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Tourist couple injured in militant shooting in India's Kashmir amid elections

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Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari in Srinagar, writing by Swati Bhat, editing by Lincoln Feast

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1 killed, couple injured in separate terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir

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FILE PHOTO: An Indian security force personnel stands guard on the banks of Dal Lake, one of Kashmir's main tourist attractions, in Srinagar, India July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Altaf Hussain/File Photo

By Fayaz Bukhari

SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - A tourist couple was injured in India's Kashmir after militants fired on them late on Saturday night, police said, ahead of voting scheduled in the volatile region for India's ongoing election.

The couple from the Indian city of Jaipur was evacuated to the hospital and the area where the attack took place was cordoned off, Kashmir police said on social media. The condition of the injured tourists is said to be stable, they said.

India is in the middle of a marathon election with the remaining two seats in Kashmir going to polls on May 20 and May 25.

Voters turned out in large numbers for polling in the first seat in Srinagar on May 13, reversing the trend of low vote counts in the first polls since Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed the region's semi-autonomy in 2019.

Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is skipping elections in Kashmir for the first time since 1996 saying it will support regional parties instead.

Major parties in Kashmir, the National Conference and People's Democratic Party (PDP), have focused on restoration of semi-autonomy in their campaigns.

Analysts and opposition parties say the BJP is not contesting elections in Kashmir because it fears the outcome will contradict its narrative of a more peaceful and integrated region since 2019.

In a separate incident, unknown militants shot dead former village headman and BJP party member Ajiaz Ahmad Sheikh in Shopian district on Saturday.

The last major attack on tourists in Kashmir had happened in 2017 when a Hindu pilgrimage bus was targeted, killing eight people.

(Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari in Srinagar, writing by Swati Bhat, editing by Lincoln Feast)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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1 Killed, Jaipur Couple Injured In Kashmir Twin Attacks Ahead Of Polling

Former sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh was shot at at Hurpura village in Shopian district. He later died in hospital. A couple from Rajasthan was also injured in a separate incident in Anantnag.

A former sarpanch was killed and a couple from Rajasthan was injured in firing by terrorists in two separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, two days before polling.

The country is in the middle of a marathon six-week general election. Four rounds are over, three more remain. The votes will be counted on June 4. 

"He (sarpanch) was shifted to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Terrorists also fired at a tourist couple from Jaipur identified as Tabriz and his wife Farha in the Yannar area of Anantnag district. The injured couple has been shifted to the hospital for treatment. The area has been cordoned off for searches," said an official.

The back-to-back attacks come at a time when campaigning for the parliamentary polls in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat is going on.

Voting for the Udhampur and Jammu seats concluded on April 19 and 26, respectively, while in Srinagar, voting was done on May 13. The Baramulla seat will vote on May 20, while the Anantnag-Rajouri seat will vote on May 25.

Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, including the National Conference, PDP and the BJP, condemned the attacks.

Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, said on X, "While we condemn the attack in Pahalgam today that resulted in injuries to two tourists followed by another attack on a (former) sarpanch in Hirpora, Shopian - the timing of these attacks given that the south election was delayed without any reason is a cause of concern. Especially keeping in mind normalcy claims touted by GOI (Government of India)."

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah also condemned the terror attacks.

"They have said that such acts of brutality remain a serious impediment to achieving long-term peace in J-K. They urged all communities to come together in these challenging times and support efforts towards lasting harmony. Their thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult period," a statement from the party said.

The BJP in a statement said, "We strongly condemn the killing of ex-sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh in Hirpora, Shopian, South Kashmir, by terrorists today." "Aijaz Ahmad was a brave soldier of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP firmly stands with the family of Aijaz Ahmad, who lost his life in this terror attack," it said.

Late last month, a government employee was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in a targeted attack as he came out of a mosque at Shadra Sharief area of Rajouri. He died of his injuries in a hospital.

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On April 17, a migrant worker from Bihar was shot dead by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

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Ex-BJP sarpanch killed in Kashmir was asked for ID before being gunned down by militants

Relatives of jaipur couple who were injured in another attack pray they make it: ‘their twin children hid under a table’.

