Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 16: A truck smuggling bovine animals jumped a police naka at Bagh-e-Bahu after hitting the police personnel and then tried to over-run a Flying Squad, which was chasing the truck near Nagrota Traffic Check Post before the driver was crushed between the two vehicles and died in wee hours of the morning.
In the morning, some people pelted stones on police after blocking Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at Nagrota forcing police to lathicharge the mob. Nearly a dozen persons on both sides including Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Nagrota Khalik Choudhary were injured in stone pelting and lathicharge.
Officiating SSP Jammu Rajeshwar Singh said a police naka party at Bagh-e-Bahu signaled a truck No. 5097 JK02Q to stop but it jumped the naka and took bypass route towards Nagrota at about 1.30 am.
Police constable Sanjeev Kumar on naka duty at Bagh-e-Bahu was injured when the truck driver sped away. Kumar suffered fracture on his arm while signaling the truck to stop.
A Flying Squad chased the truck but the driver tried to over-run the vehicle near Nagrota TCP. The Flying Squad continued to chase the over speeding truck and, in the process, the truck driver fell down and was reportedly crushed between the two vehicles.
He was identified as Manzoor Ahmad son of Fareed Ahmad R/o Ramgarh Baggar in Batote area of Doda district.
Senior police officers reached the spot during the night and shifted the truck driver and injured police personnel to the hospital. Sources said two police constables traveling in the Flying Squad were also injured in collision between the two vehicles.
The injured constables were hospitalized.
In the morning, DIG Jammu-Kathua range Shakeel Ahmad Baig, DC Jammu AK Sahu and other police officials visited the spot to assess the situation.
However, some people kept body of the truck driver near Nagrota on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and blocked the traffic. They started pelting stones on the police personnel in which SDPO Nagrota Khalik Choudhary and his PSOs besides other police personnel were injured.
Police resorted to lathicharge and dispersed the mob. Some persons in the mob were also injured in the lathicharge. Police took the body of the deceased truck driver and shifted it to Government Medical College (GMC) hospital for post-mortem. The body was later buried at Bantalab, Nagrota by the family members and others.
The police personnel injured in the collision of vehicles and stone pelting, who were admitted in the GMC Jammu have been identified as Sanjeev Kumar, Murad Ali, Shakoor Mohammad, Krishan Lal and Mohinder Singh besides the SDPO Nagrota.
All of them were out of danger.
Police said a case has been registered in the entire episode and investigations taken up.
Almost at the same time when the truck jumped the naka at Bagh-e-Bahu, Pacca Danga police seized two trucks at Panjtirthi in which 25 bovine animals were being smuggled to Srinagar.
Police parties headed by SHO Pacca Danga Inspector Vijay Choudhary seized both the trucks bearing Nos. 9035 JK02AD and 9882 JK13A and arrested six bovine smugglers. All 25 bovine animals were rescued from the trucks.
The bovine smugglers have been identified as Sajjad Khan of Anantnag, Suhail Shah of Shopian, Sheikh Rahish Ahmed of Shopian, Riaz Ahmad of Anantnag, Shabir Ahmad of Qazigund and Shabir Ahmad of Anantnag.
A case has been registered against the accused at Pacca Danga police station.
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