Search intensifies after J&K man jumps into stream during cow transport assault; Omar slams ‘jungle raj’ | India News
SRINAGAR/JAMMU: Search teams across a mountain stream in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district on Tuesday, on the third day of a search for a 25-year-old man feared to have jumped into the water while fleeing assailants chasing him to transport cattle.CM Omar Abdullah condemned the attack, calling it “wrong” and accusing the attackers of “killing an innocent person”.“These people take the law into their own hands. Who gave them this right? Where is it written that a cattle prowler is involved in illegal activities?” Omar told reporters at Anantnag. “They are thugs. They want to run the law of the jungle here.”Police have identified the missing person as Tanveer Ahmed Chopan, a resident of Ukhral area of Ramban. Chopan was driving a pick-up truck carrying a cow and two calves to his village from Jammu on Sunday when he was chased by two vehicles, intercepted and beaten up. Officials said he jumped into a river near Ramsoo while trying to escape and has not been seen since.Omar urged Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha to ensure strict measures. “Those trying to disrupt peace must be dealt with sternly. This will send a message that hooliganism and jungle raj have no place in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.More than 100 personnel of NDRF, SDRF, police and local volunteers searched the downstream stretch, focusing on large rocks where bodies could be trapped. Reinforcements joined from Banihal, Batote and Udhampur.The police constituted an SIT and arrested four persons under an FIR registered at Ramsu police station.Anger erupted on the streets on Monday as residents laid siege for nearly four hours near Makerkoot on the Jammu-Srinagar NH Ramban. Traffic resumed after officials including DC Mohammad Alias Khan and SSP Arun Gupta assured a transparent investigation.Internet services, which were briefly suspended in Ramban to curb rumours, have been restored. Banihal MLA Sajad Shaheen said residents of the community condemned the attack, calling for accountability and calm.
