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BSF man shoots himself dead in J&K’s Kupwara

Service rifle
Representational image

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): A Border Security Force (BSF) man shot himself dead with his service riffle in the border district of north Kashmir’s Kupwara, officials said today.

Officials said that the BSF man shot himself with several bullets at a bunker in Wyine village of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. “The deceased was identified as Head Constable Ram Kumar. He was posted with 169 battalion,” officials said.

Officials further added that soon after Kumar shot himself with his service riffle, his colleagues shifted him to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kupwara, Shriram  Ambedkar, said that preliminary investigations reveal that the deceased BSF man was suffering from depression and hypertension. “A case has been registered and investigations have started,” he said.

A BSF man said that in house investigation has been started to find out the actual reason as to what forced Kumar to take this extreme step.

It may be recalled that since the Covid outbreak in Kashmir, there has been a spurt in the suicidal tendencies among the security forces personnel especially paramilitary CRPF men deployed across Kashmir.

Over a dozen CRPF men have committed suicide by shooting themselves with their service riffles.

The top security officials attribute growing suicidal tendencies among personnel to the ongoing global pandemic. He stated, “Personnel are far from their families since March this year and are not able to avail for leave, they have developed mental stress which forces them to take such extreme steps.”

-CHK

Coronavirus cases surpass 22.6 million worldwide; death toll nears 8 lakh

Coronavirus cases

New Delhi (NVI): More than 22.6 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 around the world, and more than 14.4 million have recovered. More than 7,93,500 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

In the US, the number of infections have crossed 5.57 million while the death toll is nearing 1,75,000 in the country.

Brazil reported 45,323 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 1,204 deaths from the disease caused by the virus in the past 24 hours. The country has now registered 3,501,975 cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll from COVID-19 has risen to 1,12,304.

Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 deaths in Latin America surged past 2,50,000 on Thursday.

The French health ministry reported 4,711 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, a new post-lockdown record and a level last seen during the height of the epidemic in France.

Australia’s Victoria reported its lowest number of new infections in five weeks, logging 179 new cases in the past 24 hours, compared with 240 a day earlier and down from over 700 two weeks ago.

New Zealand reported nine new locally transmitted coronavirus cases, and put off a decision about easing restrictions in its biggest city of Auckland to next week.

Germany confirmed 1,707 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the highest daily toll since April.

Japan plans to ease its COVID-19 entry restrictions on foreign nationals with resident visas starting next month.

Health authorities ordered residents of Sittwe, the capital of Myanmar’s Rakhine state, to stay at home after detecting three more locally transmitted cases.

-CHK

9 dead in fire at Srisailam power station

Fire broke out at Srisailam under tunnel hydroelectric plant (Source: @twitter)

New Delhi (NVI): Nine persons, who were trapped inside a hydroelectric plant in Telangana’s Srisailam were killed after a fire broke out late last night.

Six bodies have been recovered by rescue teams so far and efforts were on to pull out the others from the underground power plant.

The fire broke out at the fourth panel in the first hydel power unit of the power house at around 10.30 pm. Reportedly, panel boards had caught fire due to the short circuit.

According to officials, there were 19 people on duty at the time of the accident, 8 persons escaped to safety through a tunnel whereas the remaining nine were believed to be trapped inside the complex.

Firefighters reached the spot and carried out the rescue operation. They said that thick plumes of smoke due to the fire are hampering rescue operations.

Earlier today, Telangana Minister Jagadish Reddy and TS Genco CMD Prabhakar Rao reached the spot and oversaw rescue efforts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the incident. “Fire at the Srisailam hydroelectric plant is deeply unfortunate. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover at the earliest,” he tweeted.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao also expressed shock over the Srisailam power station fire mishap. Rao said that he was in touch with concerned officials and taking updates on a regular basis.

The Srisailam dam is situated on Krishna river which separates Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The station contains six power generators at the underground plant where each generator carries 150MV of power capacity.

-RJV/ARK

India’s Covid-19 tally nears 30 lakh; death toll 54,849

New Delhi (NVI): The coronavirus cases in India saw a jump of 68,898 in the last 24 hours, rising the total number to 29,05,823, Union Health Ministry confirmed today.

The country’s death toll has gone up to 54,849 with 983 new fatalities being reported during this period.

So far, 21,58,947 patients have recovered all over the country. With this, the recovery rate also improves further to 74.3 per cent.

In terms of total number of cases, Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected state with 6,43,289 coronavirus cases followed by Tamil Nadu with 3,61,435 cases, Andhra Pradesh with 3,25,396 positive cases.

The other worst affected states includes Delhi (1,57,354), Karnataka (2,56,985), Uttar Pradesh (1,72,334), and West Bengal (1,29,119).

