Vaishno Devi Ancient Cave Road: On the occasion of Makar Sankranti, the Vaishno Devi temple administration has reopened the ancient cave route for devotees to visit. A big good news has been received before the festival for the devotees coming to Vaishno Devi.

This decision has been taken keeping in mind the devotees coming to Katra, so that the crowd is controlled. This ancient route is spiritually very important and will provide a more profound pilgrimage experience.

Ancient cave route opened for devotees to visit

With the opening of the ancient route to Maa Vaishno Devi Dham in Katra, Jammu, devotees can once again reach the sanctum sanctorum through the historical cave route and can also have darshan of the holy Pindis.

On January 14, 2026, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, the temple administration has opened the ancient cave route for pilgrims. This path is very special from spiritual point of view for the devotees of Mata Vaishno Devi.

With the reopening of the ancient route, pilgrims will be able to take advantage of the darshan of the sacred bodies through the ancient cave. It is expected that this decision will prove helpful in controlling the increasing crowd of pilgrims during busy days. Along with this, devotees will also be able to take advantage of this revered traditional route.

#WATCH | Katra, Jammu and Kashmir: On the occasion of Makar Sankranti, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) reopened the old cave at the Holy Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji. The reopening was marked by special rituals and prayers, accompanied by Vedic chanting.… pic.twitter.com/OfPzG8whi6

— ANI (@ANI) January 14, 2026

How many people did Vaishno Devi Yatra in the year 2025?

Last year 2025 saw fluctuations in the number of devotees coming to Vaishno Devi. According to the information available on the internet, last year more than 70 lakh devotees visited Mata Vaishno Rani, in which a huge crowd was seen on Chaitra Navratri and New Year.

In 2026, on the occasion of New Year, a huge crowd was seen to visit Vaishno Devi, which included more than 40 thousand devotees on the first day of the year.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is based only on assumptions and information. It is important to mention here that ABPLive.com Does not constitute any endorsement or verification of information. Before implementing any information or belief, consult the concerned expert.

Pakistan is making repeated attempts to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir. On Tuesday (January 13, 2026), 5 Pakistani drones were once again seen on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kerry sector of Rajouri district of Jammu, after which the security forces resorted to counter firing.

According to sources, the first of Pakistan’s five drones was seen crossing the Line of Control (LoC) into the Indian border around 7:30 pm on Tuesday (January 13). After this, four other Pakistani drones were seen around 8:30 pm.

Pakistani balloon recovered from Kathua district of Jammu

At the same time, a Pakistani balloon was recovered on Monday (January 12, 2026) in Paharpur area of ​​Kathua district of Jammu. The incident of recovery of Pakistani balloon very close to the international border is being considered very sensitive from security point of view.

When the local people of Paharpur area of ​​Kathua saw the Pakistani balloon, they immediately informed Jammu and Kashmir Police and security agencies. After this, the security forces team reached the spot, took possession of the balloon and started investigating the incident.

Satellite phone was detected in Kanachak, Jammu

At the same time, this incident came to light on Sunday (January 11, 2026), two days after a satellite phone was detected. In fact, on Sunday (January 11), security forces had detected a satellite phone in Kanachak sector adjacent to the international border of Pakistan. There was a stir after a satellite phone was found near the international border. After which the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jammu and Kashmir Police jointly conducted a search operation in the Karnataka sector and its surrounding areas.

Continuous attempts to infiltrate into Indian border

There is continuous infiltration and attempts by Pakistan to breach the security along the International Border and Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan. Suspected drones and balloons of Pakistan have been recovered for three consecutive days in the areas around the International Border. In such a situation, India’s security forces and security agencies are constantly on alert and are engaged in investigation to get to the bottom of these matters.

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How many mosques are there in Jammu and Kashmir, where do they get the money from, where does that money go, who takes care of those mosques, what is their ideology, what is their relation with any other country in the world. These are some such basic questions, regarding which the Jammu and Kashmir Police has started a survey of the entire mosques there. The objective is clear that Jammu and Kashmir Police should have even the smallest data of every mosque in the state, but the question is why? After all, this situation came because Jammu and Kashmir Police has to know everything about every mosque. Has the police launched such a campaign for the first time or has such a survey been conducted earlier also. After all, what does the central government want to achieve through this survey?

