Srinagar, May 24: Use of smartphones and casual approach to work were on Thursday blamed for the increasing number of incidents of weapon snatching in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a detailed order, A.K. Choudhary, the Additional Director General of Armed Police, said: "It has been observed that recent weapon snatching incidents have occurred (as) sentries on duty remain engaged with their smartphones for most of the time, thereby compromising with their legitimate duty.

"This tendency has considerably increased and resulted in weapon snatching/killing of policemen in the state, particularly in the Valley.

"All guard personnel shall ensure compliance of the standing drill in letter and spirit."

The order imposed a blanket ban on use of smartphones during guard duty hours and also said that the weapon must be chained to the guard's body as per the standard instructions contained in the drill for such duties.

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Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.

The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.

"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.

The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.

There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.

Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.

The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.