National / The New Indian Express
NEW DELHI: Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Thursday held a high-level security review meeting with Intelligence Bureau (IB) director Tapan Deka and Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief Ravi Sinha in the aftermath of the terror attack near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, sources said. Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is likely to soon be officially handed over the probe into the terror attack by the Home Ministry, is looking at whether the timing of the attack is c
DEHRADUN: A terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, has triggered a fierce reaction from Hindu organisations here in the capital city of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The fallout from the attack has reportedly led to the departure of at least 36 students from the state. According to confirmed information, these students fled Uttarakhand by air, rail, and road on Wednesday night and Friday morning, following what are described as threats from Hindu organisation
IMPHAL: A Joint Action Committee (JAC) formed in connection with the alleged custodial death of a 27-year-old man earlier this month has called a 24-hour-long Manipur bandh from midnight of Thursday. Khoisnam Sanajaoba was arrested in Imphal East district on March 31 along with four others for their alleged association with the proscribed outfit Kangleipak Communist Party (Nongdrenkhomba). In a statement, the JAC said it had submitted a memorandum to the governor listing a charter of demands, in
GUWAHATI: Aminul Islam, an MLA of the Assam opposition party, All India United Democratic Front, was arrested by the police on Thursday for linking the BJP-led central government to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead. The police said Islam was arrested on the basis of his misleading and instigating statement in public, which went viral and had the potential to create an adverse situation. A case against him was registered earlier for offences under Sections 152, 196, 19
KOCHI: My father was gunned down in front of me and my sons, Arathy R Menon, daughter of N Ramachandran, the Kochi native who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, told mediapersons on Thursday. Arathy, who survived the attack along with her mother and eight-year-old twin sons, was recounting the harrowing ordeal they endured as part of the terror attack, on Tuesday, which claimed the lives of 26 people. The place where the attack unfolded is called 'mini Switzerland'. It is a small stretch
SRINAGAR: An unanimous resolution strongly condemning the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam was passed at an All-Party Meeting convened by Jammu & Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah in Srinagar on Thursday. The resolution termed the attack a 'direct assault on values of Kashmiriyat and idea of India.' 25 tourists and one local resident were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam's Baisaran meadow on Tuesday afternoon. Reading out the resolution, Abdullah appealed to governments of other states and unio
SRINAGAR: A resolution unequivocally condemning the heinous and inhumane attack on innocent civilians in Pahalgam was passed at an all-party meeting convened by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday. Reading out the resolution, Abdullah appealed to governments of other states and union territories to protect Kashmiris against any form of harassment in the wake of the Pahalgam killings . We, the participants of the All-Party Meeting of Jammu & Kashmir, deeply shocked and angu
NEW DELHI: The centre on Thursday launched a nationwide elimination campaign of measles and rubella, two highly infectious viral diseases that can lead to serious illnesses, lifelong complications, and even death. Launching the National Zero Measles-Rubella Elimination Campaign on World Immunisation Week, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said that from January 2025 to March 2025, 332 districts reported zero measles cases, while 487 districts had no rubella cases. India aims to eliminate the two v
NEW DELHI: New studies have revealed high levels of sulphur pollutants in the air in Delhi-NCR and nearby cities; the studies have recommended immediate implementation of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) technology at every coal-fired thermal power plant (CFTPP) in region. SO2 is a significant air pollutant that has both direct and indirect effects on human health and the environment. It is associated with serious health issues, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Meanwhile, there h
NEW DELHI: Often mocked as Suraj-mukhi (sun-facing) or Angrez (British) due to their pale skin tone, as many as two lakh Indians, including health professionals, suffering from Albinism - a rare genetic condition - face daily exposure to harmful UV radiation and social discrimination. Taking up their cause, Doctors with Disabilities: Agents of Change, a body of health professionals with disabilities for social justice, has written to the 25th World Health Organisation (WHO) Expert Committee on t
CHANDIGARH: A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan has been taken into custody by the Pakistan Rangers after he accidentally crossed into the neighbouring country in the Ferozepur sector of Punjab on the India-Pakistan international border. Sources said that the incident occurred on Thursday when BSF constable PK Singh of the 182nd BSF battalion was on duty near the international border. During routine patrolling, Singh inadvertently entered Pakistani territory, where he was detained by the Pakista
RANCHI: As a heat wave grips Jharkhand, the state government has issued a notification making changes in the timetable of all categories of government, non-government aided/non-aided (including minority) and private schools. Now, the timetable for nursery to class VIII will be from 7 am to 11:30 am and for classes 9 to 12 will be from 7 am to 12 noon. Keeping in view the increasing impact of heat wave in the state, classes from KG to Class 8 will be conducted from 7:00 am to 11:30 am and classes
LUCKNOW: Reiterating the government's zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism, UP CM Yogi Adityanath said that the Pahalgam massacre would prove to be the last nail in the coffin of terrorism. This government will crush the venomous fangs of terror with absolute and unyielding resolve, asserted the CM who paid his last respects to Shubham Dwivedi and consoled the bereaved family in Kanpur on Thursday. He added that those involved in this conspiracy would face severe consequences. The terrorists
