Tourist hub Pahalgam now buzzing with cops. Videos show aftermath of attack
Pahalgam's scenic Baisaran valley, which was buzzing with tourists just a day ago, is now occupied by security personnel as the resort town turned into a fortress following the ghastly terror attack that killed 26 people. Scattered shoes and belongings lying strewn in the picturesque meadow told the horrific story of the worst terror attack on civilians in Kashmir.As Pahalgam started seeing an exodus of tourists, an eerie silence gripped the resort town, painting a picture of heartbreak. Army and paramilitary forces were seen stationed in every nook and corner of Pahalgam as security personnel conducted a massive search operation for the five-six terrorists who carried out the attack. advertisementThe Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the massacre.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers, in military fatigues and kurta pyjamas, started firing indiscriminately after emerging from the dense pine forest surrounding the valley.Some survivors said the terrorists checked IDs to verify the religion and executed those identified as non-Muslims, point-blank. However, women and children were spared.Meanwhile, Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir saw a shutdown on Wednesday, the first in Kashmir in nearly six years since the abrogation of Article 370, with schools and colleges remaining closed.Several Kashmiris also hit the streets to express their anguish and condemn the terror attack, which came during the peak tourist season in the Valley. The streets of South Kashmir, which were once filled with agitators following the 2016 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, this time saw locals denouncing the attack on tourists.Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who arrived in Kashmir on Tuesday night, visited ground zero at Baisaran and also met the injured at the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital. He was accompanied by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.Tune InMust Watch
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Indian Express
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In our lifetime, will see country where English speakers will be ashamed: Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said soon a time would come when those speaking English in the country would 'feel ashamed'. Shah, who was speaking at a book launch event here, said those who do not speak Indian languages cease to remain fully Indian and that India cannot be understood through 'foreign languages'. 'Hum sab ke jeevan mein, iss desh mein, angrezi bolne waalon ko sharm aayegi, aise samaj ka nirmaan ab door nahi … Aur main maanta hoon, hamare desh ki bhashayein hamari sanskriti ka gehna hain … hamare desh ki bhashaon ke baghair hum Bharatiya hi nahin rehte. Hamara desh, iska itihas, iski sanskriti, hamara dharm, isko samajhna hai to koi videshi bhasha mein nahin samajh sakte (In our lifetime, we will see a society in which those speaking English will feel ashamed, that day is not far … I believe that the languages of our country are the ornament of our culture. Without them, we would not have been Bharatiya. Our country, its history, its culture, our Dharma, if these have to be understood, it cannot be done in foreign languages),' Shah said at the launch of <Main Boond Swayam, Khud Sagar Hoon, authored by IAS officer Ashutosh Agnihotri. The Home Minister said India could not be imagined in its entirety through 'half-baked foreign languages'. 'Only Bharatiyata can help us do it, only Bharatiya languages can do it. I know that this fight is tough, but I strongly believe that Bharatiya society will win this fight.' 'Once again, with pride, we will run our country using our languages; we will think, research, find solutions and also lead the world,' Shah said. In recent years, the BJP-led government at the Centre has found itself in the middle of language rows involving the DMK-led government in Tamil Nadu, which has accused it of Hindi imposition. The Centre has denied this, saying the three-language formula does not make Hindi compulsory. Shah, however, spoke of Indian languages without going into which language can be a link language in a linguistically diverse country.
Indian Express
an hour ago
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As US eyes its airspace, Pakistan confirms: Trump, Munir had discussion on Iran
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Time of India
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Bengaluru: Even as the Karnataka labour department insists that proposed amendments to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act-1961 will not breach the 48-hour weekly cap, the state's tech workforce remains unconvinced. The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU), which led a protest in Bengaluru, argued that the proposed amendments would institutionalise excessive workloads. The department, however, claims the changes are intended to provide "flexibility" to employers and employees, allowing them to complete their weekly quota over fewer days. At the centre of the controversy is the department's plan to increase daily working hours from 9 to 10, and the maximum permissible overtime from 50 to 144 hours per quarter. This could allow for up to 12-hour workdays, including overtime. Citing long-standing concerns over unpaid overtime and chronic overwork, many fear the draft amendments will legalise exploitative practices that have become rampant in the IT and ITeS sector. "Even if you cap the week at 48 hours, that still averages to about 9.6 hours over five days. Add the legalised overtime — about 2.5 hours per day — and we're back to 12-hour shifts. And overtime compensation? It doesn't exist in practice," an IT employee said. Employees told TOI that existing loopholes enable companies to demand long hours without paying for them. The fear now is that the amendments will provide a legal cover for what is currently an unspoken but widely followed practice. KITU general secretary Suhas Adiga, who attended a recent stakeholders' meeting organised by the department, pointed out lack of transparency. "We asked for data on how many employees are working overtime and what they're paid. The minister admitted that not a single company responded. There's no data. No accountability," he said. KITU's official stance is that the move will exacerbate health risks, erode work-life balance, and push employees further into burnout. Chitra Banu, KITU member, was unequivocal in her stance. "It won't get implemented; we won't let it happen." Not everyone in the industry opposes the move. Adithya M, who works at a Bengaluru-based startup, said: "I've been working 10–12 hour days anyway. My body and mind are used to it. This isn't a big deal for startup folks." According to union leaders, this is precisely the problem — the new norms are merely catching up with exploitative realities instead of challenging them. "Now that 144 hours of overtime per quarter is legal, we're just putting a rubber stamp on what's been happening illegally," KITU secretary Sooraj Nidiyanga said. The labour department maintains that the changes are aligned with International Labour Organisation (ILO) norms and are part of broader efforts to modernise labour law. But the discontent from the ground tells another story — one of disconnect between legislative intent and lived experience. For now, the IT sector's fears remain unresolved, with trust in short supply and clarity even shorter.
