Tension in J&K's Kathua as mob torches truck alleging cattle smuggling
Jammu, Dec 3: A mob set blaze a truck alleging that cows and buffaloes were being illegally transported in the vehicle and tried to block Jammu-Pathankot highway in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, prompting the police to use batons and fire teargas shells to disperse the violent protesters, officials said here.
Tension prevailed in Hiranagar area after the incident in village Pathwal and additional police personnel have been deployed there.
A group of people stopped the truck carrying eight cows and buffaloes in the village around 1050 hrs and set ablaze the vehicle after "rescuing" the animals, an official said.
According to police, the driver and the conductor of the vehicle abandoned it on noticing the mob and escaped.
It was not immediately clear whether the animals were being transported legally or not, but the protesters blocked the main road demanding stern action against the persons accusing them of bovine smuggling, the officials said.
A large contingent of police was rushed to the village to restore order but the protesters refused to disperse and also tried to block the Jammu-Pathankot highway near Dayalachak, after which the cops fired teargas shells and used batons to disperse them, an official said, adding two persons suffered minor injuries in the violence.
"The situation in the area is tense but under control," the official said adding the traffic on the highway was going on smoothly.
A case was registered in this connection and further investigation is on, the officials said.
Kathua is about 80 km from Jammu.
Meanwhile, police in nearby Samba district arrested two alleged bovine smugglers and rescued 16 animals which were being transported illegally, a police spokesman said.
Amandeep Singh, a resident of Jammu, was arrested after police recovered 16 animals from his truck which was coming from Kathua side at Nonath on the highway, he said.
The spokesman said a case under relevant sections of law was registered against the arrested driver for transporting animals without permission.
In another such incident, he said police rescued three bovines from a Jammu-bound vehicle at Gujjar Basti Tanda during checking.
The driver, Abdul Majid, was arrested and a case was registered against him, the spokesman said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Nine dead as fire breaks out in residential building in east Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): A fire broke out in a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar early Sunday, leaving nine people belonging to two families dead, including a toddler, officials said.
The incident was reported around 3.48 am at a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I, following which police, fire and disaster management teams rushed to the spot.
According to the police, the blaze engulfed flats on the second, third and fourth floors of the building, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said nine charred bodies were recovered from different floors.
ALSO READ: Tribals, Scheduled Castes preserved India's identity and soul despite foreign invasions: Bhagwat
"One body was recovered from the first floor, five from the second floor and three from the staircase which was found locked," the DFS officer said.
Those found dead on the second floor have been identified as Arvind Jain (60), his wife Anita Jain (58), son Nishant Jain (35), daughter-in-law Anchal Jain (33) and grandchild Akash Jain.
On the third floor, three members of a family were found dead. They were identified as Nitin Jain (50), wife Shailey Jain (48) and son Samyak Jain (25).
On the first floor a woman identified as Shikha Jain (45) was found dead while her husband Naveen Jain (48) sustained injuries.
A senior police officer said, "Around 10 to 15 people were rescued from the premises during the firefighting operation. Two of them, who sustained minor injuries, were shifted to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital."
A total of 12 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, while teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), traffic police and local police assisted in the rescue and evacuation efforts.
Police said the fire was brought under control after several hours. Efforts are underway to determine the cause of the fire, police said.
Further investigation and proceedings are underway.
