Early Times Report
Kishtwar, Dec 16: In less than 24 hours of the gutting of an ancient temple and two houses near Mughal Maidan, a rumour about a sacrilegious act at Hatta near here triggered protests in the town.
Someone spread a rumour in the town this morning that some people had discovered a cow's head at Hatta. Soon thereafter, a police team led by DSP (hqr) Touseef Ahmed rushed to the spot and carried out searches but could not any head of the cow. SSP, Kishtwar, Sandeep Kumar Wazir also visited the spot. After verifying the facts, he too found that no sacrilegious act had taken place at Hatta.
While the senior officers shared the findings with the angry people, another rumour spread that the DSP had hidden the cow's head to hush up the matter. The shopkeepers of a particular community then downed the shutters of their shops and protests erupted at many places in the town.
Some protesters gathered outside the deputy commissioner's office and raised slogans, demanding immediate arrest of the accused. Later, they called on DC and SSP who told them that no sacrilegious act had taken place at Hatta.
As the day progressed, the protesters started leaving the venues, realising that no sacrilegious act had taken place anywhere in the district.
The members of both the communities condemned the mischievous elements who had spread the rumours to disturb peace at Kishtwar and urged police to identify and punish them.
DIG, Doda-Kishtwar range, Nisar Ahmed said no sacrilegious act had taken place anywhere in the district and assured the people that rumour mongers and enemies of peace would be dealt with an iron hand.
Meanwhile, security was put on high alert in Kishtwar district and its adjoining areas to avoid any untoward incident. Cops were deputed in various sensitive areas to keep an eye the nefarious elements. |