The wires of the blast that took place near the Red Fort in Delhi in November 2024 were also found connected to a mosque in Jammu and Kashmir. This was a module of Jaish-e-Mohammed, which operated from a mosque in the Kashmir Valley. Since this revelation, Jammu and Kashmir Police was keeping an eye on every mosque in the state. Sometimes formally and sometimes informally, the police was collecting information related to its mosques, but now the police has issued a four-page form and has given it to every mosque committee of the state. In this, one page is related to the mosque and the remaining three pages are related to the people of the mosque committee.

Police wants to know the answers to these questions on the front page

• What is the capacity of the mosque, what is its cost, what is its monthly expenditure, where does that money come from?
• What is the account number of the mosque?
• Does the mosque have any other land or any other property?
• If there is land, then whose land is it, whether it belongs to the state government, Waqf, ownership or co-ownership?
• How many floors does the mosque have, what is its area?
• What is the ideology of the mosque? Is he Deobandi, Barelvi, Hanafi or Ahl-e-Hadith?
• Who is the Imam of the mosque, who is the Muezzin, who is the Khateeb and who is the Baitul Maal. Who are included in the management committee?

The Imam of a mosque is the person who leads namaz in the mosque. Khateeb is the person who leads Friday prayers and recites Takreer. Muezzin is the person who calls the worshipers during namaz. Bait-ul-Maal is the person who looks after the money spent on the welfare works related to the mosque. Out of the four pages of the police, three pages are for collecting information about these people. The police want to know that

• What is the mobile number of the people associated with the mosque like Imam, Muezzin, Khatib and Bait-ul-Maal?
• What is the model number and IMEI number of the handset they use?
• What are the details of the social media handles of the people associated with the mosque. What is mail id? How far is your education?
• His passport number, his complete details
• What is their debit card and credit card number and its complete details?
• Complete details of his voter ID card, driving license and Aadhar-PAN card.
• What is his ration card number, its complete details?
• Complete information about Imam, Muezzin, Khatib and family of Bait Ul Mal. Who is there in the house? Whose relatives live where? If you are abroad, where are you and what are you doing?
• Complete information about foreign travel of people who are associated with the mosque. Which country did you go to, where did you go, why did you go, when did you go?
• All the people associated with the mosque, whether they are Imam, Muezzin, Khateeb or Bait ul Maal or anyone else, everyone will have to tell the source of their income, how much money they earn in a month, where they earn it from, where they spend it and how much property they have, if there is land, then what is its estimated value?

That means Jammu and Kashmir Police needs every small and big information in writing about every person associated with the mosque. Because of this, now people associated with the mosque are also seeing it as interference in religious freedom. While the police officials are avoiding saying anything in this matter, the people who are affected by this survey are also not ready to open their mouths.

Severe cold continues in North India. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), snowfall will continue at higher places in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir from today (January 13) till the end of this week. Due to the effect of snowy and westerly cold winds coming from the hilly areas, the minimum temperature will be seen falling in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, due to which the chill will increase further.

Yellow alert issued in Delhi
The temperature in the capital Delhi is continuously creating new records. The lowest minimum temperature recorded in the last 2 days in 13 years was 3 degrees Celsius, which is about 5 degrees Celsius less than normal. The mercury in Palam has reached minus 2.5 degrees Celsius, causing severe cold. Cold wave conditions are likely to persist for the next two days. Due to this, the minimum temperature may fall further in many areas of the capital. The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert in view of the cold.

Weather changed in UP
Now in Uttar Pradesh, it is bitterly cold in the morning and evening because the sun is coming out in the afternoon. There is melting due to wind blowing in the morning and evening. There is a possibility of light fog in and around Lucknow in the morning. Light to moderate fog was seen in Purvanchal and Western UP. According to the Meteorological Department, fog may return now.

The weather has changed in UP after the passing of western disturbance. There was light to moderate fog in different areas in Lucknow on Monday morning. However, as the day progressed, the sun shone brightly. Due to changed weather and north-westerly winds, the day temperature was recorded at 21.6 degrees Celsius while the night temperature was 6.6 degrees Celsius. Today the maximum temperature of Lucknow can be 20 and the minimum temperature can be 7 degree Celsius.