CHANDIGARH: Following India's decision to suspend the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES), Pakistani nationals in India are queuing up at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari near Amritsar to return to their country through the Attari-Wagah land route. Pakistani nationals were given a 48-hour deadline to leave the country after the terrorist attack at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday, which killed 26 tourists. A family from Karachi said they went to Delhi to meet their relatives. We ha
BHADRAK: A woman patient allegedly died after being trapped in a lift following a malfunction at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) in Odishas Bhadrak on Tuesday. Sources said that when the patient was going into the lift on a stretcher, it started moving up, resulting in the woman getting trapped. Police identified the deceased as Minati Parida (54) of Narasinghapur village under Bhadrak Rural police station limits. Hospital sources said the woman was brought to the hospital in a 108 ambu
Pakistan on Thursday vehemently rejected India's decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 as a retaliatory measure to the deadly militant attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. Following a National Security Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to formulate the country's response to India's measures, Pakistan stated that the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty would block the lifeline for 240 million Pakistanis. Any threat to Pakistan's sovereignty and
NEW DELHI: India on Thursday announced suspending visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect in line with its retaliatory measures against Islamabad in the wake of the brazen Pahalgam terror attack. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said all existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from April 27. It said medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be valid only till April 29. The MEA said all Pakistani nationals currently in
CHENNAI: In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, the tourists from Tamil Nadu started arriving in batches at the Chennai airport on the wee hours of Thursday. The tourists, though jolted by what happened at the scenic tourist spot, nevertheless carried with them stories of considerate Kashmiris who escorted them to safety and helped them during the time of crisis. A group of 48 people who arrived in Chennai at 8.30 am said that they were even confident that they would be
HYDERABAD: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to invite all political parties irrespective of the number of members in the Parliament for the Pahalgam all-party meeting. In a social media post, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha member said he spoke to Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday night and that he was informed that the NDA government was thinking of inviting only parties with five or 10 MPs. Owaisi also said when he asked why no
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has scheduled the final hearing of the 2002 Godhra train burning case on May 6 and 7. The appeals were filed by the Gujarat government and several convicts against the Gujarat High Court's 2017 order. A two-judge bench of the apex court, led by Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Rajesh Bindal, fixed the dates for final hearing. The Gujarat High Court in 2017, convicted 31 persons, of whom 11 were sentenced to death. Challenging this order, theGujarat government had ap
JAMMU: A senior journalist was hospitalised after he was allegedly assaulted while covering a BJP protest over the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Kathua district on Wednesday. The journalistic circles have strongly condemned the attack on Dainik Jagran reporter Rakesh Sharma at Kalibari chowk and demanded registration of an FIR against the accused. A purported video of the incident, showing the assault on the scribe, has gone viral on social media. BJP workers thrashed a journalist
KOCHI: A short getaway to the scenic beauty of Kashmir with her family turned into a horrific memory for Kochi native Arathi R Menon , who lost her father to the deadly militant attack that rocked the lush green meadows of Pahalgam on Tuesday. Her father, 65-year-old N Ramachandran, was among the 26 people, mostly tourists, gunned down by militants in Pahalgam's Baisaran valley. We thought it was fireworks at first... But with the next shot, I knew... it was a terror attack, Arathi told the medi
SRINAGAR: Police on Thursday identified the three Lashkar militants involved in Tuesdays attack on tourists in Pahalgam - one of the biggest attacks on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir - which left 26 people dead. Police released sketches of three LeT militants on Wednesday and identified the trio on Thursday. Of the three attackers, police said two were Pakistani militants and another a local militant from south Kashmir. The three attackers have been identified as Hashim Musa alias Suleiman and A
NEW DELHI: Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Thursday held a high-level security review meeting with Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) Tapan Deka, and the Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) Ravi Sinha amid concerning situations emerging in the aftermath of the terror attack near Pahalgam town in Jammu and Kashmir, sources said. The agenda of the meeting has officially not been disclosed. However, the sources said that the deliberations assumed significance due to the prese
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday said the cowardly Pahalgam attack has been masterminded by Pakistan and is a direct assault on the values of our republic, even as it accused the BJP of exploiting the tragedy to promote discord and polarisation at a time when unity is most needed. The Congress demanded a comprehensive analysis into the intelligence failures and security lapses that enabled the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest
