Srinagar:

A gangster was gunned down and a police officer died of injuries in a shootout at Government Medical College in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua, police said. Sub-Inspector Deepak Sharma was critically injured last evening after an encounter with gangsters on the medical college premises. A special police officer was also injured in the encounter.

According to reports, members of a gang known as Shunoo Group, reportedly led by one Vasudev, were chased by a police team. The gangsters drove their car into the medical college campus, where police cornered them.

In the encounter that followed, a gangster was gunned down. Sub-inspector Sharma was critically injured after a bullet injury on this head. After preliminary care at Kathua, the injured officer was shifted to Pathankot in Punjab. He died this morning, officials said.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has paid tribute to the officer. “I salute the valour and indomitable courage of PSI Deepak Sharma, who made supreme sacrifice while valiantly fighting and neutralising a most-wanted gangster in Kathua. His supreme sacrifice will remain etched in our hearts. Deepest condolences to the family of martyr Deepak Sharma,” he said.

Mr Sinha said every drop of blood of the fallen officer will be avenged. “The nation stands in solidarity with (the) martyr’s family and @JmuKmrPolice, whose dedication, resilience & courage in battling variety of challenges and adversaries continue to inspire us. Every drop of blood of our martyr will be avenged and we are committed to create a fear-free J&K,” he said.

“The Jammu and Kashmir administration has approved 10% reservation in favour of four newly added tribes, taking the overall reservation for the Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Union Territory to 20%,” an official spokesman said.

“The administration has also approved the addition of 15 new castes in the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and enhancement of reservation in favour of the OBCs to 8%,” the spokesman said on March 15.

In February, the Parliament passed two Bills providing reservation to the OBCs in local bodies and addition of four more communities — Gadda Brahmin, Koli, Paddari Tribe and Pahari Ethnic group — to the list of the STs in Jammu and Kashmir.

The spokesman said the administrative council which met, in Jammu, under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha approved the proposal of Social Welfare Department to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005, in light of Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2023, Constitution (Jammu & Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Act, 2024, Constitution (Jammu & Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Act, 2024 and recommendations of Jammu and Kashmir Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Commission, 2020.

“In light of addition of four new tribes i.e. Pahari Ethnic Group, Paddari Tribe, Kolis and Gadda Brahmins, to the Scheduled Tribes Order as applicable to the J&K by the Parliament, the administrative council approved 10% reservation in favour of the newly added tribes taking the overall reservation for STs to 20%,” the spokesman said.

In order to ensure that both already notified and now newly added tribes get benefits of reservation equally and separately, the administrative council approved an equal and separate percentage of reservation for them — 10% each.

“The administrative council also approved the addition of 15 new castes in the OBCs and enhancement of reservation in favour of the OBCs to 8%, which will meet the long-pending demand of the OBC category in the Union Territory,” the spokesman said.

He said the administrative council also approved change in nomenclature and synonymy of some castes as recommended by the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission (SEBC) Commission.

“Approval was also accorded to replace the term physically-challenged persons or handicapped wherever appearing in the rules with the term Persons with Disabilities in conformity with the provisions of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016,” the spokesman said.

He said the amendments shall fulfill the long-pending demands of these communities regarding their right to adequate representation in government jobs and professional courses, which they stood hitherto deprived of due to their social, educational and economic backwardness.

Jammu and Kashmir:

Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha on Saturday said that there has been a “change in people’s thinking” in the Union Territory and people “want peace and tranquillity”.

He also said that “development can happen when there is peace in a region”.

Speaking at an event, he said, “The situation here has changed a lot due to the cooperation of people. There is a change in people’s thinking as well and they want there should be peace and tranquility…Development can happen when there is peace in a region…”

Earlier this month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the erstwhile state has attained new heights in development and growth after the abrogation of Article 370 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Central government has defended its decision to abrogate Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir saying post the changes, street violence, which was engineered and orchestrated by terrorists and secessionist networks has now become a thing of the past.

Since 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated, the entire region has witnessed an “unprecedented era of peace, progress and prosperity”, Centre said during a hearing in the Supreme Court earlier this year.

After the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir life has returned to normalcy there after three decades of turmoil, the Centre in its affidavit told the Supreme Court.

A number of petitions were filed in the top court including those of private individuals, lawyers, activists politicians and political parties challenging the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which splits Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

It has been said that schools, colleges and universities have been functioning without any strikes during the last three years.

On August 5, 2019, the Central government announced the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir granted under Article 370 and split the region into two Union territories.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)