Cold wave warning in which districts?
At some places in western Uttar Pradesh, cold wave conditions have arisen due to the minimum temperature falling below 4 degrees Celsius. In the absence of any significant change in it during the next 48 hours, there is a possibility of frost along with cold wave in the districts of Agra, Aligarh, Meerut, Saharanpur, Moradabad and Rohilkhand of Western Uttar Pradesh.

Severe cold in Rajasthan
Cold wave continues to wreak havoc in Rajasthan. The minimum temperature was recorded at minus 2 degrees in Pratapgarh and minus 1 degree in Barmer. According to IMD, 1.5 degree temperature was recorded in Pilani, 1.2 degree in Sikar, 1.5 degree in Lunkaransar of Bikaner, 2 degree in Jhunjhunu and 2 degree in Churu. The minimum temperature remained below 10 degrees Celsius at most places in the state. It is likely to be around 8 degrees in the capital Jaipur.

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An encounter has started between Indian security forces and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists on Wednesday (January 7, 2026) in Bilwar in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. According to sources, fierce firing is taking place in the forests of Dhanu Parol in Bilwar. Actually, security forces had received information about some terrorists hiding in the area, after which a search operation was being conducted by the Indian security forces. During this search operation, terrorists and security forces came face to face and the terrorists started firing.

This action of Indian security forces on terrorists is being considered as the first major encounter of 2026. These terrorists had martyred four Kathua Police personnel on March 26, 2025 last year and were absconding for the last 9 months. In such a situation, when the security forces got information about the terrorists, the army cordoned off the entire area and conducted a search operation.

Last year, four soldiers of Jammu and Kashmir Police were martyred.

Actually, the terrorists of Pakistan’s terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed had carried out the ambush on March 26, 2025. Four soldiers of Jammu and Kashmir Police were martyred in this terrorist attack. Since then, Jammu and Kashmir Police and security agencies were busy searching for these Pakistani terrorists.

Terrorists were constantly changing their locations

Jaish terrorists were constantly changing their locations to avoid the attention of security forces. After this, he had made his base in Bilwar of Kathua and the surrounding dense forests. Today, after a long wait of 9 months, the terrorists came face to face with the security forces.

It is noteworthy that Bilwar area of ​​Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir is known for its dense vegetation and difficult roads. Taking advantage of this, Jaish terrorists had made their hideout in the forests. Although, these terrorists were seen many times near the residential areas of Kathua, but before the police action, they often disappeared into the dense forests.

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After white-collar terrorism in India, the espionage network of minors has now emerged as a major security challenge, in which Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI has a hand. In fact, ISI is accused of trapping and brainwashing minors and using them for espionage against India.

A senior official said that more than 37 minors are under the surveillance of security agencies, which includes 12 minors from Punjab and Haryana and about 25 minors from Jammu and Kashmir, whose age is said to be between 14 to 17 years.

This espionage network of ISI was exposed when a 15-year-old boy was detained in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir. Based on intelligence information, it was found that he was in contact with Pakistan based agencies and their handlers. When the police searched his mobile phone, very shocking things came to light.

Pakistan’s agencies implicated minors – SSP Dhillon

Pathankot Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Daljinder Singh Dhillon told ANI that the minor boy had contact with frontal organizations of terrorist organisations, agents associated with ISI and their handlers. He said that he was trapped by Pakistani agencies and on their instructions, he used to capture videos and photographs of sensitive locations of Indian security forces.

#WATCH Pathankot, Punjab , SSP Pathankot Daljinder Singh Dhillon says, “The police have arrested Sanjeev Kumar, aged 15, after receiving information that he had been supplying information related to the security of our nation to the frontal organizations of terror agencies,… pic.twitter.com/BKJQOmMa06

— ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2026

SSP Dhillon said that investigation also revealed that his phone was cloned after clicking a malicious link, due to which the handlers were monitoring his activities in real-time and easily extracting the data present in his phone.

