Two Ferozepur men dies in Kathua mishap
Sunny Arora, who managed to escape through a broken windowpane, used a passerby's phone to alert Robin Popli, a member of the Shri Neelkanth Mahadev Seva Samiti, about the incident. Emergency services reached the spot and took Bajaj and Madan to the hospital where they were declared dead.
According to Popli, the group had departed from Ferozepur for Chandrakot (Ramban) base camp to conclude langar (community kitchen) services organised for the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims. The accident occurred around midnight when the driver, Mohinder Bajaj, reportedly failed to spot a sharp curve near Lakhanpur.
The Shri Neelkanth Mahadev Seva Samiti has been serving langar at Chandrakot for the Amarnath pilgrims for the past 18 years. This year the service was halted prematurely following a landslide on July 31.
The mishap deaths have cast a pall of gloom over Ferozepur's social and religious circles where the deceased were widely respected for their community service.
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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
New doctrine & the terrorist food chain
Union home minister Amit Shah recently detailed the killing of three terrorists in the forests of Dachigam, and recounted the forensic evidence linking them to the Pahalgam attack. Much is yet to be revealed about their movements and their handlers as their communication sets and other electronic equipment are examined. What is certain is that these are highly trained terrorists, almost irregular, able to virtually disappear into the forests and with little contact with the population. More such groups are understood to be in the forests, waiting for a signal to move. In this context, we must evaluate India's new doctrine, which states that any terrorist attack will be considered an act of war, and retaliation not just against terrorists, but also against their backers. That's a much-needed drawing of red lines in the face of a persistent terrorist threat. But wars of any kind, limited or otherwise, are an expensive business, in this case, requiring almost continuous military readiness. Certainly, it can be done, and actions towards that are well in hand. But ideally, it would be as well to prevent terrorists from gaining their objectives in the first place. That means dealing with it in its entire spectrum. First, it is now obvious that the Pahalgam attack had several simultaneous objectives. In descending order, the first was to light a fire in Kashmir that would end the influx of tourists into Kashmir, and to coerce the security forces to once again launch forceful counter terrorism (CT) operations in the Valley. Both are linked issues, and both have the potential to send Kashmir back to the 1990s. Though the Amarnath yatra has picked up in full scale, together with security measures, tourism is a different kettle of fish. 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This time round, ways have to be found to knit CT operations into a public programme for local safety. Second, the methodology of Pahalgam, deliberately separating Muslims from Hindus, and gunning down the latter, is aimed at the larger Bharat, and is the most dangerous tool yet. That an almost derelict terror group, the Al Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent, called for Muslims to rise against the present government in a holy war, and that too in both English and Urdu, is one indication. Then, there is a spate of disinformation; for instance, a recent video of a man from a minority community allegedly beating his Hindu wife. A fact check showed this as completely false. Others are aimed at communally sensitive areas like Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, where a video claiming an alleged attack on Hindu devotees on their way to a temple by a group of jihadists was a fight within the group over fruit. Guidelines prepared by the ministry of home affairs need to be updated, particularly in border areas like West Bengal, where a variety of criminal elements operate together with jihadis from Bangladesh. Local politics hardly helps. An empowered committee comprising experts from different fields — from information warfare to social sciences — needs to review the ways to deal with a communal divide that is being further fostered, with imaginative solutions rather than sops to any community. Third, there is the reality of near round-the-clock operational readiness. That includes not only making or buying critical weaponry for stand-off war, but also a commitment to stock inventory for a conflict which may break out at any time and at very short notice. 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Generally, civilian leaders have an interest in prosperity and turning Pakistan into a hub for cross-continental trade, because it promises money for themselves and their voter base. This was once proposed by then army chief General Bajwa, and backed by then prime minister Imran Khan. Diplomacy must focus tightly on regenerating a flailing democracy-first narrative, ensuring that international aid is tied to democracy, and publicising that considerable largesse awaits if the Pakistan army steps back into the shadows. It's a tall order, but not impossible. A post-Sindoor Gallup poll showed high praise of the army, but also strong support for reviving trade and sports links with India. To deal with terrorism, understand the whole food chain — from ambitious generals to the hawala traders. As seen recently, war only gives them the oxygen they crave. Peace would choke them to death. Tara Kartha is a former director of the National Security Council Secretariat. The views expressed are personal.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Two Ferozepur men dies in Kathua mishap
Two persons died while three others from Ferozepur sustained severe injuries when their SUV plunged into a gorge near a sharp turn near Lakhanpur in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours of Sunday. The deceased have been identified as Pawan Madan and Mohinder Bajaj, both residents of Ferozepur. The injured — Sunny Arora, Sudhir Khosla and Anil Monga — were initially taken to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kathua and later shifted to a private hospital in Ferozepur. The SUV they were travelling in skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir early Sunday. (HT) Sunny Arora, who managed to escape through a broken windowpane, used a passerby's phone to alert Robin Popli, a member of the Shri Neelkanth Mahadev Seva Samiti, about the incident. Emergency services reached the spot and took Bajaj and Madan to the hospital where they were declared dead. According to Popli, the group had departed from Ferozepur for Chandrakot (Ramban) base camp to conclude langar (community kitchen) services organised for the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims. The accident occurred around midnight when the driver, Mohinder Bajaj, reportedly failed to spot a sharp curve near Lakhanpur. The Shri Neelkanth Mahadev Seva Samiti has been serving langar at Chandrakot for the Amarnath pilgrims for the past 18 years. This year the service was halted prematurely following a landslide on July 31. The mishap deaths have cast a pall of gloom over Ferozepur's social and religious circles where the deceased were widely respected for their community service.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
2 dead, 3 injured as car headed to Amarnath yatra camp plunges into gorge
Representational file image JAMMU : Two members of a Amarnath yatra kitchen service died and three of their colleagues were injured when their car plunged into a deep gorge on Lakhanpur-Basholi road in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district Sunday. Locals and police rescued all five occupants from the mangled remains of the car and rushed them to Government Medical College Hospital, Kathua. 'Pawan Kumar from Ferozepur City and Mohinder Pal Bajaj from Ludhiana were declared brought dead. All five passengers from Punjab were on their way to the campsite at Chanderkote in Ramban district,' police said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
