Jammu And Kashmir Police Ask Non-Local Truck Drivers, Labourers to Leave Shopian After Five Militant Attacks: Report
Jammu and Kashmir police have reportedly asked non-local truck drivers and labourers to leave Shopian after militants killed five workers who were from outside the state.
Srinagar, October 27: Jammu and Kashmir police have reportedly asked non-local truck drivers and labourers to leave Shopian after militants killed five workers who were from outside the state. Police also stopped trucks from entering Shopian approaching the district from the Mughal road, News18 reported. Safer locations have been identified by cops for truckers coming to Kashmir to ferry apples.
In Shopian town, a number of trucks were parked at Batapora Bus Stand and Fruit Mandi Arhama but police asked drivers to leave. "This step is being taken keeping in view the security of the truckers. After the recent attacks, there are reports that the militants might make other truckers a target," a police officer was quoted as saying. Shopian Deputy Commissioner Yasin Chowdhary refused to comment on the issue.
On October 24, suspected militants opened fire at two truckers in Chitargam village of Shopian and killed them. Their apple-laden vehicles set ablaze. This was the fifth killing in last 15 days. On October 14, terrorists had shot dead the driver of a truck from Rajasthan and assaulted a Kashmiri orchard owner in Shopian district. The driver was identified as Sharief Khan.
Two days later, Punjab-based apple trader Charanjeet Singh was killed and another person, Sanjeev, injured when terrorists attacked them in Shopian. The same day, a brick kiln worker from Chhattisgarh was shot dead by militants in Pulwama district. Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat recently described these attacks on apple traders as an attempt to disrupt resumption of normalcy in Kashmir.
"Attempts are being made by these terrorists to disrupt resumption of normalcy in Kashmir post the abrogation. We have been seeing killing of apple traders, drivers from outside of the state, preventing shops from getting opened, and threatening schoolchildren from attending schools," General Rawat said. "All this narrative is coming from Pakistan and terrorists," he added.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 27, 2019 09:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).