Efforts of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to broaden its base in Jammu and Kashmir suffered a major setback on Thursday after Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association president, Nirmal K. Kotwal, withdrew from the legal team of arrested AAP MLA Mehraj Malik, citing national security concerns.

In a compassionate decision, authorities are moving to declare 32 persons missing after the August 14 cloudburst in Choshiti village of Kishtwar district as dead within six months. Normally, government rules require a seven-year wait to declare a missing person deceased, but the rule has been relaxed in this special case to enable families to receive compensation.

Choshiti village in Kishtwar district is still reeling from the devastating cloudburst and flash flood that struck on August 14. Though relief and rescue efforts have been completed, the emotional and psychological scars run deep.

The Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage in Jammu and Kashmir resumed on Wednesday after a 22-day suspension caused by adverse weather and track repairs following a cloudburst and landslide that claimed 34 lives.

In Digiana, Jammu, a deeply emotional scene unfolded as symbolic funeral rites were performed for Sahil Sharma, his wife Lovely, and their three-year-old son Raghav, who went missing after a devastating cloudburst in Kishtwar a month ago.

The SMVDSB has announced that the pilgrimage to the sacred cave shrine in Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir, is likely to resume from Sunday, 14th September. The Yatra was suspended following a deadly landslide on August 26 that claimed 34 lives.

Jameel Anjum Mir, a suspended government school teacher in Jammu, has been booked in 12 cases of cheating individuals by offering fraudulent government job opportunities.

Although schools in Jammu province reopened on September 8, the resumption of offline classes is being delayed due to pending safety audits in the majority of educational institutions.

The arrest of AAP's lone MLA, Mehraj Din Malik, under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) has triggered widespread outrage in Jammu and Kashmir. AAP leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, have condemned the move as unconstitutional and vowed to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

The detention of AAP's lone MLA, Mehraj Din Malik, under the stringent PSA has triggered sharp reactions from both the ruling NC and opposition PDP. While the PDP accused the government of undermining democracy, Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather dismissed the claims as misleading, clarifying that neither the Assembly nor its Secretariat had a role in the arrest.

In a first for J&K, sitting MLA Mehraj Din Malik of the AAP has been detained under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) for allegedly using derogatory language against a district officer. The detention has drawn sharp criticism from political leaders, with AAP and other parties condemning the move as an attack on democratic dissent and freedom of expression.

Following a week of heavy rainfall and flooding, several parts of Jammu province are facing fresh challenges as land subsidence threatens homes and lives. In the Bantalab area alone, cracks have appeared in dozens of houses, forcing families to evacuate to temporary shelters.

In the backdrop of flood-like conditions along the border, BSF troops arrested a Pakistani national attempting to cross into Jammu from the R.S. Pura sector. The intruder, identified as Siraaj Khan from Punjab, Pakistan, was found carrying foreign currency and is under interrogation.

Nearly 30 individuals were detained by Jammu and Kashmir Police following the vandalism of the national emblem at Kashmir's revered Hazratbal Dargah. The incident, linked to opposition from religious groups over the emblem's placement, sparked widespread debate and condemnation from political leaders.

A fresh controversy has erupted in Kashmir after the national emblem on a plaque at the Hazratbal Dargah was dismantled by an unruly mob. The incident followed opposition from National Conference leader and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq, who argued the emblem violated the Islamic principle of Tawheed.

The Directorate of School Education Jammu has announced a phased reopening of schools from September 8, with formal classes resuming on September 10. Heads of Institutions and staff have been directed to ensure safety audits and readiness assessments before offline classes begin.

The JammuSrinagar National Highway (NH-44), the Valley's only all-weather road, remained closed for the fifth consecutive day following heavy rains, landslides, and flash floods, leaving thousands of vehicles stranded and causing shortages of essential supplies.

A controversy has broken out in J&K after the Union Territory administration declined to shift the Eid-e-Milad holiday from Friday to Saturday despite the moon sighting. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, J&K Grand Mufti, and Education Minister Sakina Itoo strongly criticized the decision, terming it insensitive and a disregard of religious sentiments.

Amid flood alerts and heavy waterlogging in Srinagar, police, in coordination with SDRF and River Police, rescued and shifted more than 200 families from vulnerable areas to safer locations. The J&K LCMA has urged Dal dwellers and houseboat owners to remain vigilant and prepared to shift to relief centres if necessary.

At least six labourers from Kashmir's Ganderbal district are feared dead after a massive landslide struck their rented accommodation in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu on Thursday morning. Officials said incessant rains triggered the mudslide, leaving the men trapped while they were asleep.

The Army has released a video of Operation Sindoor, carried out in the intervening nights of May 6 and 7. The Army also released visuals of Operation Mahadev, in which three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists Suleman, Afghan, and Jibran directly involved in the killings were neutralized.

The Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra remained suspended for the ninth consecutive day on Wednesday after a fresh landslide blocked the track at Sammar Point in Reasi. Authorities ordered the evacuation of hotels, dharamshalas, and SMVDSB staff quarters in Katra, declaring vulnerable zones unsafe until safety certification is completed.

Amid a flash flood alert, authorities ordered the closure of schools and colleges across the Kashmir Valley on Wednesday. Rivers and streams in the Jammu division crossed danger levels, prompting evacuation warnings.

The just-concluded August has emerged as the deadliest month ever in Jammu and Kashmir, with nearly 170 people, including over 130 pilgrims, losing their lives in a spate of rain-triggered disasters. Cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides devastated several districts, damaging infrastructure and forcing the premature conclusion of the annual Amarnath Yatra.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday assured comprehensive relief to flood-affected families during his tour of Jammu district. Accompanied by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, Shah visited damaged bridges on the River Tawi and the worst-hit Mangu Chak village.

The Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra remained suspended for the sixth successive day following the August 26 cloudburst-triggered landslide in Trikuta Hills, Reasi, that claimed 34 lives and injured 18 others. To assist stranded devotees, Northern Railways announced three special trains from Jammu to New Delhi, Chennai, and Kolkata.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will begin a two-day visit to Jammu on Sunday to review the devastation caused by incessant rains, cloudbursts, and flash floods that have claimed over 150 lives in the last fortnight.

Continuous heavy rains for the sixth straight day claimed eleven lives in Jammu province, including seven members of a family in Reasi district, after cloudbursts triggered massive landslides. Four people were also killed in a separate incident in Rajgarh, Ramban.

The Mata Vaishno Devi shrine tragedy has taken a political turn after a landslide on August 26 claimed 34 lives. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, has constituted a three-member committee to probe the causes, review rescue efforts, and suggest preventive measures.

Even as thirty-five pilgrims lost their lives in the landslide near Indraprastha Bhojanalaya on the Mata Vaishno Devi route, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has rejected allegations of negligence. The Board said the weather remained clear until mid-morning on August 26, after which registrations were suspended in line with advisories.

While schools in Kashmir are set to reopen, authorities in the Jammu division have extended the closure of all government and private schools until August 30 due to continuous heavy rainfall, flooding, and damage to infrastructure.

Amid mounting opposition allegations about the rise of a ecruitment mafia in Jammu and Kashmir, the Crime Branch has registered four separate FIRs against a government doctor, a suspended teacher, a female fraudster, and a bank manager, among others.

The Meteorological Department has issued a high alert for all ten districts of Jammu division, warning of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the next 48 hours. In response, the Directorate of School Education has ordered the closure of all schools on Tuesday for the second consecutive day.

To enhance cybersecurity and prevent data breaches, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has banned the use of USB pen drives in all official devices, except in select departments at the Civil Secretariat in Jammu and Srinagar and DC offices across districts.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday assured complete support from the Central Government to the Jammu and Kashmir administration in assisting the victims of the devastating cloudburst in Kishtwar's Chishoti village, which claimed 65 lives.

The Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) on Sunday cancelled the written exam for Junior Engineer (Electrical) posts in the Power Development Department following allegations of a question paper leak. Viral videos showing candidates solving papers outside exam centres triggered protests and a political storm.

A major political controversy has erupted in J&K after the government ordered the takeover of 215 schools affiliated with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami and its affiliate Falah-e-Aam Trust. While Education Minister Sakina Itoo defended the move, she later clarified that the original proposal only suggested oversight by cluster principalsnot Deputy Commissioners as stated in the final order.

J&K Police have arrested five persons, including a woman who posed as a bride, for operating a sophisticated marriage fraud racket that cheated vulnerable individuals across multiple districts. The gang, comprising three outsiders and two locals, used to arrange fake marriages for substantial sums and disappear within days of the ceremony.

In a continued drive to root out terror sympathisers from government ranks, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday terminated two employees from Kupwara district for alleged links with the banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

In a major breakthrough in the fight against narco-terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested a female drug trafficker, Vani Bibi, from Langotian, R.S. Pura, who was running a gold for drugs racket by exploiting drug-addicted youth.

Amid growing public concern over the rotten meat scandal in Jammu and Kashmir, Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday demanded transparency and swift action from the authorities.

J&K CM confirmed that 33 people remain missing following the devastating August 14 cloudburst in Kishtwar district, with the death toll reaching 65. Abdullah acknowledged that the missing persons may not be found alive and emphasized the need for immediate rehabilitation of affected families.

Security forces captured a pigeon from Pakistan near the RS Pura border carrying a threatening note warning of an IED blast at Jammu railway station. The message, written in Urdu and English, included phrases like Kashmir Freedom and Time has come.

In response to the recent recovery of over 12,000 kg of rotten and substandard meat across Jammu and Kashmir, the FDA has issued a strong directive to all food business operators, including online platforms, to strictly follow FSSAI regulations for packaging, labeling, and cold storage of frozen meat products.

Seven days after a cloudburst devastated Choshiti village in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, 70-year-old Krishna Devi of Jammu's Digiana locality holds on to hope as her son, daughter-in-law, and three-year-old grandson remain missing. The family had set out on a pilgrimage to Machail Mata when disaster struck.

The Geological Survey of India has completed comprehensive landslide susceptibility mapping across all mountainous regions of the country, covering 4.3 lakh square kilometers in 19 states and UTs. The National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping programme has created detailed risk zones and compiled data on 91,000 historical landslides.

The Anti-Corruption Court Srinagar has convicted retired IAS officer Habibul Hassan Beigh in a decades-old disproportionate assets case, sentencing him to one year in prison and a Rs 15 lakh fine. Meanwhile, the ACB has registered a new FIR in a financial scam involving the Directorate of Tourism, Kashmir.

In a heart-wrenching yet miraculous turn of events in Chishoti village, over 70 schoolchildren were saved from a deadly flash flood simply because they were rehearsing for Independence Day celebrations.

With the recovery of one more body, the official death toll in the devastating cloudburst that struck Chashoti village of Kishtwar district has climbed to 64. Principal Secretary Home Chandraker Bharti visited the site to assess ongoing rescue and relief efforts carried out by joint teams of the Army, Police, NDRF, and other agencies.

The J&K has issued a high alert across the Union Territory following meteorological warnings of hostile weather conditions over the next 48 hours. With moderate to heavy rainfall predicted in multiple districts from August 18-25, authorities have mobilized emergency response teams and closed the critical Jammu-Srinagar national highway due to landslides and shooting stones.