Abhishek Saha

Lady Singham, braveheart CRPF official in Srinagar, has a message for women

The 28-year-old officer was the lone woman with the CRPF to be assigned law-and-order responsibilities in the latest bout of prolonged unrest in the troubled Valley.

Six youth face partial blindness: Why Kashmir’s pellet woes are far from over

Six young men were partially blinded over the weekend when security forces fired pellets at protesters who were allegedly trying to hamper a counter-insurgency operation in Tral

Constable, 2 militants killed in Kashmir, stone-throwers target forces

A Kashmiri and a Pakistani militant killed in Tral as locals from 10 villages throw stones at security forces

Kashmir: Policeman, two militants killed in Tral encounter

An official at the police control room Awantipora told HT that the policeman had been identified as Manzoor Ahmed Naik. He was a native of Salamabad area of Uri.

Kashmiri girl blinded by pellets sheds despair, returns to school

The weather is still cold and bleak in Kashmir, but Insha’s mood has considerably brightened following the school visit after months of despair.

J-K police recover arms from truck engaged in cross-LoC trade

Jammu and Kashmir police have recovered a cache of arms and ammunitions, which were being smuggled from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and meant for militants, from a truck involved in transporting goods in the cross-LoC trade on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route.

Trolling of Gurmehar Kaur reveals our utter disregard of a woman’s own mind

The online ordeal of Gurmehar Kaur brings to fore Indian society’s utter disregard for a woman’s own mind and her right to make her own choice.

Being Kashmiri doesn’t make me a terrorist, says acquittee in Delhi blasts case

Acquitted in 2005 Delhi blasts, Rafiq Shah entered his house after 12 long years on Wednesday. Excerpts from an interview.

2005 blast: Kashmir alienated by Delhi Police jailing the wrong man

Records that showed Rafiq Shah was in class at Kashmir University were hidden and a fake witness planted as the case dragged on for 12 years.

Srinagar: Separatists call off strike on Friday due to Shivaratri

The Hurriyat, however, has said that there would be peaceful protest after the Friday prayers.

Who will return the 12 years of my life? Srinagar man freed in 2005 Delhi blasts case asks

Mohammad Hussain Fazili, a 43-year-old shawl weaver from Srinagar, spent 12 years in Delhi’s high-security Tihar Jail. On February 16, Fazili along with Mohammed Rafiq Shah, also from Kashmir, was acquitted in the 2005 Delhi blasts case, the worst terrorist attack on the Capital that left 67 people dead and more than 200 wounded.

Delhi serial blasts: Rafiq Shah free after 12 years, but life won’t be same

Mohammed Rafiq Shah and two others were arrested and charged for the 2005 serial blasts in Delhi but Shah and Fazili were acquitted by a city court on Feb 16, 2017.

Encounter sites in Jammu and Kashmir to have 3km no-go zones

The Jammu and Kashmir government has reiterated its advice to local youth against running towards the site of gun-battle and issued prohibitory restrictions of up to three kilometers around an encounter site in the three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Shopian.

Kashmir: Army pays tributes to four soldiers killed in encounters on Tuesday

A day after four soldiers were killed in two separate encounters in the Valley, the army paid rich tributes to its martyrs. Among the dead was Major Satish Dahiya who succumbed to injuries in an encounter in which three militants were gunned down, in north Kashmir’s Handwara on Tuesday evening.

Kashmir: Army major among four soldiers killed in two separate encounters

There have been three encounters in Kashmir since Sunday.

Kashmir: Pellets back in spotlight as two injured in police firing in Kulgam

Despite widespread criticism, the Central and state governments defended the weapon – which shoots tiny lead pellets – as crucial to the fight against militants and refused to stop its use.

Shutdown in Kashmir after separatists’ call for protest over Kulgam killings

The killing of the two civilians – one caught in the crossfire during the encounter and the other when forces fired to quell protests in the area – has raised apprehensions of deterioration of the ground situation in Kashmir.

Post unrest, Kashmir ‘freedom’ songs making waves

Kulgam clashes go ‘live’ on Facebook in volatile Kashmir Valley

“Going ‘Live’ on social media – with video and commentary – has become a trend among youngsters. So, perhaps, protesters might have thought why not capture the clashes.

Post unrest, ‘freedom’ songs make waves in Kashmir

Almost a month into last year’s civil unrest in Kashmir, as violence on the streets spiralled and civilian death toll increased, Ali Saffudin, 23, — a rock singer here — uploaded a song titled ‘tum kitne jawa maroge’ on YouTube.

Kashmir unrest: Girl with bullet injury paralysed, CMO promises help

The protestors clashed with the security forces, who retaliated by firing. A bullet hit an unsuspecting Shameema, rupturing her spine and tearing through her intestines.

Kashmir shuts down on Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s death anniversary

Security restrictions were imposed on several parts of old Srinagar. Main city markets remained closed while public transport vehicles went off the road.

Kashmir’s deserted buildings receive an artistic makeover through murals

An art group in Kashmir is transforming the landscape surrounding the famed ski-resort of Gulmarg with attractive murals on hitherto neglected public properties.

Soldier, porters trek for 8 hours in Kashmir snow to bury his mother

Sakina Begum (60), son of Mohammad Abbas, died on January 29 at Pathankot, where her son, a soldier with the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) regiment of the Indian army, was posted.

Hurriyat leader Geelani hospitalised after chest pain, condition stable

Hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Srinagar after he complained of chest pain late last night, a close aide of the separatist leader said on Thursday.

Accurate forecasts propel Kashmir weatherman to ‘saint’ status

Sonam Lotus is a much sought-after man in Kashmir, deluged with calls from people across the Valley seeking his advice on drawing up travel plans to hosting parties.

Five army soldiers trapped under snow in Kashmir rescued

The incident comes two days after two avalanches killed 14 soldiers in the Gurez sector near the de -facto border between Indian and Pakistani.

Though scarred and blinded by pellets, Kashmiri students shine in board exams

Two days after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an encounter on July 8 last year, Suhail Gul Mir, 18, found himself caught between protesters and security forces while returning home from tuition classes in south Kashmir.

Want justice, not compensation: Kin of people killed in Kashmir unrest

 The relatives of people who were killed in the Kashmir unrest said that they seek justice and not compensation, even as chief minister Mehbooba Mufti announced, on Monday, that each family will receive Rs 5 lakh and other compensatory measures, and there will be a district-level SIT probe into the killings. 

CRPF denies RTI query on pellet guns, says there were no human rights violations

The use of the controversial pellet guns as a ‘non-lethal’ weapon has been much criticised as its use during the 2016 unrest led to the death of at least 10 people and blinded scores.