Even as a large number of people turned up Sunday for the funeral of a former sarpanch associated with the BJP who was shot dead by militants at his home in Shopian, family members of a tourist couple from Jaipur, who were injured in a separate attack in Pahalgam, continued to pray for their recovery after both underwent surgeries.

Officials said while the condition of the husband remains critical, his wife is stable but under observation. The couple’s 5-year-old twins escaped unhurt in the attack but were in a state of shock, their family members said in Jaipur.

The couple — Tabrez and wife Farha – were moved from the Government Medical College in Anantnag to the Army’s 92 base hospital in Badamibagh Cantonment, Srinagar, Sunday.

Relatives of former sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh , a resident of Herpora village in Shopian, said gunmen barged into his house Saturday night and fired at him. “We heard some gunshots but stayed inside out of fear,” said a relative. “A few minutes later, his wife came wailing. She said Ajaz has been shot at. Sometime later, Army and police arrived and we took him to hospital. The doctors said that he was dead.”

Police sources said the gunmen asked Sheikh for his identity and then opened fire from point blank range. “He was hit by eight bullets,” said a police officer. “The bullets hit him in his chest and abdomen.”

On Sunday morning, as Sheikh’s body arrived in his village, hundreds of people came out to attend his last rites. The villagers praised Sheikh’s work as a sarpanch. Elected sarpanch five years ago, his term ended in January this year. Associated with the BJP , a video of Sheikh praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for development efforts had gone viral recently.

The attack on him came barely 15 minutes after unidentified gunmen in a two-wheeler fired at tourist couple Tabrez and Farah in Pahalgam.

At their home Pathanon ka Chowk in Jaipur, Tabrez’s father Aslam Khan said both his sons along with their families and 50 others from the locality were on a 10-day trip to Kashmir.

He said he was having dinner Saturday night when his elder son called to inform about the attack on Tabrez and Farah around 8.30 pm.

“The family was returning to the hotel at night. Tabrez and Farah along with their children were walking behind when suddenly terrorists on a bike started shooting. A bullet ran through my son’s eye and nose while Farah received a bullet on her shoulder,” said Khan.

“The children were shocked and hid under a table nearby. Others in the group also hid in a shelter. When the shooting stopped, they came out to help the two. After around 30 minutes, the military arrived and they were taken to hospital.”

Aslam said the daughter of the couple is so shocked that she has stopped speaking. The tourist group is now trying to return to Jaipur.

Tabrez’s mother Majida has not had any food since Saturday night after getting to know of the attack.

A relative said Farah and Tabarez have been married for 15 years. The twins were born after previous complications.

Farah’s mother Afzal Bano said she is praying for her daughter and son-in-law. “If anything happens to them, who will look after the children? I cannot imagine what the children must have gone through.”

She said she had a word with our daughter Sunday morning before she underwent a surgery. “She was crying,” said Bano.

Farah’s father Shaukat Khan appealed to the state government to help at least two persons from the family to visit Kashmir to take care of the children.

He said they want all of them to return to Jaipur. “We cannot keep an eye on the progress of their health from Jaipur. If they arrive home, we can take care of them. We cannot tell you how thankful we are that they have not lost their life,” said Shaukat.

Condemning the twin attacks, Lt-Governor Manoj Sinha Sunday said the government has given a free hand to J&K Police and security forces to “crush terrorists and their associates”.

“I am deeply shocked at the terrorist attack and the brutal killing of former sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh. He was an exemplary grassroots leader and will be remembered for his selfless service to the people. … The heinous attack on tourists at Pahalgam is also distressing,” Lt-Governor Sinha said.

Elections in South Kashmir for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat will be held on May 25. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Vijay Kumar and CRPF Inspector General Ganender Verma visited Pahalgam and Shopian, respectively, to review the security situation.

Mainstream political leaders in the Valley also condemned the attacks.

