A junior officer of the Indian army posted in occupied Kashmir accidentally ‘slipped’ in heavy snow and landed across the border into Pakistan last week, Khaleej Times has reported. The officer, identified as Havildar Rajendra Singh Negi, was on patrol duty in the Gulmarg area of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) when the ‘accident’ occurred and Negi went missing.
Senior US diplomat Alice Wells has expressed concerns over the continued detentions and internet shutdown in India Occupied Kashmir (IOK). Wells, the top US diplomat for South Asia, is due to undertake a visit to New Delhi for bilateral talks. “We look forward to a return to normalcy,” said the diplomat in a tweet.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan has said that the India has installed heavy weaponry at the Line of Control (LoC). He added that the nefarious designs of Indian rulers were not only dangerous for Pakistan, but also a big threat to the peace of the entire region and warned the Modi government to stay ready for deadly results in case of war.
Mannequins dressed up as traffic officers are being placed at major road intersections in India in the hope they will prompt drivers to observe the rules. With eight million cars plying the notoriously busy roads in a tech hub renowned for its traffic snarls, police say they don’t have enough officers to man all the junctions. The idea is to increase compliance, not to scare anyone, according to a city police commissioner.
Bangladesh has cut services to millions of mobile phones along its border with India for “security” reasons amid fears a new citizenship law passed by its giant neighbour could prompt an influx of migrants. Bangladesh shares a 4,000-kilometre border with India and the shutdown would affect some 10 million mobile phone users. The decision was taken keeping in mind India’s current situation which may prompt many people to enter Bangladesh.
Bollywood actor Kushal Punjabi was found dead at his apartment in Bandra, western Mumbai. He was 42 years old. According to the police, the Ishq Mein Marjawan star’s body was found by his parents. An Accidental Death Report has been filed and further investigation is underway. Kushal was a popular television actor and also appeared in several reality TV shows.
Indian police detained more than 100 protesters in key Indian cities for defying ban on protests that authorities hope to stop widespread demonstrations against a new citizenship law. Internet service was blocked in some parts of New Delhi, a tactic Indian authorities are known to use in other parts of the country, such as occupied Kashmir, to try to stop protests from being organised.
European group, EU DisinfoLab, has exposed over 200 ‘fake’ news outlets managed by an Indian network to influence the European Union and the United Nations with content critical of Pakistan. During the investigation, the DisinfoLab found that the news outlets were managed by Indian stakeholders, with ties to a large network of think tanks, NGOs, and companies from the Srivastava Group.
As clashes continue in India after controversial citizenship law, death toll has risen to six. In Assam, four people died after being shot by police, while another was killed when a shop he was sleeping in was set on fire and a sixth after he was beaten up during a protest. Some 5,000 people took part in a fresh demonstration on Sunday.
Hundreds have come out to protest in India as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government offered a controversial bill in parliament that would give citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from three neighbouring countries. Opposition parties stood against the proposed law that would, for the first time, create a legal pathway to grant Indian nationality on the basis of religion.