Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Angry Sikhs march in Indian Kashmir after teachers shot

Angry Sikhs march in Indian Kashmir after teachers shot

Hundreds of Sikhs in Indian-administered Kashmir marched on Friday at the funeral of a teacher from the minority group killed by suspected anti-Indian militants along with a member of the region's Hindu community.

Supinder Kour, 46, was shot dead with colleague Deepak Chand in their school on Thursday, the third in a series of attacks claimed by the Resistance Front (TRF) rebel group this week that have left seven civilians dead.


The killings in the restive territory drew wide condemnation from residents in Kashmir and across India as well as politicians from all sides.

Angry members of the Sikh community carried Kour's body wrapped in a white shroud along a main street in Srinagar, shouting religious slogans and demanding justice.

They were joined by a handful of Muslim residents, who form the majority in the region. Sikhs make up around two percent.

Officials say 28 civilians, including two labourers, have been killed by anti-India militants this year so far, 21 of them Muslims.

Many residents say the condemnations for civilian killings are selective and often tied to the victims' religion.

On Thursday a resident was shot dead by security forces when his car failed to stop at a checkpoint in southern Kashmir valley, police said.

The rebel group TRF in its statements accused the seven who were killed of working as "occupier mercenary forces and occupier stooges", warning that those in the employ of the Indian security forces would not be spared.

"These teachers had on 15 August harassed and warned the parents with dire consequences if any student didn't attend the occupier regime's 15th August filthy (sic) function at their school," said the latest statement issued in English language by TRF on Thursday, referring to celebrations for India's independence day in schools across the disputed territory.

Ahead of the national day, orders issued by the local government asked thousands of teachers to organise events around the national flag in a bid to root out deep-running anti-Indian sentiment in the region.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947, with both claiming the Himalayan region in full.

For over three decades rebel groups have been fighting Indian soldiers, demanding independence for Kashmir or its merger with Pakistan.

Tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and rebels have died in the fighting.

The region has been subjected to a legislative blitz since August 2019, when New Delhi scrapped its semi-autonomy, applying new laws and scrapping others, sparking a new wave of semiring anger.

More For You

Brothers deny assaulting police during Manchester Airport brawl

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Brothers deny assaulting police during Manchester Airport brawl

TWO brothers accused of assaulting a man inside a Starbucks and later attacking police officers at Manchester Airport are standing trial, with the prosecution arguing they used "unlawful and extreme violence".

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and his older brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, both from Rochdale, are said to have acted aggressively on July 23 last year while at the airport to pick up their mother, who had arrived on a flight from Qatar.

Keep ReadingShow less
Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less