In terms of fatalities, Maharashtra tops the tally with 21,359 deaths followed by Tamil Nadu (6,239), ministry said.

The death toll in the national capital surged to 4,257 while another 1,41,826 patients have recovered so far, healthy ministry data shows.

According to ICMR, a total of 3,34,67,237 samples had been tested up to August 20. As many as 8,05,985 samples were tested yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is ramping up molecular testing for the coronavirus by approving medical colleges with labs that have the capacity to do RT-PCR testing, the most accurate way to diagnose the viral disease.

-RJV

 

India slams Pak over Kashmir, terrorism at int’l Speakers conference

New Delhi (NVI): India today gave a befitting reply to Pakistan for its remarks on Kashmir at an international Speakers conference, while reiterating that “Jammu and Kashmir has been and will remain an integral part of India”.

“We call upon Pakistan to end cross-border Terrorism. Our overtures should not be taken as sign for weakness,” said Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, leading the Indian Parliamentary Delegation to the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (5WCSP).

“India exercises its Right of Reply to statement by Pakistan, a country whose PM glorified dreaded terrorist ‘Osama Bin Laden’ a ‘martyr’ from its Parliament,” Birla said while responding to the comments by Pakistan National Assembly Speaker during the special event on ‘Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism: The perspective of victims’ today.

He was referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who in June this year, had called slain al-Qaeda chief and 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden a “shaheed” (martyr), evoking sharp criticism from India and the world community.

In his reply to Pakistan speaker, Birla further said, “UN Analytical Support Sanctions Monitoring Team mentions Pakistan as the leading exporter of terror with more than 6000 nationals currently engaged in terrorism.”

He also urged the international community to isolate Pakistan to increase the cost of engaging in terror activities.

“Pakistan’s PM had admitted to nearly 40,000 militants on its soil. Pakistan’s aggressions against J&K in 1965, 1971, 1999 (Kargil), attack on Mumbai and Parliament, Uri, Pulwama etc. show Pakistan’s State-sponsored policy of terrorism as evident in the inaction against likes of Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar and Ehsanullah Ehsan,” he said.

The virtual conference was organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva, and the Parliament of Austria with the support of the United Nations (UN), on August 19 and 20. Om Birla had yesterday attended the inaugural session of the conference.

-ARK

FS Shringla’s Dhaka visit: Covid situation, security cooperation discussed

India, Maldives sign 4 MoUs including Greater Male Connectivity Project
Harsh Vardhan Shringla (File)

New Delhi (NVI): India and Bangladesh had discussions on Covid-19 situation in both the countries and security cooperation to prevent trans-border crimes, during Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla’s visit to Dhaka, the Ministry of External Affairs said today.

During his two-day visit (Aug 18-19), the Foreign Secretary called on the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday.

“Both sides discussed the COVID-19 situation. India has provided COVID related assistance to Bangladesh and has also been organizing capacity building courses for Bangladesh medical personnel following the video conference of the leaders of SAARC countries and the creation of the SAARC Emergency Response Fund for COVID-19. Bangladesh has committed US$ 1.5 million to the fund,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during a virtual press briefing here.

During the meeting, the FS informed Hasina about India’s efforts towards COVID-19 vaccine development and distribution, Srivastava said, adding that both sides agreed to continue their discussions in the area of vaccines and therapeutics.

In addition to this, there were discussions relating to the cooperation in the areas of security, including fencing and joint efforts to prevent trans-border crimes. The issue of safe repatriation of internally displaced persons from the Rakhine state also came up for discussion, the MEA spokesman said.

Apart from that, India’s developmental assistance in Bangladesh as also the projects in the area of connectivity and power were discussed, MEA said.

“Several of these projects, including the Rampal Maitree Power Plant, India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, and rail links between Akhaura-Agartala and Chilahati-Haldibari and Khulna-Mongla rail line are expected to get completed next year,” Srivastava said.

“It was proposed that the next meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission at the level of the Foreign Ministers should be convened shortly to review the entire gamut of bilateral relationship including the projects. It was also proposed that a high level monitoring mechanism be set up to regularly review the progress of the ongoing projects,” he added.

-ARK

J&K’s Covid tally mounts to 30,717 with 683 fresh cases

Over 3,200 cops COVID positive in J&K and 15 succumbed to virus
File photo

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir today recorded 683 fresh coronavirus cases, including 68 travelers, taking the total number of positive cases in the Union Territory to 30,717.

