New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) These are the top stories from the northern region at 9 pm

These are the top stories from the northern region at 9 pm ALLAHABAD DEL94 UP-RSS-TEMPLE Allahabad: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat Friday said the Ayodhya issue was at a decisive stage, suggesting that those campaigning for the construction of a Ram temple should wait it out for a few months. SRINAGAR DES5 JK-PM-SECURITY Srinagar: Security has been beefed up across Kashmir ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on February 3, officials said here on Friday.

SRINAGAR DES3 JK-LD WOMAN-VIDEO Srinagar: A 25-year-old woman in Jammu and Kashmir was shot dead at point blank range by militants, who made a video of the incident and circulated it on social media, police said Friday. SRINAGAR DEL18 JK-LD ENCOUNTER Srinagar: Two Jaish-e-Mohammad militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Friday, police said.

BANDA NRG5 UP-EXPLOSION Banda (UP): Four people were killed and one person was injured in an explosion at a firecracker factory here, police said on Friday. BALLIA DES47 UP-BJP ALLY Ballia (UP): Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, who heads the BJP ally SBSP, Friday claimed that a US agency has warned that the saffron party could instigate riots.

JAMMU NRG12 JK-HIGHWAY Jammu: The Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only all weather surface link between Kashmir and rest of the country, has been closed for vehicular traffic for the second consecutive day Friday due to fresh snowfall and landslides, officials said. KOTA NRG6 RJ-BRUTAL KILLING Kota (Rajasthan): A 45-year-old woman and her daughter have been found dead in a suspected robbery attempt here, police said Friday.

CHANDIGARH NRG17 HR-GIRL-RAPE Chandigarh: A 7-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped from near Rohtak Railway station in Haryana and then raped by three men, police said Friday. DHARAMSHALA DES2 HP-BIRDS Dharamshala: There has been an increase in water birds -- resident and migratory -- at Himachal Pradesh's Pong Dam wetland with 5,026 more from the avian species being spotted in 2018-19 over the previous year, wildlife officials said.

DEHRADUN NRG16 UKD-TIGER-CAPTURED Dehradun: A rescue operation was launched to overpower and cage a tiger which strayed into a village near the Dhela range of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) here on Friday, officials said. FARIDABAD DES49 HR-SURAJKUND Faridabad: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Friday announced a grant of Rs 3 crore for a war memorial being constructed in Haryana to honour the Maratha warriors who fought in the third battle of Panipat.

SRINAGAR DES29 JK-AVALANCHE Srinagar: Three people, who were part of a snow clearance team, went missing Friday after coming under an avalanche in Pahalgam area Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, officials said. NEW DELHI DES37 DL-JNU-SEATS-HIKE New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University administration Friday said it would effect a 25-per cent increase in seats in the academic session 2019-20.

IN THE PIPELINE Allahabad: VHP adopts resolution on Ram temple PTI ASH ASH.