Jammu, July 8: Northern Railway has strengthened security and passenger amenities at the Jammu railway station to facilitate the smooth movement of pilgrims during the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, officials said on Wednesday.

Officials of the Jammu division said that elaborate arrangements have been put in place to ensure the safety, convenience and comfort of pilgrims reaching the base city from different parts of the country.

Senior railway officers and supervisors are monitoring the arrangements round the clock, while personnel from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) have been deployed across the station premises, they said.

The Jammu railway station is under 24-hour CCTV surveillance through a central control room, while ticket-checking staff are conducting regular patrols along with the RPF and GRP personnel to prevent any untoward incident.

Railway authorities have also established help desks and information centres to assist pilgrims with travel-related queries. Additional drinking water facilities, sanitation staff and a round-the-clock first aid centre have been put in place, while regular public announcements are being made regarding train operations and the yatra.

Passengers are also being informed about any train delays through the public announcement system and SMS alerts, the officials said.

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu, Uchit Singhal has been personally reviewing the arrangements and issuing directions to ensure better passenger services.

“Amarnath Yatra is a symbol of faith and devotion. It is our commitment to ensure that every pilgrim completes the journey safely and with dignity. Our officers, supervisors, RPF and GRP teams are working round the clock, and additional arrangements will be made whenever required,” Singhal said.

The Jammu division appealed to the passengers to follow railway announcements and contact the Rail Madad helpline (139) or the station help centre for any assistance.

The 57-day Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 3, will conclude on August 28, coinciding with the festival of Raksha Bandhan.

Jammu, July 8: Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau has achieved a major success in extracting one of the major land scams in Jammu and Kashmir, wherein custodian land in Bhalwal and Amb area of Jammu district has been found usurped by the land mafia in connivance with Form Alf Holders and the officers/officials of custodian /revenue department.

In a statement issued, a spokesperson said that inputs were received that custodian land in thousands of kanal situated at Asarwan, Mishriwala, Bhalwal and R.S. Pura Jammu, has been fraudulently grabbed by the land grabbers/gangsters in connivance with the Revenue officers/officials. The revenue records have been tempered and land has been sold to various persons.

On the basis of the inputs received by ACB a verification was initiated and on the basis of the verification conducted earlier it was found that more than 1000 kanals of Custodian land was shown allotted to the displaced persons on the basis of fake orders, who were otherwise not entitled for the allotment of additional land through fraudulent means by the land grabbers / Form Alaf holders in connivance with the officers / officials of Revenue department and others. Accordingly, 27 case FIRs were registered by the ACB in which the investigation is still in progress.

Again, during the course of verification it has been found that displaced persons of Pakistan (PAK / POK Refugees) were already allotted land in their favour but even then kith and kin of these families although not entitled being Form Alaf holders in connivance with the concerned Patwaries / Girdawars / Naib Tehsildars / Tehsildars of Revenue Department got mutations of additional land at Bhalwal area of District Jammu attested in their favour either without any Govt. / Provisional Rehabilitation Office (PRO) order or on fake Govt. /PRO order. During verification it has also been found that no such orders of allotment of land were issued by the office of the PRO. These persons after getting mutation of lands in their favour alienated the said land directly or through their attorney holders / conduits to various persons by resorting to fraudulent means, thereby causing a huge loss to the Govt. Exchequer.

Owing to the establishment of, prima facie, nexus of the criminal elements/land grabbers/ Form Alaf holders and the Revenue officers/officials in alienation of about 12 kanals 03 Marlas of Custodian land through fraudulent means, ACB has now registered formal case FIR No. 09/2026 U/S 7, 13(1)(a) & 13(2) of PC Act, 1988 (amended in 2018) and section 120-B, 420, 467, 468, 471 of IPC in P/S ACB Central J&K for in-depth investigation under the provisions of J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and fraud against the accused persons namely (1) Altaf Hussain S/o Said Hussain Shah R/o Village Gursai Tehsil Mendher Poonch A/P Gura Brahmana, Jammu, then Patwari,  (2) Amjid Malik  S/o Gulab Din R/o Rajinder Pura Rahya Samba then Girdawar, (3) Aqeel Ahmad S/o Shri Mohd Hafiz R/o Buffliaz (Chamrar), Tehsil Suronkote District Poonch A/p Friends Enclave Chowadhi, Jammu, the then Naib Tehsildar Balwal, (4) Mohan Singh S/o Bhagwan Singh R/o Batala A/p Nanak Nagar Jammu, (5) Rabina Kouser D/o Sakinder Hussain W/o Rayaz Ahmed R/o W.No. 7, Surhoti, Mendhar District Poonch, (6) Nazir Hussain S/o Mirza R/o Bagani Talab Raipur Domana Jammu.

Moreover, one more FIR has been registered by the ACB after conducting verification on the basis of a complaint lodged by one Kuldeep Singh S/o Baldev Singh R/o Marjali Kangrail alleging therein that fraudulent mutations and illegal conferment of ownership rights over land situated at Village Amb, Tehsil Bhalwal, District Jammu etc, spokesperson said.

During the course of verification, it has been found that the revenue officials by abuse of their official position and in criminal conspiracy hatched with beneficiaries Rashpal Singh and others fraudulently attested the mutations in favour of the illegal beneficiaries thereby illegal conferring ownership rights of land measuring 15 kanal 08 marlas (approx.) upon illegal beneficiaries thereby causing corresponding wrongful loss to the Government exchequer. Accordingly, ACB has registered another formal case FIR No. 10/2026 U/S 5(1) (c ) (d) r/w section 5(2) J&K PC Act Svt. 2006 and section 120-B RPC in P/S ACB Central J&K for in-depth investigation under the provisions of J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and fraud against the accused persons namely (1) Baldev Raj, then Patwari Halqa, Village Amb, (2) Pawan Kumar Kohli, then Naib Tehsildar (3) Rashpal Singh (beneficiary) S/o Rama Jatt R/o Marjali Kangrail and others.

Further, investigation in both the cases has been taken up, spokesperson added.

Poonch, Jul 08: A woman was seriously injured in a bear attack in the Arai Malkaan area of Mandi tehsil in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Wednesday, marking the third consecutive day of such incidents in the region.

According to local sources, Tazeem Akhtar, wife of Mohammad Taj and a resident of Arai Malkaan, was attacked by a bear while she was engaged in routine work near her home. Hearing her screams, local residents rushed to the spot, prompting the animal to flee after leaving her critically injured.

The injured woman was shifted by ambulance to the Sub-District Hospital (SDH), Mandi, where she was provided initial treatment before being referred to the District Hospital, Poonch, for advanced medical care. She is currently undergoing treatment.

Notably, similar bear attacks have been reported over the past three days from Sawjian, Loran, and now Arai in Mandi tehsil, triggering fear among residents.

Locals alleged that despite being aware of the recurring incidents and the growing threat posed by bears in remote villages, the Wildlife Department and the administration have failed to take effective measures to protect people.

They urged the Lieutenant Governor-led administration to take immediate notice of the situation and relocate the bears from human habitations to forest areas to prevent further attacks and ensure the safety of residents.