Srinagar, Aug 01: Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir, Umar Farooq has expressed deep grief over the killing of two non-local labourers in the Devsar area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

Mirwaiz said Islam upholds the sanctity of every innocent human life and unequivocally condemns the killing of innocent persons. He said targeting poor labourers who have come to earn an honest livelihood is completely contrary to the teachings of Islam and the values of humanity.

He said that, whether in Kashmir or elsewhere, the spilling of innocent blood only brings more pain and suffering. “Violence must be shunned. Instead, the path of accommodation, dialogue and engagement is the way forward to make South Asia a more peaceful and better place for all its people,” he said.

The Mirwaiz also extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.

Srinagar, Aug 1: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Kashmir, of the Crime Branch J&K has filed a chargesheet in a ₹3.11 crore embezzlement case involving the Central Co-operative Bank, Baramulla, alleging large-scale financial fraud and criminal conspiracy at its Langate branch.

According to a statement issued by the Crime Branch, the chargesheet in FIR No. 25/2016 has been filed before the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Handwara, under Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 471 (using forged documents as genuine), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC).

The case was registered following a written communication from the then Registrar, Co-operative Societies, J&K, highlighting alleged financial irregularities and embezzlement in various branches of the Central Co-operative Bank, Baramulla.

During the investigation, the EOW found that the then Branch Manager of the Langate branch, allegedly in connivance with another accused, fraudulently sanctioned fictitious loans and permitted overdrafts far beyond his delegated financial powers, resulting in the misappropriation of approximately ₹3.11 crore of the bank’s funds.

The investigation further revealed that the accused had entered into a criminal conspiracy to facilitate the fraudulent transactions, causing substantial financial loss to the bank. The allegations were substantiated during the course of the investigation, following which the chargesheet was presented before the competent court for judicial adjudication.

The two accused named in the chargesheet are Ghulam Mohammad Beigh, a retired Branch Manager and resident of Kenyal Tarthpora, Handwara, and Abdul Hamid Gojrii, Cashier-cum-Clerk, a resident of Gund Karim Khan, Rafiabad.

The Crime Branch advised the public to remain vigilant against economic offences and urged people to report any suspicious financial activities to the Senior Superintendent of Police, EOW Kashmir. Complaints can also be lodged through email at [email protected], the statement said.

Srinagar, Aug 01: The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Shopian launched a swift rescue and evacuation operation on Saturday following a cloudburst in Pehlipora area of the district.

Officials said that the cloudburst, triggered by intense rainfall, caused a heavy flow of water and mud that inundated five residential houses and one school building in the locality. 

SDRF teams along with local police reached the spot promptly and safely evacuated residents from the affected area. 

Authorities confirmed that no loss of life has been reported in the incident so far.

Damage assessment and relief measures are underway, while officials continue to monitor the situation in vulnerable areas amid ongoing rainfall.(GNS)

A migrant worker critically wounded in a terror attack in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district last evening succumbed at SKIMS Srinagar, taking the death toll to two, officials said today.

A senior police official told Greater Kashmir that the militants targeted the labourers at the brick kiln in the Kelam area of the south Kashmir district late on Friday evening.

He said the two labourers were injured in the attack, and one of them — identified as Deepak Ratray– succumbed to his injuries before he could be taken to a hospital.

The other injured person — Bopinder — was first taken to GMC Anantnag and later referred to SKIMS Hospital in Soura, officials said, adding that he died during treatment.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha strongly condemned the terror attack and spoke to Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat, directing security agencies to intensify anti-terror operations and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.

In a post on X, the Lieutenant Governor said he had directed security forces to step up operations to eliminate the terrorists involved in the attack.

He also expressed condolences to the bereaved families and reiterated that the Jammu and Kashmir administration and the entire nation stand firmly with them.

A delegation of Imams and Ulema from Uttar Pradesh after visiting many prominent shrines in J&K have hailed the transformative development at these shrines.

Maulana Farooq Naqashbandi from Rajouri accompanied the delegates during their spiritual tour. The delegation termed the development done by the Waqf Board here as the role model for whole of the country.

The delegation later called on the Chairperson of the J&K Waqf Board Dr Syed Darakhshan Andrabi at Waqf Headquarters in Srinagar and expressed their appreciation for the Board under the leadership of Dr Andrabi for creating great infrastructure at all the spiritual shrines throughout Jammu and Kashmir, said a press release.

In the detailed interaction, Dr Syed Darakhshan Andrabi said that on the basis of her years long administrative experience in Central Waqf Council, she could undertake the transformation and accountability mission into her hands just after taking charge as the first Chairperson of J&K Waqf Board as per the Central Waqf Act. “Like J&K, Waqf Boards throughout the country were used for political interests by the earlier rulering dispensations. But under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule, we see changes everywhere and the Waqf system also saw many transformative changes throughout the country. I am thankful to the Prime Minister for providing me a chance to take the lead in J&K to enforce transparency and accountability in Waqf management system. I along with my team feel encouraged when our efforts are appreciated”, said Waqf Board Chairperson. She assured the delegation that this mission of development with transparency will continue and our spiritual spaces will see more glory in the days to come.