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Did Jagmohan really fail as J&K Governor in 1990?

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Did Jagmohan Malhotra fail as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir during his second term when militancy blew out of control in 1990?

The answer to this question may be difficult, but it is not impossible to find.

Rubaiya Sayeed, the daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, was kidnapped by the JKLF on December 8, 1989. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the country’s Home Minister and his political arch-rival, Farooq Abdullah, was the Chief Minister of the state that time.

It is widely believed that Abdullah did want to agree with the release of five top JKLF leaders who were in prison in exchange for Rubaiya’s safe release by her abductors.

Abdullah insisted that accepting the JKLF demand would give a major boost to militancy and create a congenial atmosphere for future kidnapping by the militants.

Mufti Sayeed and his family members asserted that by refusing to release the JKLF prisoners, Abdullah was trying to settle a longstanding political grudge against Sayeed.

It was against this background that the Central government headed by V.P. Singh sent Jagmohan as the new Governor of the state.

Jagmohan took office on January 19, 1990, and Abdullah resigned as the Chief Minister the same day.

It is common knowledge that had Abdullah not resigned, Jagmohan would have dismissed his council of ministers.

A huge Pro-Azadi procession was carried out in Srinagar and the security forces intercepted the procession in Gaw Kadal area on January 21, 1990.

Fifty protesters were killed in firing by the security forces in Gaw Kadal and the incident happened barely two days after Jagmohan assumed office.

It is believed that the Gaw Kadal procession had a large number of Avdullah’s supporters, who found an occasion to vent their anger against the appointment of Jagmohan as the state’s Governor.

A large majority of top brass in the local police and the civil administration belonged to the loyalists of the Abdullah family. There was a total non-cooperation by the local officers with Jagmohan and his advisors.

This forced Jagmohan to quickly bring some senior police and civil officers from outside to re-establish the writ of law.

During this period, militants killed Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Farooq in his Nigeen residence in Hazratbal area of Srinagar. Militants believed that Mirwaiz was negotiating peace with the Governor’s administration.

The funeral procession was mishandled by the local police and the state intelligence totally failed to alert Jagmohan that militants had joined the funeral procession.

Outside the Islamia College, Central intelligence agencies said, militants opened fire at a CRPF bunker.

In panic, the security forces fired directly at the funeral procession and in this incident, 60 people were reportedly killed on May 21, 1990.

Jagmohan had to face the wrath of the same Central government that had sent him as the Governor of the state for the second term since he had proved himself as the most popular Governor during his first term.

Following a hostile administration, the anger of the separatists supported by the activists of the National Conference and with hardly any time to put his act together, Jagmohan was recalled by the Centre and General Krishna Rao was rushed to replace him.

The question whether Jagmohan really failed as the Governor of J&K during his second term has a logical answer.

Jagmohan hardly had the time to re-establish the authority of an administration that had spinelessly surrendered before the separatists.

It was literally a one-man show as Jagmohan found every wing of his administration infiltrated by the anti-nationals and their sympathisers.

It is said that their supporters in the local intelligence took away secret documents from official files and gave their copies to the militants to identify their targets.

In some cases, the separatist loyalists acting in absolute haste kept photocopies of the files and instead gave the originals to the militants.

Faced with these realities, four months were no time for Jagmohan to either prove himself or reclaim the authority of a crippled administration.

He was failed by the very hands with which he was supposed to succeed.

Crime

Woman tourist harassment case: Two Kerala cops suspended, two taxi drivers arrested (Lead)

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Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 3: In a swift action following the viral video of a woman tourist being harassed by local taxi drivers in Munnar, the Kerala Police, on Monday, have suspended two officials and taken two taxi drivers — identified as Vinayakan and Vijayakumar — into custody.

The case has sparked widespread outrage on social media, prompting the state government to promise corrective steps to ensure tourist safety in the hill station.

The video, originally posted by Janvi, a Mumbai-based assistant professor, showed a group of taxi drivers confronting and intimidating her and her friends for booking an online cab instead of a local taxi near the KSRTC bus stand in Munnar on October 30.

The drivers, reportedly opposed to app-based taxi services, allegedly warned the tourists that they would not be allowed to travel unless they hired local taxis.

Janvi alleged that when she approached the police for help, officers failed to act, echoing the stance of the taxi union.

