Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, Sept 8: Irate people torched a truck carrying 18 bovine animals to Kashmir via Mughal Road and held strong protest on Jammu-Poonch highway at Narian near Chingus in district Rajouri today.
The movement of vehicles remained suspended on the busy highway for over three hours as people started protest dharna on the road and raised loud slogans against Police department. They alleged that police was encouraging smuggling of bovine animals to Kashmir via this route .
The trouble started when a truck skidded-off the road and its front wheel got struck in the side big drain. The driver was trying hard to pull out the vehicle from the drain but repeatedly failed due to mud and slush in the kutcha drain. It was around 6 am when some locals of the area noticed truck struck in the large drain and driver trying to pull it out.
As they moved towards the truck to help the operators, the driver and his associate escaped. The locals got suspicious. When they reached near the vehicle, they heard the sounds of cattle. They pulled the tarpoline and found 18 bovine animals loaded in it. They came to know that vehicle was coming from Akhnoor side and moving towards Kashmir via Mughal road.
The villagers got furious on seeing animals and they unloaded the truck. A large gathering assembled there. They started protest on the road and set the truck No. JK02AP/5315 on fire. Later, police party also reached there but truck had completely gutted. The people raised barricades at around 8 am and blocked road for about three hours.
SHO Rajouri and Chingus police failed to convince the people. A long traffic jam was created on both the sides of the road. The people shouted slogans against police and sought action against the cops at all the naka points from Jammu to Nowshera, as they allowed the truck move ahead after clearance.
Later, DC Rajouri Shabir Ahmed Bhat, SSP Rajeshwar Singh and Addl DC Mumtaz arrived there. They tried to pacify the agitating public and assured that action would be taken in this regard. Later, people lifted dharna at around 11 am and allowed movement of traffic.
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