Of the total cases, 23,955 are from Kashmir and 6,762 are from Jammu division, officials said, adding that among 683 new cases, 569 belong to Kashmir while 114 are from Jammu division. The total number of positive cases in Kashmir reached 23,955 including 17,992 recoveries while the total number of positive cases in Jammu division has reached 6,762 including 5,233 recoveries and 41 deaths.

The officials said that the total number of active cases in J&K is 6,914 including 5,426 from Kashmir and 1,488 from the Jammu division.

With 728 more recoveries, the tally of total recoveries in the UT has reached to 23,225 which is 75.60 percent of the total cases.

Srinagar district alone has 7,412 positive cases which is more than the total number of positive cases in Jammu division where total cases are 6,762.

“Cases tested positive in J&K include 165 from Srinagar, 22 from Baramulla, 59 from Pulwama, 52 from Budgam, 41 from Anantnag, 06 from Kulgam, 28 from Shopian, 42 from Kupwara, 113 from Bandipora and 41 from Ganderbal in Kashmir division while as 114 from Jammu division include 59 from Jammu, 07 from Rajouri, 14 from Kathua, 16 from Udhampur, 01 from Ramban, 09 from Samba, 02 from Doda, 02 from Poonch and 04 from Reasi”, officials said.

The J&K UT has so far witnessed 590 Covid-19 related deaths of which 549 were reported from Kashmir and 41 from Jammu region.

As per the daily information bulletin, 4,23,481 persons in J&K are under observation while 41,798 persons have been kept under home quarantine. Besides that, 6,914 persons are in isolation.

According to the bulletin, 3,29,688 persons have completed surveillance period and 44,503 persons are under home surveillance.

So far, results of 8,33,403 samples are available out of which 802,686 stand negative while 30,717 have been tested positive. Among positive cases, 6,914 are active and 23,225 persons have recovered.

-ARK

Want Kulbhushan Jadhav to be represented by an Indian lawyer: MEA

Kulbhushan Jadhav
Kulbhushan Jadhav. (File photo)

New Delhi (NVI): India wants Kulbhushan Jadhav to be represented by an Indian lawyer for filing a review petition against his death sentence in Pakistan, in keeping with the letter and spirit of ICJ judgment that wants a free and fair trial of the former Indian Navy officer, the Ministry of External Affairs said today.

While addressing the weekly press briefing here, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that India is in touch with Pakistan on the case through diplomatic channels. “For a free and fair trial in keeping with the letter and spirit of ICJ judgment, we have asked for Jadhav to be represented by an Indian lawyer,” he said.

The MEA spokesman said that Pakistan has to first address the core issues- giving copies of relevant documents of the case and providing unimpeded consular access to Jadhav.

In May, Pakistan had come up with an ordinance to implement the ICJ (International Court of Justice) verdict. Under the ordinance, India on behalf of Jadhav can file review for the case but despite that New Delhi wasn’t given legal document in the case nor power of attorney from Jadhav.

Under ICJ’s pressure, the Pakistan government had approached the Islamabad High Court on July 22 to appoint a legal representative for Jadhav.

On August 3, the Islamabad High Court adjourned the hearing in Kulbushan Jadhav case till September 3, saying India should be given a chance to appoint a lawyer to defend the Navy officer.

Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of “espionage and terrorism” in April 2017. India has rejected the charges and maintained that he was abducted from Iran where he had gone in connection with his business and false case has been foisted on him.

Just weeks after the sentence, India had approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence.

-ARK

India, China agree to resolve ‘outstanding’ issues ‘expeditiously’: MEA

Ladakh

New Delhi (NVI): India and China today held a fresh round of diplomatic level talks in the wake of border tensions in Ladakh along Line of Actual Control (LAC), and agreed to resolve the “outstanding issues” in an “expeditious manner” and in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

“The two sides were in agreement that restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas would be essential for the overall development of bilateral relations,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during the weekly press briefing here.

He said the two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the existing situation in the India-China border areas, at the 18th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) held today.

This was the fourth meeting of WMCC since tensions erupted in early May and saw an escalation after the violent face-off in Galwan Valley of Ladakh on June 15. At least 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in the clashes with Chinese troops while China also suffered casualties but didn’t disclose.

“They reaffirmed that in accordance with the agreements reached between the two Foreign Ministers and the two Special Representatives (SRs), the two sides will continue to sincerely work towards complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector,” Srivastava said.

The MEA spokesman further said that the two sides also acknowledged the need to maintain close communication through both the diplomatic and military channels so as to ensure complete disengagement.

“In this regard, they also agreed to continue their ongoing engagements including through the meetings of the WMCC,” he added.

The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs, while the Director General of the Boundary & Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the Chinese delegation.

Earlier on August 14, MEA had said that re-deployment of troops at their regular posts along the LAC can be done only through “mutually agreed reciprocal actions”.