AHMEDABAD: Grief gave way to anger on Thursday as Shailesh Himmatbhai Kalthia, one of the three Gujaratis killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, was laid to rest in Surat. Kalthia, who was visiting Kashmir with his family, was among the victims of Tuesdays attack. His final rites drew a large crowd of mourners, including Union Minister and Gujarat BJP President C.R. Patil. Amid the emotional farewell, his wife Shitalben, who witnessed the attack and her husband's death, expressed her anguish and
MADHUBANI: In a stern message, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers who were responsible for the attack in Pahalgam eyond their imagination. Today, from the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world that India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth, Modi said addressing a public gathering here. India's spirit will never be broken by terrorism. T
NEW DELHI: A chilling line allegedly spoken by one of the terrorists behind the Pahalgam terror attack, Jao Modi ko batao (Go and tell Modi), has sent shockwaves through the government and BJP circles, igniting a fiery determination to retaliate against terrorism emanating from Pakistan. The statement echoed through the corridors of power on Wednesday, further fuelling the already blazing anger over the Pakistan-backed assault that targeted innocent tourists. According to a highly reliable sourc
SRINAGAR: After the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam , which claimed the lives of 25 tourists and a resident, the J&K Students Association has alleged that Kashmiri students in different parts of the country are being harassed, abused and assaulted. We have been receiving multiple distress calls from Kashmiri students from Dehradun. The students feel threatened and insecure in the aftermath of a video released by Hindu Rakhsha Dal, warning Kashmiri Muslim students to vacate Dehradun by 10 a
RANCHI: Heatwave swept parts of Jharkhand with Daltonganj sizzling at 43 degrees Celsius, an official said on Thursday. A 'yellow' alert of heatwave was issued for Simdega, Saraikela-Kharswan, East and West Singhbhum districts till April 26, he said. Ranchi Meteorological Centre's Deputy Director Abhishek Anand said the maximum temperature is hovering around 40 degrees Celsius across the state. He said a heat wave alert has been issued for the southern region. The Santhal Pargana region is also
NEW DELHI: Top Congress leaders on Thursday held an emergency meeting of the party's working committee to deliberate on the Pahalgam terror attack and are expected to pass a resolution condemning it. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, general secretaries K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others, attended the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here at the party's 24, Akbar Road office. The meeting started with l
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and gram sabhas across the country today, from Bihars Madhubani district, marking National Panchayati Raj Day. The PMs address, to be held in Lohna Uttar Gram Panchayat under Jhanjharpur block, is expected to begin at 11.45 am. According to a press communique issued by the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone and inaugurate a slew of development projects worth Rs 13,48
NEW YORK/ WASHINGTON: The US has issued a 'Do Not Travel' advisory for Jammu and Kashmir owing to the terror attacks and possible violent civilian unrest in the Union Territory and also within 10 kms of the India-Pakistan border. The advisory warning for all US citizens was issued on Wednesday, a day after terrorists opened fire in Kashmir's Pahalgam killing 26 people, mostly tourists, in what is the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019. Terrorist attacks and violent c
BENGALURU: A case was registered on Wednesday against the BJP IT Cell in Karnataka over an alleged derogatory social media post linking Rahul Gandhi's foreign trip to the Pahalgam terror attack , said police. The post was later deleted. The complaint was filed by C M Dhananjaya, Chairman of the Legal and Human Rights Unit of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. In his complaint, Dhananjaya said the post was intended to link Rahul Gandhi's foreign visit to the brutal attack in Pahalgam on Tu
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said his government was in touch with governments of states where Kashmiris were allegedly being harassed in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. The J&K government is in touch with the governments of the states where these reports are originating from. I'm also in touch with my counterpart Chief Ministers in these states & have requested they take extra care, Abdullah posted on X. The J&K government is in touch with th
JAMMU: Security forces on Thursday launched a cordon and search operation to track suspected terrorists in forest areas of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said. The search operation is ongoing in Lasana forest belt of the district following inputs about suspected terrorists hiding in the area, they said. There was an exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists on April 14 in the Lasana area, during which one security personnel was injured. Troops of Romeo Force (army),
The aftermath of the horrific terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 individuals, has brought immense sorrow to families and communities across India. As the mortal remains of the victims were flown back to their hometowns, the grief of the loss was felt across the nation. The journey of these fallen individuals, from the places of death to their final resting places, serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the tragedy that struck innocent lives. T
RAIPUR: Three Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border on Thursday, police said. The gunfight took place at a forest in Karegutta hills in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district along the inter-state border in the morning when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxal operation, a senior police official said. So far, bodies of three Naxalites have been recovered from the encounter site, and several other Maoists are also suspected
JAMMU: Security forces and suspected terrorists exchanged fire following a search operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district on Thursday, sources said. The firing took place in the Dudu-Basantgarh area during a cordon and search operation launched based on information about the presence of terrorists, they said. The operation was still underway when last reports came in, they added.
