SRINAGAR: The Muslim community in the Wussan locality of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal came forward to perform the last rites of an elderly Kashmiri Pandit on Friday.
Eyewitnesses said that Avtar Krishan Koul, 75, son of Madhav Krishan Koul, passed away at her home in Wussan in the wee hours of Friday, which left the entire locality in mourning.
As soon as the news of her death spread, local Muslims made special arrangements to perform his last rites. They also helped the family by ferrying firewood to cremate the deceased.
“It is in our Islam to take care of neighbors irrespective of their religion,” said Ghulam Hassan, a local resident.
Another local mentioned, “Avtar was a remarkable person who always went above and beyond to help those in need. His kindness and generosity knew no bounds, and he was always willing to lend a helping hand, no matter what time of day or night it was.”
“Avtar was truly dedicated to his profession as a health worker. He saw it as his duty to care for the well-being of others, and he took this responsibility very seriously. He spent countless hours working tirelessly to help people in his community, never once seeking recognition or praise for his efforts,” said a native from his village.
Around a dozen Pandit families in the Wussan locality did not migrate from the Kashmir Valley during the early 1990s and instead decided to stay. Since then, the two communities have lived in harmony and have always shown compassion towards each other.
After the militancy erupted in the valley in the early 1990s, the Pandit community was forced to migrate from Kashmir. However, a small percentage of them stayed back and are currently living in many parts of Kashmir. (KNO)
Abu Dhabi: An Indian couple who died in a massive fire that broke out at a residential building in Dubai killing 16 people, was preparing an iftar meal for their neighbours, according to a media report.
38-year-old Rijesh Kalangadan, and his wife Jeshi 32-year-old Kandamangalath, were preparing Vishu sadhya, a festival meal, for their neighbours to end their fast on Saturday evening, the Gulf News reported.
At least 16 people were killed and nine others injured in the blaze in Al Ras area, which Dubai Civil Defence attributed to a lack of compliance with building security and safety requirements.
Hailing from Kerala, Kalangadan worked as a business development manager with a travel and tourism company, and his wife Kandamangalath was a schoolteacher.
According to Gulf News, the couple had invited their Muslim neighbours, a group of bachelors from Kerala, for an iftar meal.
“They had invited us during Onam and Vishu lunches earlier also. This time, they told us to come for iftar as it is Ramzan,” Riyas Kaikambam, who lived with seven roommates in apartment number 409, said.
The couple lived in 406 — adjacent to flat 405 where the fire started.
Calling them a “friendly couple”, Kaikambam said he last saw them outside their apartment.
“I could see the teacher was crying,” he recalled.
“There was no response to calls later. I could see Rijesh’s last seen status on WhatsApp at 12.35 p.m. I just can’t believe the man who helped me book my flight ticket, the man who invited me for iftar, is gone,” he said.
The couple was scheduled to fly home for the house-warming of their home next month, a family member from Kerala told Gulf News.
The fire broke out on fourth floor of the building on Saturday at 12.35 p.m. and soon spread to other areas.
Dubai Civil Defence Operations Room was informed about the inferno after which fire engines were rushed to the spot.
The fire was controlled around 2.42 p.m.
The building has been sealed for safety reasons.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Greater Noida: In a shocking incident, the body of a two-year-old toddler, who was missing for two days now, was on Sunday found stuffed in a suitcase lying in her neighbour’s house in Greater Noida, police said. The neighbour is absconding.
The incident was reported from Devla village in Surajpur area.
The victim was one of the two children of Shiv Kumar and his wife who lived in a rented accommodation in Devla. On April 7, Shiv Kumar, who worked in a local factory, was on duty, and his wife stepped out to go to the market, leaving both children at home. When she returned, her daughter was missing. She inquired around the neighbourhood but found no trace of her, and finally approached the police. Police filed a missing complaint and launched a search but it was also fruitless.
On Sunday afternoon, the family noticed a stench from their next-door neighbour’s house, which was locked, and alerted the police. A police team from Surajpur reached the area and searched the house, only to find the body of the missing girl in a suitcase there.
It was found that the house was of a man named Raghavendra, who had also joined the search for the girl after her mother found her missing from home, but had subsequently disappeared.
Police have sent the body of the child for a post-mortem examination and are probing further.
