Tag: Habba Kadal

In April 1981, a secret Income-Tax operation in Srinagar targeting several business establishments quickly spiralled into a major controversy. Contemporary newspaper reports recorded the seizure of gold, foreign currency, cash, goods and documents, while also reporting clashes in which members of the raiding party were assaulted. The archival photograph of the injured Income-Tax officers, including two officials shown in wheelchairs, provides a rare human dimension to the episode. Subsequent reports alleged foreign links, concealed income and tax evasion running into crores of rupees. Within weeks, the legality of the raids was challenged before the Jammu & Kashmir High Court, and the dispute eventually reached the Supreme Court. This Kashmir Rechords feature reconstructs the episode exclusively through seven contemporary newspaper clippings preserved in its archive, offering a remarkable day-by-day glimpse of a dramatic and largely forgotten episode in Srinagar's history.

In January 1979, a frightening rumour about radioactive snow sent a wave of anxiety through Kashmir. The authorities denied it, but the episode revealed something much older—the Valley’s enduring fascination with whispers, exaggeration and manufactured news.