The Army was deployed in Basohli area of Kathua district in Jammu division, following protest and arson over an alleged incident of cow slaughter. In Jammu and Kashmir, cow slaughter is prohibited by law.
The sub-divisional headquarters of Basohli, 220 km from Jammu, turned tense after the police and civil administration received complaints that a resident of Poond, Sheetal Nagar, had slaughtered a cow one day ahead of Id-ul-Fitr. Even as the authorities rushed to the spot, a large crowd of one community staged protest demonstrations, seeking the arrest of those responsible.
Deputy Commissioner of Kathua Shahid Iqbal Chowdhary told The Hindu that over 2,000 people had gathered at the spot. Eighty per cent of them were “outsiders”. “They went berserk and set on fire shops of traders belonging to a particular community. We have invoked Section 144 of the Cr.PC and deployed the Army and the CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force] for enforcement of the prohibitory orders,” Mr. Chowdhary said.
Mr. Chowdhary said a team of officials would stay back to keep the situation under control. He said one person was arrested. Things would become clear after the preliminary probe, he said.
