Severe cold in Kashmir, minimum temperatures several notches below freezing point
Srinagar (PTI): Kashmir reeled under cold wave conditions Sunday as minimum temperatures across the Valley stayed several degrees below the freezing point, officials said here.
The minimum temperature in the summer capital Srinagar dropped to minus 3.4 degrees Celsius from the previous night's minus 2.8 degrees Celsius, they said.
Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district which serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra recorded a minimum temperature of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, up from the previous night's minus 4.1 degrees Celsius, the officials said.
The officials said that Gulmarg, a famous ski-resort in Baramulla, recorded a low of minus 3.5 degrees Celsius, down from minus 2.5 degrees Celsius the previous night.
Qazigund recorded a low of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius, Kokernag town minus 1.4 degrees Celsius and Kupwara minus 3.8 degrees Celsius.
There was some snowfall and rains in Kashmir during December which resulted in the prolonged cold wave conditions, they said.
Kashmir is under the grip of the 40-day harsh winter period 'Chilla-i-Kalan'. The chances of snowfall are the highest during this period and most areas, especially the higher reaches, receive heavy snow. 'Chilla-i-Kalan' will end on January 31.
However, the cold conditions will continue even after that with a 20-day 'Chilla-i-Khurd' and a 10-day 'Chilla-i-Bachha'.
#WATCH | Jammu & Kashmir: A dense layer of fog engulfs Srinagar as temperature dips further; visuals from Dal Lake shot at 09:00 AM pic.twitter.com/CDpjAvpEx6
— ANI (@ANI) December 31, 2023
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Advocate found dead in car on Nainital court premises
Nainital (PTI): A 55-year-old advocate allegedly died by suicide after shooting himself inside his car at the Nainital district court parking lot here on Monday, police said.
According to the police, Puran Singh Bhakuni, a resident of Mallital, was found in the rear seat of his vehicle with a gunshot wound to his temple.
Police recovered a licensed pistol from his hand and a suicide note from the car’s dashboard. The note stated that Bhakuni was unwell and suffering from depression.
"We received information through lawyers around noon. The deceased was lying in the back seat with a pistol in his hand and blood near his ear," Circle Officer Anjana Negi said.
Forensic teams and ballistic experts reached the spot to collect evidence, as no witness reported hearing the gunshot.
Government counsel Sushil Sharma stated that Bhakuni left home at 9 am and was found dead at 9.30 am.
Sharma raised concerns over the circumstances, noting that the body was in the rear seat, and demanded a thorough probe to rule out foul play. Bhakuni, who worked as a notary, had married six months ago, he said.
Police took the body into custody and sent it for a postmortem to confirm the cause of death.
The forensic laboratory will examine the suicide note and the ballistics of the weapon, the police said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
