Kashmir ushers in New Year with special programmes across valley
Srinagar (PTI): Revellers ushered in the New Year in Kashmir with special programmes at the famous tourist spots across the valley.
Tourists and locals made a beeline to the tourist destinations of Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg to ring in 2026.
According to officials, tourists from across the country visited these destinations to enjoy the recent snowfall and these destinations witnessed a heavy rush of visitors.
The celebrations were also held near the historic Clock Tower at the Lal Chowk City centre.
Most of the hotels at these destinations were sold out.
The tourists expressed happiness over the weather and the celebrations.
"We have been here for three days. We had come to celebrate the New Year. We felt good and the snowfall has been a blessing," said a tourist from Haryana.
Another tourist described the experience as amazing.
"The celebrations were great, the atmosphere was very peaceful and amazing. We did not face any problems. This is the best location, it is better than Manali," he said.
Multi-tier security arrangements had been made at various tourist destinations for the New Year celebrations.
Security forces intensified checking and surveillance across the valley.
Additional checkpoints were set up and increased patrolling, area domination operations and surprise inspections were conducted throughout the vital roadways in the valley to avert any untoward incident, the officials said.
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