SSP Dhillon called it a very sophisticated strategy of ISI. When this matter was investigated in depth, the spy network of minors was exposed. Police investigation revealed that ISI was mentally influencing many minors through online mediums and unconventional apps and making them do espionage work. ISI got these minors photographed of Indian security establishments, provided information to the handlers about the movement of Indian security convoys and provided logistical support to terrorist organizations.

SSP Dhillon warned

SSP Dhillon warned that this is a new and dangerous network of espionage, in which weak and impressionable minors are being targeted. The police is now trying to identify such children, take them out of this network and save them from further exploitation.

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The recognition of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (Medical College) located in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir has been canceled on charges of violating standards. This decision has been taken by the National Medical Commission (NMC), under which the permission to run MBBS course in this college has been canceled with immediate effect. The thing to note is that 50 MBBS seats were sanctioned in this college for the session 2025-26, but now there will be no new admission on these seats. Also, let us know what will happen to the students taking admission in this session?

What is the whole matter?

It is noteworthy that this college located in Kakaryal is associated with Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. In September 2025, NMC had given it permission to start MBBS course with 50 seats. The Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of NMC conducted a surprise inspection of the college on January 2, 2026, which found several major deficiencies. In view of these shortcomings, permission was withdrawn from the college.

What shortcomings were found in the inspection?

It is being told that the biggest problem in the college was the shortage of teachers and doctors. There were 39 percent less teachers in the college than required. The shortage of tutors, demonstrators and senior resident doctors was up to 65 percent. A good medical college should have adequate staff so that the students get proper training, but here even the basic needs were not being met.

The number of patients is also very less

According to the rules, at least 400 patients should have come to the OPD of this college every day, of which the number was only 182. Apart from this, the hospital beds should have been 80 percent filled, but only 45 percent were filled. Even in ICU, only half the beds were being used. At the same time, only 25 cases of delivery were found, which is very less. In a training college, the patient load is necessary so that the students can get practical experience.

The condition of the library is also bad

It is being told that the college library had only half the books as required. There should have been 1500 books, instead only 744 books were found. There were only 2 medical journals, whereas there should have been 15. Many departments did not even have basic facilities like labs, research rooms, lecture rooms. At some places there were not separate wards for male and female patients. There was no room for small operations. Overall only 2 operation theaters were functioning. All these shortcomings were against the minimum standards of NMC.

What will happen to the students now?

The most important question is what will happen to the students taking admission in this session? NMC has clearly said that no student will lose his seat. The students enrolled in the 2025-26 session will be sent to other recognized medical colleges of Jammu and Kashmir as additional seats. This responsibility rests with the Health Department of the Union Territory Government. They will soon adjust the students in new colleges. With this, students’ education will continue without interruption.

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Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti has posted a picture of Palestine’s flag on social media in support of it. In this post he wrote Palestine’s slogan, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.’ This post of Mehbooba Mufti has come at a time when Jammu and Kashmir Police has summoned a local cricketer for showing the Palestine flag on his cap during a match.

What is the meaning of Mufti’s slogan?

The Palestine slogan mentioned by Mehbooba Mufti means the formation of a Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Israel supporters say that such slogans are often raised by their adversary Palestinian groups. This slogan denies the existence of Israel.

From the river to the sea,
Palestine will be free.

A flag in the wind, bold and free,
From the river to the sea. https://t.co/auXcMGV1VP pic.twitter.com/ouE57zvnVU

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) January 2, 2026

Kashmiri cricketer puts Palestinian flag on his helmet

During the Jammu and Kashmir Champions League match, the flag of Palestine was placed on the helmet of a cricketer. After being recorded on camera during batting, a mark made of the Palestine flag was seen on his helmet. After this the police sent summons to the cricketer. Police are trying to find out under what circumstances the Palestinian flag was shown.

Police said that the cricketer called for questioning has been identified as Furkan Bhat. The incident occurred on Wednesday (31 December 2025) during the match between JK11 Kings and Jammu Trailblazers in the Jammu and Kashmir Champions League cricket tournament.

Police investigating Kashmiri cricketer case

By interrogating the cricketer and the organizer of the tournament, the police is trying to find out whether the necessary permissions were taken or not. It is also being ascertained whether there was any violation of the tournament guidelines and what was the real intention behind displaying the flag during the sporting event.

