63-year-old woman deported after Pahalgam attack granted fresh visa to return to India
Srinagar: Nearly three months after her deportation following the Pahalgam terror attack, 63-year-old Rakshanda Rashid has been granted a fresh visitor visa by the Indian government, allowing her return to India.
Rashid, a Pakistani national married to a retired Indian government official, had lived in Jammu for 38 years with her husband and two children. She was among nearly 60 Pakistani nationals deported after the Ministry of Home Affairs revoked all short-term visas under Section 3(1) of the Foreigners Act, 1946, in the aftermath of the April 2025 Pahalgam terror incident.
On April 28, Rashid received a Leave India Notice and was deported the following day to Pakistan via the Wagah-Attari border. Since then, she has been living alone in a Lahore hotel and facing financial distress.
Challenging the deportation, Rashid moved the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. A Single Judge initially directed authorities to facilitate her return. However, the Union Government appealed the order, and the case reached a Division Bench.
On July 30, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that, considering the “peculiar facts and circumstances,” authorities had decided to grant her a fresh visitor visa. Her counsel accepted the proposal and agreed to withdraw the writ petition.
The High Court disposed of the matter, emphasising that the relief extended to Rashid was a one-time exception and would not set a precedent. Rashid and her family are now allowed to continue pursuing their pending applications for Indian citizenship and long-term visa status.
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4 held for sexually assaulting woman, girl on moving bus after social media alert in UP's Agra
Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.
According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.
Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.
Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.
The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.