“I have said it time and again that these people in Delhi say that Article 370 was responsible for terrorism. How many years have passed since 370 has been abrogated? Has terrorism ended? Ask them who reign in Delhi,” National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said. “An innocent sarpanch of BJP was killed. Didn’t he have a right to live? This is a free country. Anybody can be with any party.”

Abdullah also cautioned Pakistan. “I want to tell our neighbour Pakistan that peace will not come till terrorism remains,” he said. “Stop this terrorism and then the two countries will sit and talk.”

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J&K terror attacks: BJP leader killed, couple injured; Farooq Abdullah says ‘terrorism still exists, no matter which…'

A bjp leader was killed and a tourist couple from jaipur was injured in two separate terror attacks in jammu and kashmir on saturday.

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was killed, and a tourist couple from Jaipur was injured in two separate terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir 's Shopian and Anantnag on Saturday. The terrorist attacks in J&K were nearly two days ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in Baramulla.

Terrorists began firing at an open tourist camp near Pahalgam, injuring couple Farha and Tabrez on Saturday. Meanwhile, former BJP Sarpanch Aijaz Sheikh was shot dead by terrorists in Shopian's Hirpora last night.

Jammu and Kashmir terror attack: Top 10 updates

-Farha and her husband Tabrez from Rajasthan were injured when terrorists attacked an open tourist camp at Yannar in Anantnag. The two were evacuated to a hospital, and the Kashmir Zone Police updated on X.

Also Read: Kashmir News: BJP will contest on all 90 assembly seats of J&K, says Amit Shah in Srinagar

-"Terrorists fired upon and injured a woman, Farha, a resident of Jaipur (in Rajasthan) and her spouse Tabrez at Yannar in Anantnag. The injured couple was evacuated to a hospital for treatment. The area has been cordoned off. Further details shall follow," the Kashmir Zone Police posted on X.

-Within half an hour of the attack on tourists, former sarpanch, Aijaz Sheikh, was shot dead in Shopian's Hirpora around 10:30 pm, reported PTI citing officials.

-The BJP leader was severely injured and was brought to hospital after the attack. However, he succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

Also Read: India on PoK protests: 'Consequence of Pakistan's policy of systemic plunder'

-The security officials have begun their search operation, and the area was cordoned off after the attack. Notably, the attacks in Anantnag and Rajouri have come amid campaigning for the parliamentary polls.

-Several political leaders from the BJP, National Conference, and PDP have condemned the attacks. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed concern over the timing of these attacks as “the south election was delayed without any reason."

-"Terrorism still exists here...no matter which party member he (BJP leader and ex-Sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh) belonged to, targeting somebody, this needs to be investigated whether he was killed by terrorists or people here...before pointing fingers at somebody, it needs to be investigated fast...tourists were also attacked in Pahalgam...this is a tragedy, it is affecting our tourism industry," JKNC Chief Farooq Abdullah told ANI.

-“While we condemn the attack in Pahalgam today that resulted in injuries to two tourists followed by another attack on a (former) sarpanch in Hirpora, Shopian - the timing of these attacks given that the south election was delayed without any reason is a cause of concern. Especially keeping in mind normalcy claims touted by GOI (Government of India)," wrote the PDP president on X. Mehbooba Mufti is contesting general elections from the Anantnag-Rajouri seat.

- National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah has also criticised the terrorist attacks in the region amid general elections.

"They have said that such acts of brutality remain a serious impediment to achieving long-term peace in J-K. They urged all communities to unite in these challenging times and support efforts towards lasting harmony. Their thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult period," a statement from the party said.

-"We strongly condemn the killing of ex-sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh in Hirpora, Shopian, South Kashmir, by terrorists today," the BJP said in a statement.

-Lok Sabha elections in Baramulla seat are set to take place on Monday, whereas Anantnag will go to polls on May 25. The change in polling date was made after a few political parties raised concerns over weather conditions, reported PTI.

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Tourist couple injured, sarpanch killed in back-to-back terror attacks in Kashmir; search operation launched

A tourist couple was injured and a former BJP sarpanch was killed in a terrorist attack in Kashmir on May 18 in two separate terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian and Anantnag districts, respectively. It was the first attack on tourists this year. 