In July last year, four youths were arrested for allegedly wearing T-shirts bearing the Palestinian flag during a Muharram procession in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh. In the same month, another man was arrested for allegedly waving a Palestinian flag during a Muharram procession in Agra.

The whole world is celebrating the New Year at this time, but Pakistan is not desisting from its nefarious activities. On the first day of the new year (January 1), Pakistan sent ammunition and cartridges through drones to Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir. This nefarious act has been done by Pakistan to carry out terrorist incidents in India.

Packets filled with explosives and cartridges have been dropped through drones in Poonch district of Jammu. After receiving this packet, the army has come into action and a search operation is being conducted in the entire area. Let us tell you that this Pakistani drone entered the Indian border in Khadi Karmada area of ​​Poonch near the Line of Control.

Search operation in the entire area
Indian Army and Jammu Kashmir Police have started a major search operation in the area. Apart from this, security agencies are investigating the flight track of the drone. Keeping in view the security, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has recently banned the use of Virtual Private Network in some parts. After this ban, this is the second time when drone activity was seen near the LOC.

Due to the vigilance of the security forces, the explosive material sent through drone has been captured. In such a situation, now the security agencies are trying to find out which terrorist networks are behind this.

Drone entered India for the second time within 24 hours
Let us tell you that this is the second time within the last 24 hours that a drone has been seen near the India-Pakistan border. Earlier, a suspicious drone was seen in Phulpur, Samba. The drone was in the Indian border for some time. However, he went back only after some time. In view of the drone activity, the army has immediately started a search operation in the entire area.

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This time rain can spoil the New Year celebrations, because the Meteorological Department has issued a rain alert in many states of the country. According to IMD, there is a possibility of rain in many states of North India amid severe cold. Apart from this, a warning of snowfall has been issued in the mountainous areas. Due to rain and snowfall the temperature may drop by 2 to 3 degrees.

These days the havoc of cold wave is being seen in the eastern and northern parts of the country. Today (31 December 2025), apart from the capital Delhi, a warning of rain and snowfall has been issued in Himachal Pradesh, UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.

How will the weather be in Delhi?
IMD has predicted the weather to worsen in Delhi today. According to the Meteorological Department, tomorrow on New Year, the maximum temperature of Delhi will be 20 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature will be 10 degrees Celsius, while in the morning the temperature can fall to 8 to 9 degrees Celsius. Apart from this, an alert has also been issued regarding rain in Delhi from this evening.

Cold wave havoc in UP
Cold wave continues to wreak havoc in many districts due to icy winds in Uttar Pradesh. Even today, on the last day of the year 2025, the weather will remain the same in many districts of the state. According to the Meteorological Department, there may be light drizzle in many districts after the next 24 hours. However, today there is a possibility of severe fog in many districts of Eastern UP as well as Western UP. The Meteorological Department has issued orange and yellow alerts regarding this.

Where is it a cold day today?
In UP, on Wednesday, Azamgarh, Gorakhpur, Ballia, Deoria, Mau, Ayodhya, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Sant Kabirnagar, Siddharthnagar, Gonda, Balrampur, Shravasti, Bahraich, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur and Bareilly will see a double attack of fog along with cold day. There will be severe cold in Varanasi, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Agra, Kanpur, Unnao, Mainpuri, Rampur, Kannauj, Rae Bareli and Amethi.

Fog will be seen in the capital Lucknow and Noida in the morning also. The Meteorological Department estimates that the minimum temperature in these districts may be 9 and maximum 20 degrees Celsius. After 24 hours, people of Noida and Lucknow will get some relief. Kanpur city had the coldest night in the last 24 hours, as the minimum temperature recorded here was 4.4 degrees Celsius.

Bihar weather
Weather patterns may change in Bihar today. A decrease of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius may be seen in the maximum temperature. Apart from the capital Patna, warning of dense fog has been issued in Gopalganj, Jehanabad, Gaya, Siwan, Bhojpur, Buxar and East Champaran. The Meteorological Department has expressed the possibility of light rain at some places on January 1 on the New Year.

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