Days after two tourists from Kashmir sustained injuries following a brawl with locals in Shimla’s tourist spot Kufri, the Himachal Pradesh police on Monday denied the “mob lynching angle” in the case.
The police said initial investigation has revealed that a fight broke out between Zaffar Iqbal and Arshad Aziz and a group of people who ply horses at Kufri. An FIR regarding the incident was registered at the Dhalli police station on January 10. The police are yet to make any arrests in the case.
“Zaffar Iqbal and Arshad Aziz from Poonch district of J&K, who had come to Kufri on a trip, got into a confrontation with a group of horse owners. Following an argument, blows were exchanged from both sides,” Investigating Officer Dharam Singh said.
“Investigation is under way. The initial probe revealed that there was no mob lynching angle or use of any racial slurs against them. We are waiting for the final opinion on the medical report. Once we receive the report, we will make arrests if required under the law,” he said, adding that one of the horse owners also got injured during the fight.
“We recovered the licensed revolver of Zaffar, which, the horse owners alleged, was used to fire in the air. Both men were later released on bail,” Mr. Singh added.
For his part, Iqbal said he and his two friends reached Shimla on January 9. They planned to drive down to Kufri from Shimla, about 16 km away, but were not allowed to use their private vehicle.
“We later booked a cab. However, the cab organisers kept jumping the queue and delayed our journey without furnishing any reasons. When we raised the matter, a furious mob comprising drivers and ponywallas started beating us up. We were told ‘this is not Kashmir’. We feared for our lives. I pulled out my licensed pistol and fired in the air to save our lives. We were bleeding and were again beaten up while being taken to the police station,” said Mr. Aziz, who runs his own business in New Delhi.
‘Disheartening’
Mr. Aziz said such acts of mob violence at a tourist place like Shimla was disheartening. “I appeal to the police to act against those who attempted to kill us,” he said.
