Uri, Jammu and Kashmir explained

Uri
Settlement Type:Town
Pushpin Map:India Jammu and Kashmir#India
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Jammu and Kashmir, India
Coordinates:34.0861°N 74.0333°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: India
Subdivision Type1:Union territory
Subdivision Name1:Jammu and Kashmir
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Baramulla
Government Type:Tehsil
Unit Pref:Metric
Population Total:9,366
Population As Of:2011
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type1:Languages
Demographics1 Title1:Official
Demographics1 Info1:Gujari, Pahari Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi, Dogri, English[1] [2]
Timezone1:IST
Utc Offset1:+5:30
Postal Code Type:PIN
Postal Code:193123
Area Code Type:Telephone code
Area Code:01956
Registration Plate:JK 05
Blank1 Name Sec1:Sex ratio
Blank1 Info Sec1:1.13
Blank2 Name Sec1:Literacy
Blank2 Info Sec1:83%

Uri (in Urdu pronounced as /uː.ɽiː/) is a town and a tehsil in the Baramulla district, in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.[3] Uri is located on the left bank of the Jhelum River, about 10km (10miles) east of the Line of Control with Pakistan.

Location

Uri is located at the entrance to the Kashmir Valley from the west, lying on the Jhelum Valley Road. Prior to the partition of Kashmir, the road linked Uri to Rawalpindi and Srinagar. Another important road linked Uri to Poonch via the Haji Pir pass.[4]

Uri is at a distance of from Srinagar, from Muzaffarabad and from Poonch.[4]

History

Hari Singh Nalwa (r. 1820–1823), the Sikh commander-administrator of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, built the fort of Uri.

Following the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–1846) and the Treaty of Amritsar (1846), Raja Gulab Singh was proclaimed the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, acquiring all the lands between the Ravi River and the Indus. Uri became a tehsil in the Muzaffarabad district of the Kashmir province.

On 22 October 1947, the tribal invasion led to the fall of Muzaffarabad and Uri to the Pashtun tribes from Pakistan. The raiders then halted at Baramulla. Following the accession of the Maharaja to India on 26 October, India air lifted troops to the Kashmir Valley, who retook Baramulla and Uri by mid-November. The Indian government attached utmost importance to the defence of Uri. Muzaffarabad, on the other hand, came under Pakistani control and became the capital of Azad Kashmir. The tehsil of Uri was subsequently merged into the Baramulla district. In July, 2022 the SIA conducted raids on Uri because it was under militant control.[5]

2016 attacks

See main article: 2016 Uri attack. At around 5:30 a.m. on 18 September, four terrorists attacked an Indian Army Brigade headquarters at Uri near the Line of Control. They are said to have lobbed 17 grenades in 3 minutes. A rear administrative base camp with tents caught fire and 13-14 army personnel were killed. A six-hour gun battle ensued, during which all four terrorists were killed. An additional 19-30 soldiers were reported to have been injured in the attack.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Demographics

As of 2011, the town of Uri has a population of 9,366 of which 6,674 (71%) are males and 2,692 (29%) are females according to the report published by Census India in 2011.[11] Uri has an average literacy rate of 88.46%, higher than the national average of 76%. Male literacy is 95.27%, and female literacy is 70.02%. Child sex ratio is approximately 851 as compared to the state average of 862 and the population of children under 6 years of age is 879 which is 9.39% of the total population.

Religion

Islam is followed by almost 99% of the population of Uri. Around 0.05 people are followers of Hinduism and 0.50% follow Sikhism.

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020 . The Gazette of India. 27 September 2020 . 27 September 2020.
  2. News: Parliament passes JK Official Languages Bill, 2020 . Rising Kashmir . 23 September 2020. 23 September 2020.
  3. Web site: Administrative Setup in District Baramulla. Baramulla District. 21 September 2016.
  4. K. D. Mani, Uri: The historical town, Daily Excelsior, 6 November 2017.
  5. Web site: SIA raids multiple locations in Baramulla in Narc-militancy funding case . 19 July 2022 .
  6. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Uri-terror-attack-Indian-Army-camp-attacked-in-Jammu-and-Kashmir-17-killed-19-injured/articleshow/54389451.cms Uri terror attack: 17 soldiers killed, 19 injured in strike on Army camp
  7. News: Tents set on fire, troops shot while coming out. 18 September 2016. The Hindu. 18 September 2016.
  8. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/uri-attack-inside-story-pashtun-map-pakistani-ammunition-jash-e-mohammed/1/767345.html Uri attack: An inside story of how it happened
  9. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/sequence-of-the-uri-attack-the-plan-of-the-terrorists/articleshow/54397873.cms Sequence of the Uri attack & the plan of the terrorists
  10. https://www.thequint.com/india/2016/09/18/militants-attack-army-headquarters-in-uri-kashmir-firing-ongoing Uri Attack: Most of the 17 Soldiers Died in a Tent Fire
  11. Web site: Census of India 2011: Data from the 2011 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional). Census of India.