No racism involved in 'attack' on Kashmiris: Delhi Police
New Delhi, May 12: Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik on Saturday told Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba that the alleged attack on a group of Kashmiris in the national capital involved a local issue and had nothing to do with their origin, an officer said.
"During a briefing, Amulya Patnaik told Gauba, the incident was triggered by a dispute over feeding stray dogs in Sunlight Colony's Siddhartha Enclave on Thursday night, following which four women and a youth from Kashmir were allegedly beaten up by a mob of 30-40 people," the officer said.
"Patnaik told Gauba, the complainant is an avid dog lover and animal rights activist. There have been more than 50 complaints and counter complaints against the residents of Siddhartha Enclave and the complainant on the issue of feeding of stray dogs. Based on evidence of CCTV footage, four people have been arrested so far."
On Friday, Deputy Commissioner of Police Chinmoy Biswal had said: "We have registered a case on charges of sexual harassment, making sexually-coloured remarks, criminal intimidation and using words and acts intended to insult the modesty of women against the accused."
Earlier, a Kashmiri man living in Sunlight Colony had in his complaint accused a group of residents of carrying out a planned attack on him and four women, including his sister, while they were walking in the street after dinner on Thursday night.
"A group of 40 residents of the area attacked the women. When the women asked the reason, the accused abused them and shouted slogans like 'Kashmiri terrorists should be sent back from India'," the complainant said.
"When I came to my sister's rescue, some persons carrying hockey sticks attacked me. I suffered a fracture in hand," he said.
The police officer told IANS that a complaint was received from both parties, who had accused each other of assault.
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Five killed as moving bus catches fire in Lucknow
Lucknow (PTI): Five passengers, including two children, were killed when a private bus caught fire in the Mohanlalganj area here early Thursday, police said.
They said the incident occurred around 5 am on Kisan Path, a major roadway on the outskirts of Lucknow.
According to sources, the bus was carrying 80 passengers.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Mohanlalganj) Rajneesh Verma said the bus was en route to Delhi from Begusarai in Bihar when it suddenly caught fire.
"Initial investigation suggests that the fire may have started due to a short circuit in the bus' gearbox," Verma told PTI.
Most of the passengers were asleep when the fire started. It spread rapidly and five passengers -- two women, two children and a man -- died as they were unable to get out in time. Several other passengers sustained injuries and have been taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.
Police identified the deceased as Lakkhi Devi (55), Soni Mahto (26), Devraj (3), Sakshi (2) and Madhusudan (21).
According to eyewitnesses, the bus did not come to a halt immediately after the fire broke out. The flames were visible from almost a kilometre away.
Firefighters reached the spot promptly and managed to control the blaze within half an hour. The bus was gutted with only its metal frame remaining.
Police found that the emergency exit of the bus did not open, trapping passengers sitting in the rear section.
According to authorities, a probe to determine the exact cause of the fire is underway.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the loss of lives in the incident.
"The chief minister has instructed the district administration officials to reach the spot and expedite the relief work and immediately take the injured to the hospital for proper treatment. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.