In the first incident, the terrorists opened fire at Aijaz Sheikh, a former BJP sarpanch, in Shopian’s Hirpora area at around 10.30 pm who later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital. 

In another incident, a couple from Jaipur were injured when terrorists opened fire at a tourist camp in UT’s Anantnag district. 

“Terrorists fired upon and injured a lady, Farha, a resident of Jaipur, and her spouse, Tabrez, at Yannar, Anantnag. The injured were evacuated to the hospital for treatment. The area was cordoned off,” Kashmir Zone Police tweeted. 

The areas in Anantnag and Shopian have been cordoned off and search operations have been launched to nab the attackers, officials said. The back-to-back attacks come at a time when campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections is going on in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat. Voting in Baramulla will be held on May 20. 

All political parties in Jammu and Kashmir condemned the attacks. 

“While we condemn the attack in Pahalgam today that resulted in injuries to two tourists followed by another attack on a (former) sarpanch in Hirpora, Shopian - the timing of these attacks given that the south election was delayed without any reason is a cause of concern. Especially keeping in mind normalcy claims touted by GOI (Government of India),” former CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, wrote in a post on X (formally Twitter). 

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah also condemned the terror attacks. 

“Such acts of brutality remain a serious impediment to achieving long-term peace in J-K. We urge all communities to come together in these challenging times and support efforts towards lasting harmony. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult period,” a statement from the party said. 

The BJP condemned the killing of its ex-sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh. 

“Aijaz Ahmad was a brave soldier of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP firmly stands with the family of Aijaz Ahmad, who lost his life in this terror attack,” it said. 

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Jammu and Kashmir: Ex-sarpanch killed, tourist couple injured in separate militant attacks

The former sarpanch was attacked in the shopian district, while the tourist couple sustained bullet injuries near pahalgam..

A former sarpanch was killed and a tourist couple was injured in two separate militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, The Hindu reported.

The police said that militants fired at the former sarpanch, Ajaz Ahmad Sheikh, at his home in Shopian’s Hurpora area. He later succumbed to his injuries.

Sheikh was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Sajid Yousuf Shah, the head of the BJP’s media department in Kashmir, said that the party firmly stands with his family, Greater Kashmir reported.

In the Anantnag district’s Yannar area, a woman named Farha and her husband Tabrez – both of whom hail from Jaipur – were injured in firing by militants on Saturday, the police said . The couple was reportedly attacked near the tourist destination of Pahalgam.

Farha and Tabrez have been sent to a hospital, and the area where the attack took place has been cordoned off.

The attack near Pahalgam took place days before Lok Sabha elections in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, scheduled for May 25. The seat was originally slated to go to polls on May 7 , but the election was rescheduled on the grounds of logistical and communication-related difficulties.

On Saturday, Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said: “While we condemn the attack in Pahalgam today that resulted in injuries to two tourists followed by another attack on a sarpanch in Hurpora, Shopian – the timing of these attacks given that the South election was delayed without any reason is a cause of concern. Especially keeping in mind normalcy claims touted by [the Centre].”

While we condemn the attack in Pahalgam today that resulted in injuries to two tourists followed by another attack on a sarpanch in Hurpora, Shopian - the timing of these attacks given that the South election was delayed without any reason is a cause of concern. Especially… https://t.co/rEa7SMpBGZ — Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 18, 2024

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah said that such acts of brutality constitute a serious impediment to achieving long-term peace in Jammu and Kashmir.

“[The two leaders] urged all communities to come together in these challenging times and support efforts towards lasting harmony,” the party said.

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Top Lashkar commander among two killed in encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama

Security forces killed a top lashkar-e-taiba commander and his associate in an encounter in jammu and kashmir's pulwama on monday..