Mumbai: The Mumbai woman, Rimple Jain – who was arrested for chopping her widowed mother Veena Jain’s body into pieces – created an impression for nearly three months that she was ‘alive’ and had gone for treatment to her native place Kanpur, official sources said.
This and other aspects came out during her ongoing custodial investigations by the team probing the sensational case which came to light last Tuesday (March 14) stunning Mumbaikars.
Rimple – whose relations with her mother were strained – has stuck to her earlier version that she did not kill Veena, but merely chopped off her body into pieces and stored them in plastic bags in a cupboard at home.
She has claimed to the police investigators that her mother died under natural circumstances, allegedly due to a fall on December 27. But since she was scared of getting the blame for it, she resorted to a web of lies and deceit to fool the relatives and the neighbours.
The Ibrahim Kasam Chawl, where the body parts were discovered after the victim’s brother Sureshchandra Phulchand Porwal complained to Kalachowki Police, is situated adjacent to main road in a thickly populated residential-cum-commercial locality of south-central Mumbai, with public movement almost round-the-clock.
This made it difficult for her to dispose of her mother’s body parts without arousing doubts among their relatives or the neighbourhood.
Rimple also revealed she went and bought an electric marble-cutter from a nearby hardware shop – where a police team took her last week to verify her claim – and started cutting Veena’s body the very next day.
When some people around casually inquired after her mother, Rimple told them that “she has gone to Kanpur for medical treatment,” and the matter rested, even as she made frantic efforts to dispose of Veena’s body parts.
Hoping to misguide the snoopy neighbourhood, Rimple would walk up and down the common corridor, pretending to speak to her ‘mom’ on the mobile, asking her loudly “how are you”, “how is the treatment going on,” etc. so the neighbours could hear the ‘conversation’.
The police are attempting to ascertain the exact motives why she did not inform the family, relatives or neighbours of Veena’s death and resorted to a macabre act of cutting, chopping and preserving her body parts at home till they had started decomposing badly.
To ward off the stench, she used to spray a lot of room fresheners and perfumes at home, but despite all her attempts to hide it, the whole crime finally erupted in the open last Tuesday.
SRINAGAR: The American intelligence community has raised concerns about the rising tensions between India and its neighbouring countries, Pakistan and China, and the possibility of conflict between them.
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi in a Bilateral Meeting with the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, at the White House, in Washington DC, USA on September 24, 2021.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence submitted its annual threat assessment report to the US Congress during a Congressional hearing last Wednesday, warning of the elevated risk of armed confrontation between the nuclear-armed powers.
The report highlighted the expanded military postures of both India and China along the “disputed border”, which could escalate into a direct threat to US persons and interests, calling for US intervention. Persistent low-level friction on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has the potential to escalate swiftly, as demonstrated by previous standoffs, the report said.
Even though India and China have engaged in bilateral border talks and resolved border points, their relations remain strained due to the countries’ lethal clash in 2020, which was the most serious in decades. The report stated that this clash has contributed to the strained Sino-Indian relationship and elevated the risk of conflict.
The crises between India and Pakistan are also of particular concern due to the risk of an escalator cycle between the two nuclear-armed states. The report noted that Pakistan has a long history of supporting anti-India militant groups, while India is more likely under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond with military force to “perceived or real Pakistani provocations”. Each side’s perception of heightened tensions raises the risk of conflict, with potential flashpoints being violent unrest in Kashmir or a militant attack in India.
Foreign ministers of India and China, S Jaishankar and Wang Yi
The report cautioned that the possibility of conflict between India and China or India and Pakistan could have significant implications for the US, as it could impact regional stability and disrupt global supply chains. The US has been closely monitoring the situation and has called for a peaceful resolution of the border disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.
Responding to a query by The Indian Express, the spokesperson for the US State Department, Ned Price, stated that the US-Pakistan counter-terrorism dialogue provides an opening for the two nations to work together to address terrorist threats and counter violent extremism in the region, which has the potential to impact global stability. The spokesperson added that both nations share a mutual interest in maintaining regional security and stability, and the dialogue is a demonstration of their commitment to a strong and resilient security partnership.
