Excelsior Correspondent
REASI, Mar 16: Six cops were injured and two Police vehicles got damaged when a group of alleged bovine smugglers resorted to heavy stone pelting on being intercepted by Policemen near Baradari Bridge at Talwara, under the jurisdiction of Police Station Reasi.
To control the situation, Police lobbed teargas shells and also used force. Nine accused were arrested while others managed to flee. Besides, Police also rescued 220 bovine animals, which were being smuggled.
According to Additional SP Reasi, Surjeet Bhagat, the incident took place during the intervening night of March 15-16 when cops on duty noticed a large group of bovine animals being taken towards Arnas.
On being asked to produce written permission for the movement of bovine animals, the accused person resorted to pelting stones on the Policemen. In the sudden attack, six cops were injured while two Police vehicles also got damaged.
Following this, Police lobbed some teargas shell and used force to control the situation. Nine accused were arrested on the spot while 220 bovine animals were rescued from the clutches of smugglers. In this connection, case FIR number 27/2020, under section 307/353/332/147/427/188 IPC was also registered at Police Station Reasi.
However, in the morning, locals of Patta village in Reasi protested and blocked Katra-Shivkhori road to resent against arrest of nine persons on the charge of bovine smuggling. The protesting people, led by Nazakat Khatana, President Gujjar Bakarwal Desh Tehreek-e-Insaaf, Jammu, blocked the road for more than two hours amidst raising of slogans against the Police.
They claimed that persons from their community, arrested last night by the District police on the charge of bovine smuggling, were innocent and it was normal movement of the community members, who move along with their livestock to higher reaches every year. They were demanding the release of arrested persons and bovines.
Later on, Tehsildar Reasi and police officials reached the spot and pacified the situation by assuring that a fair investigation would be conducted into the matter.
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