J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Cop shot dead; IED found in college
Srinagar, July 26
Militants today shot dead a policeman near the state police headquarters in the heavily-guarded Batmaloo area of central Srinagar. Constable Abdul Rashid was shot in the head by two ultras in front of the fire service headquarters, about 50 m from the police headquarters, around 3.45 pm, official sources said. He was immediately removed to police hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead, the sources said.

Bid to derail peace process: Governor
Jammu, July 26
Jammu and Kashmir Governor S.K. Sinha said winds of positive change had started blowing in the state with the beginning of the Indo-Pak peace process and recent incidents of violence were perpetrated by forces inimical to peace.

J&K Deputy CM bereaved
Jammu, July 26
Mrs Daya Rani (66), wife of Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, Deputy Chief Minister, died in Srinagar this morning after a prolonged illness.

Another Amarnath pilgrim dies
Srinagar, July 26
Another pilgrim died at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, an official spokesman said. Babu Lal, a sadhu and resident of Madhya Pradesh died due to a cardiac arrest near the 3,880 metre high holy cave shrine last evening, the spokesman said. Eighteen pilgrims have died in the month-long Amarnath yatra in the past 18 days.

Cop shot dead; IED found in college

Srinagar, July 26
Militants today shot dead a policeman near the state police headquarters in the heavily-guarded Batmaloo area of central Srinagar.

Constable Abdul Rashid was shot in the head by two ultras in front of the fire service headquarters, about 50 m from the police headquarters, around 3.45 pm, official sources said.

He was immediately removed to police hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead, the sources said.

The Al-Madina Regiment claimed responsibility for killing the cop.

Meanwhile, three militants, including a Pakistani infiltrator, were killed in overnight encounters in Jammu and Kashmir.

The infiltrator, identified as Lashker Mir of the Muzzaffarad area of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, was killed at Jumagund village near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Trehgam sector of Kupwara district last night, the sources said.

A huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants who had intruded into the Indian side from across the LoC under the cover of darkness on Thursday night, they said.

In another encounter, the Army killed two Lashker-e-Toiba militants during search operations at Rakhpora in the Shopian area of Pulwama district last night.

A tragedy was avoided when a powerful IED was detected on the premises of A.S. College in the Wazirbagh area here.

The IED was noticed by a college employee around 10 am who informed the police.

All educational institutions in the Kashmir valley are closed on account of summer break.

Meanwhile, the BSF troops recovered an AK rifle, one of its magazine with 29 rounds, an under-barrel grenade launcher, a wireless set and a hand grenade from an abandoned house at Pharikian Dhoban Baihk in Kupwara district today.

JAMMU: One of the two youths, kidnapped by militants from Poonch district earlier this week, has been released by their captors after inflicting severe injuries on him, official sources said here today.

Unidentified militants had kidnapped Mashoq Ahmed and Mumtaz Ahmed from their houses in Behramgala village on the night of July 23 and took them to some unknown destination.

Mumtaz Ahmed, who was released yesterday, bore marks of torture on his body and was rushed to a hospital at Surankote, sources said. — PTI

Bid to derail peace process: Governor

Jammu, July 26
Jammu and Kashmir Governor S.K. Sinha said winds of positive change had started blowing in the state with the beginning of the Indo-Pak peace process and recent incidents of violence were perpetrated by forces inimical to peace.

Talking to mediapersons at Raj Bhavan here last evening after visiting the Katra Army camp at Akhnoor, he said there was a marked improvement in the scio-political condition in the state with a positive overall change in the general scenario apparent from many factors including rise in tourist influx, a smooth Amarnath Yatra and the Khir Bhawani festival.

Lt-Gen Sinha said some vested interests and enemies of peace were unhappy with the current peace process between New Delhi and Islamabad and it was these forces who were keen to destabilise the process by triggering violent operations. — UNI

J&K Deputy CM bereaved
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 26
Mrs Daya Rani (66), wife of Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, Deputy Chief Minister, died in Srinagar this morning after a prolonged illness.

Mr Sharma, who was in New Delhi to meet the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, rushed to Srinagar and brought her body here. The Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and several ministers attended the cremation.

Another Amarnath pilgrim dies

Srinagar, July 26
Another pilgrim died at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, an official spokesman said.

Babu Lal, a sadhu and resident of Madhya Pradesh died due to a cardiac arrest near the 3,880 metre high holy cave shrine last evening, the spokesman said.

Eighteen pilgrims have died in the month-long Amarnath yatra in the past 18 days.

Meanwhile, with the arrival of another batch of 2,343 pilgrims from Jammu today the yatra influx touched 1.2 lakh mark.

As many as 1.17 lakh devotees paid obeisance at the cave shrine till this evening opting Pahalgam and Baltal routes, the spokesman said. — PTI