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.
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Woman, 2 sons found dead in Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): Three members of a family were found dead inside their home in southeast Delhi's Kalkaji on Friday, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, officials said.
Police said the incident came to light around 2.47 pm when a police team reached the premises to execute a court order related to possession of the property. When repeated knocks went unanswered, the staff used a duplicate key to open the door.
Inside, officers found Anuradha Kapoor (52) and her sons, Ashish Kapoor (32) and Chaitanya Kapoor (27), hanging from the ceiling, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said in a statement. All three were declared dead.
A handwritten note was recovered from the room, suggesting the family had been struggling with depression.
"The handwritten note indicates emotional distress faced by the family due to which the family may have taken the extreme step," the officer said.
The bodies have been shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) mortuary for post-mortem and other legal formalities under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said.
Residents of the neighbourhood said they were shocked to learn about the deaths, adding that the family kept largely to themselves.
Pankaj Kashyap, a resident of Girinagar, said he learnt about the deaths while leaving for work. "I live and work here and was leaving for work when I saw many people standing outside and talking. That is how I got to know that three people had committed suicide. I also saw several police vehicles outside, but I do not know much beyond that," he said.
Baldev, another neighbour, said the family had been living in the newly constructed house for around two years. "We only knew that a mother and her two children lived there. They had moved into the newly built house around two years ago. We did not interact much with them. Today we heard that all three have committed suicide, and whatever we know is based on what people here are saying," he said.
Another neighbour, Ramesh Kumar, claimed the family had earlier attempted suicide.
"About fifteen to twenty days ago, the two sons in the family had attempted suicide and police and ambulances had come. That was when I first got to know who they were. I do not recognise them by face, but we saw the ambulances and police take the two sons that day. Today again we saw ambulances and police arriving, so everyone came out to see what had happened. I do not know how long they had been living here, but this is all we know," he said.
Police said they are examining the family's financial condition, social circumstances, and other factors that may have contributed to the incident. Further investigation is underway.