While addressing a media briefing, MEA spkesperson Srivastava had said that although some progress had been made towards disengagement of troops at disputed points along LAC in Ladakh, the complete normalisation of positioning of troops at the border is a “complex process” and “requires re-deployment of troops by each side towards their regular posts on their respective sides of the LAC”.

“It is natural that this can be done only through mutually agreed reciprocal actions,” he added.

India and China remain engaged through both diplomatic and military channels to ensure complete disengagement along the India-China border areas, following the Galwan Valley incident.

-ARK

Teenager from remotest village makes J&K proud, set to make IPL debut

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Abdul Samad, who is just 18 years of age, was born and brought up in a remote border village of Jammu and Kashmir but that did not prevent him from dreaming big and working on his dreams.

Samad pursued his passion for cricket in the Kalakote village which is devoid of even the basic facilities like proper roads and potable drinking water and today made his parents, his village and Jammu and Kashmir proud as he was the only one to be selected from the Union Territory to play in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).

He left for UAE to make his debut in prestigious cricket tournament which sees the world’s best players playing.

Kalakote is the remotest area of J&K’s border district of Rajouri that lacks basic facilities as it is close to the Line of Control. Lack of sports infrastructure and other facilities forced Samad’s father Farooq Ahmed to shift his residence from Kalakote to Jammu city’s Sidhra area, a few years ago, with a sole aim to ensure his son fulfils his dream of becoming a cricket star.

And today finally Samad’s hard work paid off as he is set to play for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in UAE where IPL is scheduled to be held in a few weeks’ time. The IPL was supposed to be held last year but had to be postponed in the wake global pandemic—Covid-19.

Samad’s father, Farooq Ahmed, a Physical Education Teacher in Jammu, said that had they stayed at Kalakote, his son would not have been able to achieve his goal. “Kalakote is a backward area where even public transport isn’t available and roads are in shambles. There is no internet connectivity let alone sports facilities,” he said. “A few years ago, I decided to shift my residence to Jammu city and that was the right decision.”

The village Kalakote has very less population of people as not more than 2000 people live there. There is a limited transport facility available. Located almost 40 kms away from the main district headquarter, Kalkote is remotest district of J&K with very minimal basic facilities available for the residents.

Samad after performing well in first class matches will now play for Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have already paid him his base price of Rs 20 Lakh in the auction in Kolkatta on December 19 last year.

Talking to NVI over phone from Jammu, Samad’s father Farooq said that since childhood his son was interested in Cricket. “I was also happy and satisfied to see him interested in cricket. I have myself been a player and a cricket lover,” said Farooq. “I am a master in physical education department and have represented J&K at many platforms. That’s the reason why Samad remained in touch with cricket since childhood. I kept on guiding him through whatever means I could.”

Samad has performed well wherever he got opportunity and averaged 74 in first class matches including two centuries and many fifties. “After me, Samad was trained by his coach Randhir Singh who explored his talent and today result is before us,” said Farooq.

After the IPL was postponed, Samad was a bit disappointed he was confident of making his IPL debut as he knew he had talent. “My son has always been confident. I too was sure that he would get an opportunity one day. Today he has made me proud,” said Farooq amid a smile on his face.

Samad has passed class 12 last year and during the Covid-19 triggered lockdown, he played cricket with his father and brother. “My son is now pursuing a Bachelor’s degree,” Farooq said.

About Samad making debut in IPL, Farooq said that all the family members were happy to heart about the news. “Now we are hopeful that he will perform well in the League,” he said.

Samad’s father also thanked former Cricketer Irfan Pathan for helping Samad at many levels that helped him to climb the ladder of success and grab the IPL opportunity.

Speaking to NVI, former Cricketer and J&K’s representative to BCCI Ranjeet Kalra said that he has been personally watching Samad playing cricket and is sure about his talent. “He is a very hard working and an extra ordinary talent,” Kalra said.

He said that Samad has proved his credentials in the last first class season. “He is a hard hitter of the ball and his known for fire brand batting, something very essential for IPL type of cricket,” said Kalra.

Samad has left for UAE today. Kalra said Samad owes his success to legendary cricketer Irfan Pathaan who nurtured him from time to time and J&K team’s skipper Parvez Rasool.

Rasool, an only international player in J&K said that Samad has a talent and he likes to play hard hitting cricket. “He has played with me and his confidence level is very high,” he said.

Samad is not the first player from J&K to play in the IPL. Before him, Parvaiz Rasool, Rasikh Salam, Mohammad Mudasir and Manzoor Pandav were picked up by teams, however, Mudasir and Pandav didn’t get any matches to play.

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