Listen to Story

• Security forces killed two top Lashkar terrorists in J-K's Pulwama
• Lashkar commander Riyaz Shethri, his associate Rayees Dar killed in gunfight
• It's 'crippling blow' Lashkar's South Kashmir activities, officials say

Two top terrorists associated with the Pakistan-based outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on Monday, officials said.

The killed terrorists have been identified as Kashmir Valley operational commander Riyaz Shethri and his associate Rayees Dar.

Riyaz had been active since 2015 and was categorised as A+ for his role in more than 20 terror-related incidents, including targeted killings, grenade attacks, and terror recruitment, officials said. He had a bounty of 10 lakh rupees on his head.

By Hari Kumar and Mujib Mashal

Hari Kumar reported from Srinagar, Kashmir, and Mujib Mashal from New Delhi.

SRINAGAR, Kashmir — They come for the biggest tulip garden on the continent. They come for the snow-capped Himalayas. They come for the lakes. They come for the natural beauty that over time has enchanted Hindu kings, Mughal emperors, British colonialists and millions of regular people.

Tourists have returned in droves to Jammu and Kashmir, in what India calls a sign of how it has turned things around in the disputed region, where violent separatists have been active for decades. Three years ago, in a stunning move , India’s Hindu nationalist government cemented control of the Muslim-majority area, saying that would finally bring peace.

“The region was a terrorist hot spot,” Amit Shah, India’s powerful home minister and a key lieutenant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said recently. “Now it has become a tourist hot spot.”

But what lures visitors to the area offers only a brief escape for many residents, who remain stuck in an old cycle of fear, desperation and uncertainty.

At the tulip garden in Srinagar early this summer, Suhail Ahmad Bhat, a fruit seller from the nearby town of Baramulla, was taking in the beauty of a million flowers. “I feel good in the garden. But outside the garden, there is a sense of fear — lots of checkpoints, lots of guns,” Mr. Bhat said. “There is no mental peace.”

Like much of the rest of the world, Kashmir is emerging from the pandemic. But starting in late 2019, it also had to endure a different kind of lockdown, enforced aggressively by the Indian military. A punishing embargo cut off communications to the outside world as New Delhi revoked the state’s semiautonomous status and put local political leaders — even those long friendly to India — under house arrest .

For now, there is a new normal in the Kashmir Valley, the most restive part of the region, according to opposition leaders, analysts, residents and officials, more than a dozen of whom gave interviews. They say it is predicated on a heavy military presence that is quick to jail dissenting voices. With no avenues for democratic expression, many Kashmiris find themselves in the uneasy limbo that exists between a militarized state and militant separatism.

The heavy and constant surveillance has reduced the number of terror attacks, but a wave of assassinations of minority Hindus and the continued recruitment of militants suggest that the root cause of the problem — a separatist militancy that feeds on local grievances about the heavy-handedness of the Indian state — bubbles underneath.

The attacks on the Kashmiri Pandits, the local Hindu community, have forced many families to leave the region in large numbers, a painful reminder of an earlier migration.

The Hindu exodus from Kashmir in the 1990s came during the peak of the separatist militancy. Thousands of people were killed and tourism largely dried up. But as the situation in the valley improved, tourism picked up a decade later.

To bring in more visitors, officials in Srinagar set up the tulip garden in 2007. It is laid out across 30 hectares of land between Dal Lake, which is famous for its houseboats, and the Zabarwan hills. It has flowers in more than a dozen colors, and 68 varieties of tulips — from parade to Texas Gold — that bloom for a month early in the summer.

The garden is again drawing visitors after a recent cease-fire on the nearby Pakistan border, and amid a hunger for post-pandemic travel. The number of tourists in the Kashmir Valley, the government says, has increased to more than two million this year, a threefold jump from the previous year.

“The colors are so beautiful,” said P. Venkateswaran, who was visiting the garden with his wife, Chitra, from the southern city of Bangalore. “It’s magical.”

Shopkeepers and business owners say the reduction in political strikes — a regular feature of Kashmir’s messy politics — and the decline in large-scale violence have meant less disruption to business. But they pointed to a high rate of unemployment and low demand for goods to counter the government’s claims that it had ushered billions of dollars in new investment into the valley.