Pertinent to mention, the Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha, recently affirmed that Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) is an integral part of India and the commitment made in the Parliament will soon be fulfilled. Sinha said this at a function where he inaugurated a special governance camp for displaced persons of PoJK at Bhour Camp, stating that the development of new Jammu and Kashmir would be incomplete without complete integration of PoJK displaced persons into the mainstream.
The increasing tension between India, Pakistan, and China has caught the attention of not only the US but also other nations around the world. The potential of conflict between these nuclear-armed countries could have dire consequences not just for the region but also for the global community.
The United Kingdom, for instance, has said it is closely monitoring the situation and expressed its concerns regarding the potential conflict. The UK’s High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, recently stated that the UK is watching developments in the region with concern and hopes for a peaceful resolution of the disputes. He added that the UK recognizes India’s legitimate interests in the region but also encourages all parties to engage in dialogue and resolve issues peacefully.
The rising tensions between India and Pakistan have also led to the re-ignition of debates surrounding Kashmir.
Besides, the ongoing border tensions between India and China in Ladakh have also created an atmosphere of uncertainty in the region. China has been aggressively pursuing its territorial claims in the South China Sea and other areas, which has led to tensions with several countries in the region, including India. The US has also expressed concerns about China’s growing military influence in the region and has been actively seeking to counter its assertiveness.
Chinese premier handing over a handmade portrait to host Prime Minister Narenndra Modi in 2019 during his India visit.USA
The US has been working to strengthen its partnerships with countries in the region, including India, to promote regional stability and counter China’s aggressive actions. In 2020, the US and India signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), which aims to enhance military cooperation and interoperability between the two countries. The US has also been providing military and intelligence support to India to counter China’s growing influence.
Despite the efforts of the US and other countries to promote peace and stability in the region, the potential for conflict remains a concern. The situation is further complicated by the fact that all three countries possess nuclear weapons, which raises the stakes and makes any conflict even more dangerous.
Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan jumped his residence’s wall and escaped to his neighbour’s home to evade arrest, Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed on Monday, a day after the former Prime Minister’s hide-and-seek drama.
The minister, in a press conference in Islamabad, said: “Yesterday, the team that went to arrest Khan faced a lot of drama. There are rumours that he [Khan] jumped into his neighbours’ house [to hide]. After a while, he surfaced from somewhere and delivered a huge speech,” The News reported.
Sanaullah’s comments came after an Islamabad police team came to Lahore for arresting the PTI chief but without the court summons. The law enforcers returned without an arrest as the party told them that he “wasn’t home”, The News reported.
On February 28, Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal issued the former prime minister’s non-bailable arrest warrant for continuously failing to appear before the court in the Toshakhana case.
The minister admitted that if the police wanted to arrest the former prime minister, this wasn’t an appropriate strategy. “The police went there to inform him about the court’s orders. But he is a shameless person.”
Sanaullah added that when the authorities want to arrest and present him before the court, they will do so without hesitation. The interior minister added that Khan misused his authority when it came to Toshakhana gifts, The News reported.
The minister said that the deposed prime minister who was ousted from power in April last year and has since been protesting against the government will have to answer before the court.
On the day Prince Harry’s controversial, headline-grabbing memoir Spare officially became the fastest-selling non-fiction book in history, the bookstore in his adoptive hometown in California did not move a single copy.
Indifference wasn’t the problem, although Montecito, the wealthy hillside community outside Santa Barbara where the Sussexes have made their home, is known for keeping its opinions of the royal couple close to its chest.
The much bigger issue was the weather.
The previous afternoon, a massive storm had dumped a foot of rain on California, the beginning of a week of dramatic “atmospheric rivers” and flooding across the state, and everyone was ordered to leave. With memories still fresh of a lethal storm exactly five years earlier, when mud and boulders sliding down from the mountains devastated areas of the town close to the creek and killed 23 people, it was perhaps understandable that locals had other things on their mind.
“I got a call from a reporter in England,” the owner of Montecito’s Tecolote bookshop, Mary Sheldon, recalled. “He asked me how many books we’d sold, and I said, ‘None – zero. We’re under evacuation.’”
