Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 3: Police today said it has arrested five persons for setting a Government school on fire in North Kashmir’s Pattan area of Baramulla district and recovered some petrol bomb bottles from an orchard.
A police officer said during intervening night of October 26 & 27, Government Middle School Tapper in Pattan was set ablaze by some ‘miscreants’.
“On this, a case under FIR number 272 of 2016 under Section 436 RPC was registered and investigation taken up. During the course of investigation, some people were identified who had conspired to set the school building on fire and then got the plan executed through some known stone-pelters and miscreants,” the officer said.
He said the ‘conspiracy was hatched’ at the medical shop of one Ajaz Ahmad Parra alias Ajaz Medicate with Omar Parra alias Omar Kasaie, Shabir Pandit alias Bulbul and Bashir Ahmad Hajam, all residents of Hamray village of Pattan.
“These people arranged petrol from a pump and later stored the petrol in plastic bottles and gave the same to Naveed Ahmad, Adil Ahmad Parra alias Adil Doda and Usman alias Babloo – all residents of Tapper area of Pattan – who at around 1.30 am executed their plan and set the school building on fire,” the police officer said.
He said that all accused persons except Naveed and Usman have been arrested and at the instance of Omar Kasaie and Adil Doda some petrol bottles were recovered from the apple orchard near Tapper.
“Further investigation in the case is going on. The other accused involved in the burning of Government Middle School Palpora in Pattan has also been identified and manhunt has been launched to nab them,” the officer added.
The police officer further said that these individuals who are known stone pelters and are wanted in many stone pelting cases, had kept some of the petrol bottles in an apple orchard for creating the panic in future by burning the vehicles and other Government buildings.
“The motive behind this act of these miscreants was to create an atmosphere of fear and to ensure that schools continue to remain closed. The above named Omar Kasaie had also threatened the school staff, who thereafter had shifted the school record to some safe location though without informing the police,” the officer added.
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