Five militants killed in J&K gunfight
Srinagar, May 6 : Five militants including a Kashmir University teacher who went missing last week, were killed on Sunday in a gunfight with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, police said.
Director General of Police (DGP) S.P. Vaid said all five holed-up militants in Badigam village have been killed.
The slain militants have been identified as Saddam Paddar -- a top Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Tawseef Sheikh, Molvi Bilal, Adil Ahmad and Muhammad Rafi Bhat -- the missing Kashmir University assistant professor, who according to police had joined militant ranks.
Paddar was a close associate of Burhan Wani, who was killed in July 2016 in a gunfight in Kokernag area in Anantnag district.
Bhat was trapped along with militants in the gunfight.
Bhat, an assistant professor in the sociology department of Kashmir University, was reported missing on Friday. He belonged to Chunduna village in Ganderbal district.
Earlier, the police took his mother, wife and brother to Badigam village to persuade Bhat to surrender.There were angry protests in the university campus on Saturday as students asked the authorities to locate Bhat.
Para commandos of the army were also deployed to help fight the holed up militants during Sunday's gunfight.
The security forces including Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Special Operations Group (SOG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had surrounded Badigam following a tip-off about the presence of militants.
An army soldier and a policeman were also injured in the gunfight.Besides, 12 civilians sustained injuries in the clashes between protesters and security forces near the gunfight site.One civilian with critical injuries has been shifted to Srinagar for treatment.
Authorities have suspended mobile internet services across south Kashmir.
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Kangana Ranaut sparks row: Claims Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem
New Delhi: A significant political controversy has erupted following the Modi government's decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. The row was further fueled by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who, while defending the name change, erroneously claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had made the devotional song "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" India’s national anthem.
The central government has rebranded the flagship rural employment scheme from MGNREGA to the "Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission," abbreviated as VB-G RAM G. The removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme has been termed an insult to the Father of the Nation by the Congress and other opposition parties.
When questioned by the media outside Parliament regarding the opposition's allegations, Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut defended the government's decision by invoking Mahatma Gandhi's devotion to Lord Ram.
"How is naming it 'Ram Ji' an insult to Gandhi ji?" Ranaut asked. "Mahatma Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem to organize the entire country. Therefore, this is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi? The government is fulfilling his dream by giving it the name of Ram."
Ranaut's claim regarding the national anthem was immediately seized upon by the opposition. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared the video of Ranaut’s statement on social media, tweeting sarcastically, "Come on brother, today we learned a new national anthem! The BJP is full of such gems."
Social media users also trolled the MP for the factual error. One user quipped, "Kangana ji forgot to mention that Bapu made this the national anthem after the country got independence in 2014," while another commented that the party finds people who "don't use their brains while forwarding WhatsApp messages."
Beyond the social media mockery, senior Congress leaders criticised the renaming on ideological grounds. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the move.
"The biggest irony is that Mahatma Gandhi was a lifelong devotee of Lord Ram and said 'Hey Ram' in his last moments," Gehlot wrote. "Today, the central government is making a despicable attempt to sideline Gandhi ji under the guise of the same 'Ram' name (VB-G RAM G), which is highly condemnable."
मनरेगा का नाम बदलने की केंद्र सरकार की कवायद महात्मा गांधी के प्रति उनकी ओछी मानसिकता और असम्मान का प्रमाण है। सरकार पहले 'पूज्य बापू' के नाम का शिगूफा छोड़ती है और फजीहत होने पर अब 'विकसित भारत-गारंटी फॉर रोजगार एंड आजीविका मिशन (VB-G RAM G)' जैसा नाम थोपना चाहती है। बार-बार नाम…
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) December 15, 2025
गांधी जी ने ‘रघुपति राघव राजा राम’ को लेकर नेशनल एंथम बनाया था
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) December 16, 2025
BJP MP कंगना रनौत
चलो भाई आज नया नेशनल एंथम भी पता चला है!
BJP में एक से एक शिरोमणि भरे पड़े हैं 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/9DvyV5xLb1
