Srinagar, Dec 02 : During past four months of ongoing unrest, the mysterious fire incidents have increased in Kashmir, with October recording 242 structures damaged in fire.The sudden increase in the mysterious fire incidents have spread panic across the Kashmir as no district has remained untouched by these incidents. 645 structures have been damaged from July to October, this year.
Official data available with KNS reveals, in October, as many as 242 structures were damaged in mysterious fire incident. These structures include residential houses, shops, vehicles, PDD transformers and shopping complexes.
The fire incidents first occurred in south Kashmir and later were also reported from other districts of Kashmir.
In October, this year, the highest number of mysterious fire incidents occurred in Kupwara witnessing damage to 47 structures, followed by Baramulla 38, Anantnag 34, Srinagar 25, Budgam 19, Shopian 19, Pulwama 18, Ganderbal 17, Kulgam 13 and Bandipora 12.
On October 29, this year, expressing serious concern over rise in unabated incidents of mysterious fire incidents in Kashmir, Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA), had said “not only schools but even shrines and shops are going up in flames.”
KEA had also said “for the last over a month (September-October) apart from schools, which happen to be our national assets, shrines, masjids and marketplaces were being set ablaze mysteriously as a part of some deep rooted conspiracy.”
On October 11, at least six shops were gutted in a mysterious fire at Qamarwari Chowk.
On October 21, this year, a two storey Masjid and the famous Lalbab Sahib Shrine were gutted in a fire in late evening, in north Kashmir district Baramulla.
Same evening, the shrine Lader ud Din Sahab was gutted at Anderwan area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
On October 24, four mutton shops were gutted in a mysterious fire on Sunday night in Kunzar of Tangmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Official data reveals that in the month of July, this year, 176 structures were gutted in the fire. The structures include shops, shopping complexes, residential houses, vehicles and electronic transformers.
The highest number of structures gutted in fire during July remained in south Kashmir’s district Anantnag, which remained worst hit by the present unrest.
The number, as per official records, is 52 structures, followed by Kupwara 29 structures, Baramulla 18, Srinagar 15, Kulgam and Pulwama 14 each, Budgam 8, Bandipora 7 and Ganderbal 5.
In August, 108 structures gutted in the mysterious fire incidents across Kashmir. The highest number of structures damaged in fire remained in district Srinagar. 22 structures were damaged in Srinagar, followed by 18 in Budgam, 16 in Baramulla, 14 in Kulgam, 11 in Anantnag, 10 in Kupwara and 6 in Bandipora.
In September, 119 structures were gutted in Kashmir. The number, in this month remained highest in Anantnag. The structures damaged in fire in Anantnag remained 27 followed by 17 in Baramulla, 14 in Kupwara, 14 in Srinagar, Ganderbal 11, Budgam 7 and Kulgam and Bandipora 6 each.
September 21, five shops were gutted in a mysterious fire incident at General Bus Stand Baramulla and on September 25 four more shops and a godown were gutted in the same General bus stand of Baramulla town.
The structures that were gutted in the fire incident on September 25 belong to Ishfaq Ahmad Kulo, Asif Gul, Shabir Ahmad Telli, Shakeel Ahmad Gojri and Ghulam Rasool Gojri.
On Nov 4, mysterious fire erupted in the building of Government primary School Dugpora Gadoora, in Ganderbal, damaging a makeshift kitchen and the school building partially.
At least 30 shops were gutted in a mysterious blaze in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on November 4.
A senior police official said that various private and public structures were set ablaze by arsonists. “All cases of not of mysterious fire. Some structures were set ablaze by miscreants. Many of them have been identified and arrested,” he said. (KNS)