On Saturday (29th June), tensions erupted in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. Police and local administration team which was part of an anti-encroachment drive, came under attack by a mob opposing the demolition of the illegal mosque. The mob resorted to stone pelting and injured six officers including a DSP. The miscreants also broke down the JCB machines which were brought to bulldoze the illegal Masjid. To bring the situation under control, the Police opened fire in the air. Subsequently, a large Police force was deployed in the area to avoid any untoward incidents from happening.
According to reports, the incident unfolded when an anti-encroachment drive was to be carried out in the Kalyanpur Padri area located in Nagri tehsil of Hiranagar to bring down an illegal Masjid. Reportedly, the Masjid is built on government land. The news about the anti-encroachment drive soon started spreading. After some time, people from the Gujjar Bakarwal community gathered in large numbers near the spot. They staged a protest against the demolition of the illegal Masjid. Later, when the Police and anti-encroachment drive team arrived there, the protest turned violent and the mob attacked the administration officials, injuring many.
As per reports, the mob resorted to stone pelting in which 6 Police personnel including a DSP rank officer suffered serious injuries. Injured in the mob attack, the Deputy SP received multiple stitches on his head. The miscreants part of the mob also vandalised and broke down the JCB which was brought there to demolish the illegal Masjid. Following the incident, Kathua SSP Anayat Ali also rushed to the spot.
An officer, part of the anti-encroachment drive, said, “When they started their operation, people of a particular community attacked them. The police had to fire bullets in the air as a warning to control the worsening situation.”
Following the attack, the injured officers were rushed to the district hospital, where they are currently undergoing treatment.
Heavy police force was deployed in the area to restore peace and avoid any untoward incidents from happening. Officials said, “The purpose of deployment of additional police forces is to prevent the situation from worsening further and to ensure the safety of all the people.”
They added, “Officials are taking this incident seriously and are trying to find a solution to this issue by keeping the situation under control.”