BENGALURU : The Pahalgam killings was a planned attack by Pakistan sponsored terrorists. It is a leaf out of Pakistan army chief Asim Munirs recent speech in which he described Kashmir as the jugular vein of Pakistan. The timing of the Pahalgam attack cannot be a matter of sheer coincidence. It was timed around the visit of US Vice President JD Vance, author of Poles Apart: The Military & Democracy in India and Pakistan, Aditya Sondhi told this newspaper. He further said the messaging behind the
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday raided multiple premises in Delhi-NCR as part of its money laundering investigation against coaching institute FIITJEE, which recently shut its centres abruptly, leaving about 12,000 students in the lurch, officials said. Eight locations in Delhi and neighbouring Noida and Gurugram linked to the institute, its promoter D K Goel and some others are being searched, the officials said. The action is being undertaken under the Prevention of Money La
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday raided multiple premises in Delhi-NCR as part of its money laundering investigation against coaching institute FIITJEE, which recently shut its centres abruptly, leaving a number of students in the lurch, officials said. Locations in Delhi and neighbouring Noida and Gurugram, including those of the promoters of the coaching institute, are being searched, the officials said. The action is being undertaken under the Prevention of Money Laundering
NEW DELHI: The Centre will brief leaders of various political parties on the Pahalgam terror attack and hear their views at an all-party meeting to be held on Thursday evening. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to brief the leaders, official sources said. Singh will chair the meeting. With the government announcing a host of measures targeting Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack where terrorists killed at least 26 persons, mostly tourists , on T
NEW YORK: Top Trump administration officials and US lawmakers continued to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack, expressing solidarity with India and stressing that there is no place for terrorism in the world. They also called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. I am praying for the Indian people following the tragic terrorist attack in Kashmir. America stands with our dear friends in India and against terrorism in all its forms, US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a post on X. I
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday warned Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji that if he does not resign from his ministership, the bail granted to him in the money laundering case linked to the cash-for-jobs scam would be cancelled. The two-judge bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih gave Balaji time till next Monday (April 28) to decide. The court, which took strong objection to Balaji becoming a minister soon after he got bail, was hearing the applications filed by t
BENGALURU: The Bodies of two tourists from Karnataka who were shot dead by the terrorists in the Pahalgam terror attack were brought to the Kempegowda International Airport here on Thursday. Manjunath Rao and Bharath Bushan were among the 26 people killed in front of their families after confirming their religious identity in Kashmir's Pahalgam on Tuesday. Most of those killed by terrorists were tourists. Union Minister V Somanna, along with Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya accompanied the morta
NEW DELHI: The terrorist attack on tourists in picturesque Pahalgam in Kashmir on Tuesday has severely impacted the morale and enthusiasm of the tourism industry, especially among tour operators in the Valley. But, they vowed to continue supporting tourism in the union territory, despite the killing of 26 vacationers in the popular hill destination, leading to the cancellation a large number of hotel and flight bookings. The chairperson of the Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC), Jyoti
The Union government on Wednesday said it would suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan , citing Islamabads continued support for cross-border terrorism. The decision follows a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Pahalgam that killed 26 people, most of them tourists . The move is part of a broader package of retaliatory measures, including a downgrading of diplomatic ties with Pakistan. What could be the impact of this move? The Indus river system, vital to both countries, incl
The Union government will be calling an all-party meeting on Thursday in the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam , official sources said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to chair it, they said. Home Minister Amit Shah and Singh are speaking to leaders of various parties on the issue, the sources said. Several opposition parties, including the Congress, had demanded that the government should convene a meeting of all parties over the issue. Singh is expected to brief leaders of differe
NEW DELHI: With more than 125 terrorists still active in Kashmirmost of them infiltrators from across the borderIndian security agencies are racing to plug critical gaps exposed by recent attacks. The agencies on Wednesday released photos and sketches of the terrorists involved in yesterday's attack in the Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam , in Kashmir. Of the four, two are believed to be the Pakistani terrorists who killed 26 people and injured several others , sources said. The three terrorists iden