given a clean chit to the Chief Minister of the then Government of Gujarat regarding Godhra, so is this not a contempt of court, the kind of attitude they have, I think this is the doublespeak of the Congress." Citing the comment of Kharge, Mr Singh said, "Congress President on Wednesday called upon the people to stand united against the attack on the judiciary and ensure the rights of the poor. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of doing nothing except giving speeches and campaigni...

The All Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus, the Kashmiri Pandit diaspora and allies commemorated 33 years of Kashmiri Pandits genocide on Wednesday, January 25. The event took place at the Houses of Parliament, London, and was hosted by Bob Blackman, Chair All Party Parliamentary, APPG group for British Hindus. An Early Day Motion (EDM) was also tabled to commemorate Genocide of Kashmiri Pandits, signed by cross-party MPs, reminding them that justice was yet to be done. Bob Blackman reiterated his support for India and the Kashmiri Hindu community and reminded that it was Pakistan's invasion of Kashmir that led to erstwhile Maharaja acceding to India. On 26 October, 11,000 people in Baramullah were killed by the invaders. Maharaja Hari Singh requested armed intervention from India in order to calm the situation and suppress the invasion. The Instrument of Accession was signed by Hari Singh and Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India. The Indian army airlifted its troops t...

He was 'bindaas', a daredevil cop who with a larger-than-life personality. Conferred with the Shaurya Chakra on the eve of Republic Day, Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel Mudasir Ahmed Sheikh had eliminated a group of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists in Baramulla district before laying down his life. Constable Sheikh, alias 'Bindaas', of Uri (in Baramulla) made the supreme sacrifice while neutralising three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists during a joint operation with the Army at Kreeri in the north Kashmir district on May 25 last year, officials said. Sheikh has been conferred with the Shaurya Chakra -- the country's third-highest peacetime gallantry award -- for his unparalleled courage. Giving details of the incident, the officials said the police and the Army, acting on information regarding the movement of terrorists, established joint special checkpoints at many places, including near Shrakwara-Najibhat Crossing in Kreeri. When a group of terrorists travelling in ...

Janata Dal (United) president Lalan Singh on Thursday expressed his inability to attend the concluding event of the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar on January 30 and asked the Congress to take appropriate steps to unite the opposition. In a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Mr Singh cited his scheduled engagement for a political programme in poll-bound Nagaland to skip the Yatra's conclusion. Though the Congress has invited heads of several non-BJP parties to attend the event to finish the mega exercised aimed at rejuvenating its organisation in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, it remains to be seen how many of them turn up. Some regional party chiefs may send others to represent their organisation at a time when the opposition is itself divided over what shape any such alliance against the BJP should take and who should be spearheading it. Mr Singh said, "My party sincerely feels that the need of the hour is an unified opposition and e...

Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra autocrat, was celebrated at the Republic Day function in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district, capping a first. Enacting the Maharaja riding a horse, there were slogans of Maharaja Hari Singh ki jai (Long Live Maharaja Hari Singh). This is the first time the monarch was celebrated during the Republic Day function. Last year, J&K union territory administration declared Maharaja's birthday as public holiday - it was for the first time, a pre-Independence monarch was celebrated in free India. Before Independence, there were 562 Princely states who acceded and integrated with India in 1947. J&K is the first place where a former monarch is officially celebrated. Public holiday on Maharaja's birthday was a major demand of the BJP in Jammu. When the British formally left on August 15, 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh wanted J&K to remain an independent state and also had a standstill agreement with both India and Pakistan. But in the f...

On the occasion of the 74th Republic Day, the tableau of Jammu and Kashmir with its theme 'Naya Jammu & Kashmir', showcased the pilgrim and recreational tourism potential of the union territory on Kartavya Path. Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir achieved a great boost during recent years and registered a record tourist footfall of 1.62 crore for the first time in the history of 75 years of independent India. The hilly regions of J-K have varied fauna and is home to the once endangered Kashmiri Stag, locally called Hangul; the common leopard and the newly declared UT bird Kalij Pheasant. J-K is also known for the world-famous tulip gardens and violet revolution (lavender cultivation) which has opened new vistas for budding entrepreneurs in the region. The tableau's tractor portion showcased sculptures of a Leopard, Kashmiri Stags and Kalij pheasant in the wild setting. The trolley portion showcased tulip gardens, lavender cultivation and women working on a lavender farm. ...