Kolkata, April 23: The Calcutta High Court will hear the contempt petition against the West Bengal government in connection with the cash for job case on Wednesday.

The Calcutta High Court’s divisional bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi will hear the contempt petition against the state government for failing to implement the Supreme Court’s order.

The state government is supposed to tell the court why it is taking so long to implement the Supreme Court’s order.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also supposed to clarify to the same division bench on why their investigating officials have not yet completed the process of interrogation of those candidates who have already been identified as “tainted”.

Notably, the job losers’ protest in front of the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) office continued for the third day on Wednesday. They are seeking the publication of lists segregating “genuine” and “tainted” candidates.

In a major development, the protesters allowed WBSSC chairman Siddhartha Majumdar, stuck in his office for the last 45 hours as all the entry and exit gates of the commission’s office were blocked since the beginning of their protests, to leave the office on Wednesday morning.

Last year, the bench had cancelled 25,753 teaching and non-teaching jobs, which is the entire panel of WBSSC for 2016. The state government approached the Supreme Court challenging the order.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court division bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld the order of the Calcutta High Court last year and also accepted the observation that the entire panel had to be cancelled because of the state government and the commission’s failure to segregate the “genuine” candidates from the “tainted” ones.

Srinagar, April 23: A pall of gloom descended on Kashmir Valley on Wednesday as widespread condemnation and a complete protest shutdown followed the brutal killing of 16 people in Tuesday’s terror attack.

The 16 dead included 2 locals and 2 foreigners who were among the tourists caught in Tuesday’s deadly carnage by terrorists.

All trade, travel, industry, transport and educational institutions remained shut in the entire Valley on Wednesday after political, religious, social and professional organisations condemned the brutal killing of innocent people by terrorists in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam on Tuesday afternoon.

Horrifying details are now emerging about the beastly behaviour of the killers.

Eyewitnesses said the terrorists separated the men from the women and children.

The men were told to recite the ‘Kalima (A Muslim prayer)’. Those identified as non-Muslims were shot at point blank range while two locals, who reportedly protested against the brutal and inhuman behaviour of the killers were also shot dead.

Tourists mainly belonging to Karnataka, Maharashtra, UP and Gujarat were the victims of the terror attack.

Reports said the two locals had entered into an argument with the killers about their beastly behaviour of killing innocent civilians.

The dead include a Navy officer, Lieutenant Vinay Narwal of Haryana, who was married on April 16. An IB officer, Manish Ranjan from Bihar is also among the slain civilians.

The eyewitnesses said the survivors were so frightened and mortified that when the security forces reached the spot that is 6 kms from Pahalgam town, the survivors started weeping and wailing as the terrorists had also come wearing Indian Army fatigues.

The survivors calmed down only after the security personnel assured them that they were Indian security forces.

The carnage has shaken the conscience of the locals as protests, condemnation, candlelight marches and a widespread mourning descended on the Valley as the news of brutal, gruesome and cowardly massacre of innocent people spread here.

Union Home Minister, Amit Shah chaired a high level security review meeting in Raj Bhawan here on Tuesday night.

HM Shah is visiting the terror attack site today morning.

A massive anti-terrorist operation has been started in Pahalgam to hunt down the killers of innocent people.

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi reached New Delhi after cutting short his visit to Saudi Arabia.

Security in the entire J&K has been tightened in the wake of Tuesday’s attack, which is the worst ever terrorist attack after the Pulwama attack of 2019.

This is also the worst ever attack on tourists after separatist violence started here in 1990s.

Srinagar, April 22: One tourist was killed in a terrorist attack at Pahalgam hill station in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. At the same time, 12 others including tourists and locals were injured.

Terrorists attacked a group of tourists in the Baisaran area of ​​​​Pahalgam hill station, killing one tourist and injuring nine other tourists and three locals.

According to the information received, 2 to 3 terrorists wearing army uniforms started firing at the tourists riding horses in the Baisaran area at around 2.30 pm. Baisaran is a small grassland 3 to 4 km from Pahalgam market and tourists resort to horses to reach here, as there is no motorable road to reach here.

“One tourist was killed and 12 others, including tourists and locals, were injured in the attack. The injured were rushed to Pahalgam hospital from where three seriously injured were shifted to Srinagar for specialised treatment,” an official said. He said security forces have cordoned off the area to trace the attackers.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote on Xpost, “I am incredibly shocked. This attack on our visitors is a despicable act. The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and despicable. No words are enough to condemn. I offer my condolences to the families of the deceased. I have spoken to my colleague Sakina Itoo and she has left for the hospital to oversee arrangements for the injured. I am returning to Srinagar immediately.”

CM Abdullah wrote in another post, “The number of casualties is still being ascertained, so I do not want to go into those details. They will be officially disclosed when the situation becomes clearer. Needless to say, this attack is far bigger than any attack on civilians in recent years.”

PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti wrote on Twitter, “I strongly condemn the cowardly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, which tragically left five people dead and many injured. Such violence is unacceptable and must be condemned. Historically, Kashmir has warmly welcomed tourists, making this rare incident extremely worrying. A thorough investigation is needed to bring the perpetrators to justice and investigate possible security lapses. Ensuring the safety of visitors is paramount, and steps must be taken to prevent future attacks. Our condolences are with the victims and their families.”

Reacting to the incident, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed deep outrage and described the attack as “cowardly”. He assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir that those responsible for this heinous act will not be spared. He has spoken to the DGP and security officials. Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police teams have reached the area and started a search operation.

He said in a post on Twitter, “I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam. I assure the people that those behind this heinous attack will not be spared. Have spoken to the DGP and security officials. Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police teams have reached the area and started a search operation. Have directed the district administration and health officials to provide immediate medical facilities to those admitted in Pahalgam. An injured tourist has been rushed to GMC Anantnag. I pray for the speedy recovery of all the injured.”

This is the first terrorist attack on tourists in the Kashmir Valley in 2025, while the tourist season in the valley is increasing rapidly at this time.

All the hotels in Srinagar city and tourist resorts in Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonamarg are fully occupied.

An unprecedented number of tourists are expected to visit Jammu and Kashmir this year and according to official estimates, around two crore tourists will visit the Union Territory this year.

Tuesday’s attack comes at a time when registration for this year’s Amarnath Yatra is underway across the country.

This year the yatra will begin on July 3 and end on August 9, coinciding with the festivals of Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan, respectively.

During his visit to Jammu and Kashmir last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had chaired a high-level security review meeting where he had ordered complete eradication of terrorism with special focus on the Jammu division.

He had also given directions to ensure zero tolerance towards infiltration. The meeting was attended by the Union Home Secretary, IB Director, Army Chief, GoCs of all corps in Jammu and Kashmir, chiefs of paramilitary forces, Jammu and Kashmir DGP and intelligence officials.

Recently, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had stressed that to completely free Jammu and Kashmir from the curse of terrorism, the entire ecosystem of terrorism, including terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs) and supporters, will have to be dealt with.