The town’s bookshop has so far shifted only about 30 copies of Harry’s book, Spare. Photograph: AKGS/BACKGRID
More than a week later, the rain has stopped, the risk of mudslides has abated, but sales are still far from robust. Sheldon said she’d sold about 30 copies, with a few more reserved for customers who’d promised to fetch them in person. Even in a town that refuses to fuss over its many celebrity residents, the lack of buzz over a book that is flying off the shelves and dominating conversation just about everywhere else on the planet is remarkable.
Asked for her own thoughts on Spare, Sheldon said, simply: “It’s a book.”
And its celebrated local author? “He took time to gather his thoughts and wanted to publish it,” she observed, “so I am here to sell it.”
Sheldon was equally unmoved by the controversies surrounding the memoir. “I think most people up here think of it as a soap opera,” she remarked.
Spare’s underwhelming performance in Montecito, a town of 10,000 mostly well-read residents, is not necessarily a rebuke of the royal couple. It conforms, rather, to the unspoken code of silence that the town maintains around its celebrity residents, who also include Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Gwyneth Paltrow and the power couple Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom.
What they and Montecito’s other well-heeled residents prize most about the place is its privacy. Its sprawling estates, including the Riven Rock property where Harry and Meghan live, are hidden behind walls and two-storey-high hedgerows that keep the paparazzi out while still preserving picture-book ocean views.
Even in the more public areas of town – the rows of village shops and restaurants – the imperative is to leave everyone be regardless of who they are. The person standing in line at Pierre Lafond café or quaffing a pint at the Plow & Angel pub could be a retired Fortune 500 chief executive, a Texas oil baron visiting his second home, or the dissolute scion of a storied Scottish clan, but nobody will say a word about it.
The commercial centre of Montecito, outside Santa Barbara, where people like to live under the radar. Photograph: David McNew/AFP/Getty Images
“It’s a perfect place to live under the radar,” said Kelly Mahan Herrick, a real estate agent specialising in luxury properties.
Press the locals about Harry and Meghan and they will respond with platitudes, if they respond at all. “They’re mostly out walking their dog,” was as much as one neighbour would offer and still did not want to be identified by name. “They’re very quiet, lovely people.”
Scratch the surface a little and you might find out a little more. Locals say that Meghan has been spotted shopping at the Wendy Foster boutique, and the couple recently spent a night with friends at the Santa Barbara Bowl, an outdoor amphitheatre, to see Jack Johnson. More commonly, Harry is spotted on his own or with a bodyguard, riding his bike to the beach, or playing polo at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, or hiking one of the many mountain trails above the town.
The president of the Montecito Trails Foundation, Ashlee Mayfield, said one of her board members bumped into Harry in the mountains recently and the prince helped him move a tree that had fallen on to the trail. “I think he really wants to be a normal guy in town,” Mayfield said.
Mayfield said she wasn’t surprised that most residents preferred to keep quiet about the Sussexes and argued that the extreme weather of the past few years has only reinforced local resistance to the celebrity publicity machine that many come to Montecito to escape, however temporarily. “Life up here isn’t all about gates and money and celebrity,” Mayfield said. “There is a mutual respect and consideration because of what can happen and what we have lived through as a community.”
Les Firestein, a former Hollywood comedy writer turned local magazine editor, said many residents think of the royal family’s feuding as a remote curiosity, and having Harry and Meghan in their midst has done nothing to change that.
“For most Montecitans, if not most Americans, royal watching is like bangers and mash – it’s something we’ve heard of but isn’t really our culture,” Firestein said. “We don’t really notice Harry and Meghan, though sometimes the locals get rankled by the British tabloids trying to get to them.”
Finding a local who owns a copy of Spare is challenging – much less one who has finished it. “Didn’t read it, will not read it,” said TC Boyle, the short-story writer and novelist who is also Montecito’s most distinguished literary luminary.
The one person willing to discuss the book in detail was a British expatriate, Richard Mineards, who writes a gossip column for a local newspaper. His take after reading Spare from cover to cover?
“I think the whole thing is reprehensible,” he said, sounding a lot like the British tabloid newspapers he used to work for. “It is doing enormous harm not only to the royal family but to his own family, he and his wife… If he really does want to reconcile with his family in due course, why does he keep throwing bombs at them? Where do they go from here?”
It’s a poignant question. But if Harry and Meghan’s goal is to live a quiet life, maybe they’re just fine where they are in Montecito. Like many who end up here, they may never feel the need to go anywhere else at all.
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