For Tanveer Khan, a master’s degree in commerce hasn’t helped with job prospects. He now runs a small garment shop, and he sees a bleak future.

“Firing, crackdown, grenades, arrests, bloodshed — I spent my childhood in that,” Mr. Khan said. “I wish my children do not see that life. But I do not see any hope.”

That view was rejected by Altaf Thakur, a spokesman for Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in Jammu and Kashmir. “Fear is almost negligible. Very few militants are left who, like cowards, carry out some targeted acts,” he said, adding that it will take time for the government’s investments to show returns.

“Development is taking place in every village and every town,” he said. “Roads are being constructed, electric lines are being changed, big projects are being constructed.”

In the meantime, free speech in Kashmir has also suffered. Many journalists and activists have been jailed over the past three years, often under laws that make bail difficult to obtain. Others report frequent harassment by the authorities, to the point where some of them have left the valley or abandoned their work.

“It is difficult to work now,” said Parveena Ahanger, who leads an association of parents protesting on behalf of thousands of youths who have disappeared in recent decades. “I am fighting for the past 30 years, I will not leave this fight.”

Kashmir has been disputed between India and Pakistan since the departing British colonial rulers partitioned India into the two countries in 1947. While a part of Kashmir is controlled by Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir joined the Indian union as a state through an agreement that gave it a level of autonomy.

It was this semiautonomous status that Mr. Modi revoked in 2019, fulfilling a longtime wish of his Hindu right-wing support base. The government has divided the former state into two separate “union territories,” Jammu and Kashmir as one, and Ladakh, along the border with China, the other — each directly ruled by separate administrators appointed by New Delhi.

Democracy in the region remains suspended. A challenge to the constitutionality of Mr. Modi’s move continues to go unheard at India’s Supreme Court, which critics say increasingly favors the government. Mr. Modi’s officials say Jammu and Kashmir will get to elect members of the legislative assembly in the future, but it is unclear if and when the status of full statehood in India’s federal system will be restored. One official pointed to the state of Punjab, riven by insurgency in the 1980s, to argue that “nation building” is a slow process and takes time.

“Peace is what every Kashmiri wants, but peace with dignity,” said Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister of Kashmir, who formed the state’s last government in coalition with Mr. Modi’s party. “Not this kind of peace where you are scared to open your mouth.”

Ms. Mufti was among the leaders put under house arrest three years ago. She and several other politicians in Kashmir said the government continued to restrict their movement, parking security vehicles outside their homes and sometimes even putting locks on their gates.

Since New Delhi took control, there has been a significant reduction in infiltration of militants from Pakistan, government data show, and a slight drop in terror incidents. But the number of civilian deaths, about 40 a year, has remained largely unchanged.

Officials in Kashmir have put the number of active militants in the valley below 100.

Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi, the leader of the Indian Army’s northern command, which includes Kashmir, said the support for militancy from across the border now consists of the smuggling of grenades, pistols, and drugs — some of which are dropped by drones that fly over from the Pakistani side.

“Whatever is happening is very little and we are trying to reduce it even further,” he said.

But for many residents, the calm is an uneasy one.

Irfan Abbas, a chartered accountant who was at the tulip garden with a group of friends, was weary of the new normal.

“So much suppression, so much depression,” Mr. Abbas said. “It is like a volcanic situation — it can explode any time.”

Hari Kumar is a reporter in the New Delhi bureau. He joined The Times in 1997. More about Hari Kumar

Mujib Mashal is The Times’s bureau chief for South Asia. Born in Kabul, he wrote for magazines including The Atlantic, Harper’s and Time before joining The Times. More about Mujib Mashal

The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

Historic 109-year-old temple, tied to kashmir's royal family, gutted in fire.

A 109-year-old Shiva temple, Mohinishwar Shivalaya Shiv Mandir, was a famous tourist attraction in Gulmarg. It was maintained by Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh and featured in Bollywood movies, including the song 'Jai Jai Shiv Shankar' from 'Aap Ki Kasam'.

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