Crackdown intensifies in Kashmir after attack: Homes demolished, hundreds detained for questioning
Srinagar: In the wake of the deadly attack in Pahalgam, authorities in Kashmir have launched a massive crackdown on suspected terrorists and their alleged sympathisers, launching large-scale raids, detaining hundreds of overground workers (OGWs) for questioning, and demolishing properties linked to active terrorists.
Security forces have widened the net across the Valley in an effort to deter any Pahalgam-like attacks. Raids were carried out at more than sixty places on Saturday in Srinagar, including Safakadal, Soura, Pandach Bemina, Shalteng, Lal Bazar, and Zadibal areas "to dismantle the terrorist ecosystem,” The New Indian Express quoted J-K Police spokesperson as saying.
On Thursday night, explosions destroyed the homes of two “active terrorists”—Adil Thoker in Bijbehara and Asif Sheikh in Tral—following raids by security personnel.
Meanwhile, security checkpoints have been established across Anantnag, with vehicles being thoroughly screened. The security forces have also rounded up hundreds of OWGs and their supporters, mostly in four south Kashmir districts, in their bid to track down the terrorists who carried out the attack at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday that killed 26 people, added TNIE.
Officials revealed that one suspected OWG, identified as Altaf Lalli, was killed in firing by terrorists during one such operation in Bandipora district on Friday. He was killed when security forces took him to a terrorist hideout in the Kulnar area of Bandipora district after he pointed out the location of the extremists. Additionally, two policemen were injured when terrorists opened fire before making their escape.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
