Bodies of three missing persons found near waterfall in J-K’s Kathua
Jammu, Mar 8 (PTI): Bodies of a teenager and his two relatives were recovered near a waterfall in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Saturday, three days after they were reported missing during a marriage function at their home, officials said.
The bodies of Varun Singh (15) of Dehota, his uncle Yogesh Singh (32) and maternal uncle Darshan Singh (40) were sighted in Ishu Nallah in Malhar area by drones during a joint search operation by police and the Army late this afternoon, the officials said.
The bodies were later retrieved from the scene after a hectic effort as the area was steep, the officials said, adding preliminary investigation ruled out terror angle as there were no visible marks of injury on the bodies. The exact cause of their death would be known only after a postmortem, they said.
The officials said Darshan’s brother Brijesh was getting married and the trio had left in advance for the bride’s home at Lohai Malhar in the Billawar Tehsil at around 5.30 pm on the fateful day.
However, Darshan made the last call to his home around 8.30 pm, informing them that they had lost their way.
As they failed to return home, a search operation by police and the Army was launched to trace them as the area witnessed several terror incidents, including an attack on an Army vehicle that left five soldiers dead, last year.
BJP legislator Satesh Sharma had raised the issue in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Friday.
"I want to inform the House about three missing civilians. We seek answers from the government," Sharma said.
On February 16, bodies of two villagers -- Shamsher (37) and Roshan (45) -- were found at village Kohag in Billawar and their postmortem revealed they were strangled to death.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