“We were forced to take another vehicle and eventually cut short our trip out of fear,” she said in the video, which has since been deleted but had already gone viral.

Following the public outcry, the Munnar police registered a suo motu case under Sections 126(2), 351(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation.

The FIR did not initially name any accused, but police have since identified three taxi drivers, two of whom are in custody, with the third expected to be taken into custody soon.

State Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas called the incident “unfortunate” and said it “should never have happened,” adding that steps will be taken to strengthen police vigilance and prevent the harassment of tourists in the future.

The incident has reignited debate over the monopoly of local taxi unions in tourist destinations and the challenges faced by app-based cab services in Kerala.

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Entertainment

Kartik Aaryan-starrer ‘Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri’ hops on December 25 release after ‘Alpha’ moves to April

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Mumbai, Nov 3: Bollywood is a place where timing is of essence. Be it the box-office clashes or their aversion, timing plays a huge role in how things play out on the ticket windows.

The Kartik Aaryan-starrer ‘Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri’, which was earlier scheduled to close the entertainment year on December 31, 2025, now has a new release date. The film is set to arrive in cinemas on December 25, 2025.

Over the past few years, Kartik Aaryan has emerged as one of the most bankable stars in the country, consistently delivering hits across genres. Whether it’s a mass entertainer, a romantic drama, the actor’s name alone now commands strong box office openings. His relatability, charm, and growing stardom have positioned him as the face of the new-age commercial cinema, someone who bridges the gap between youth appeal and family audiences.

However, the true star power also lies in being smart with the release of the films. The change in the release date of the film comes shortly after Alia Bhatt-starrer ‘Alpha’ vacated December 25, and shifted to April 17, 2026. Kartik, and the makers made a quick decision to consolidate the closing week of 2025 at the box-office.

With Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri, Kartik seems to have found his festive rhythm from lighting up Diwali with laughter and emotion in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 to now taking over Christmas with love and melody. Well, the excitement is sky rocketing amongst the audience and business.

The film also marks the reunion of Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday, who are all set to recreate their sizzling on-screen chemistry after years. They were earlier seen together in ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’.

Produced by Dharma Productions and Namah Pictures, the rom-com is directed by Sameer Vidwans, with whom Kartik delivered the much-loved romantic drama ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’.

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Business

Indian stock markets end higher after two days of losses

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Mumbai, Nov 3: Indian equity markets ended a volatile session on a positive note on Monday, snapping a two-day losing streak.

Gains in real estate and state-owned bank stocks helped lift the indices despite early weakness.

After opening lower, the Sensex recovered to touch an intra-day high of 84,127 before closing 39.78 points, or 0.05 per cent, higher at 83,978.49.

The Nifty also gained 41.25 points, or 0.16 per cent, to end at 25,763.35.

“The Nifty oscillated between 25,700 and 25,800 through the day, showing resilience after briefly dipping below the October 24 low of 25,718,” analysts said.

“The zone between 25,660–25,700 once again acted as a strong demand pocket, helping the index recover intraday losses and maintain a constructive tone ahead of key global data releases,” they added.

Among the Sensex stocks, Maruti Suzuki fell over 3 per cent and was among the top losers along with Titan Company, BEL, TCS, ITC, NTPC, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Steel and tech Mahindra.

On the other hand, Mahindra & Mahindra, State Bank of India, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, and HCL Tech were the major gainers.

In the broader markets, the Nifty MidCap index rose 0.77 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index advanced 0.72 per cent, showing strength beyond the frontline stocks.

Among sectoral indices, PSU bank shares led the rally, with the Nifty PSU Bank index climbing 1.92 per cent.

Bank of Baroda surged 5 per cent, while Canara Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Bank of India, and Indian Bank also gained.

The Nifty Metal and Realty indices also added up to 2 per cent each.

Meanwhile, the FMCG, Private Bank, and IT indices slipped up to 0.4 per cent, capping the market’s overall gains.

Analysts said that despite mixed global cues and cautious investor sentiment, buying in select sectors helped the markets end the day in the green.

“The domestic market ended on a marginal positive note as profit booking was visible at the higher levels due to the absence of fresh domestic triggers,” market watchers said.

“While the broader market outperformed since the quarterly earnings are steering investors’ preference to take a short- to medium-term view,” they mentioned.

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