JAMMU — Around two dozen huts of Rohingya refugees were gutted in a massive midnight fire in Jammu in the early hours of Monday.
Official sources said that the fire started at Kabaar area and within no time engulfed the hutments of the close periphery in Maruti Mohalla Jammu.
The fire raged for more than two hours and when the flames doused off, it had destroyed all the shelters of the Rohingyas. The number of shanties is put at 25 but it could be more, they said.
The fire, the cause of which is not known, comes at a time when the Supreme Court of India has reserved verdict on a plea against the deportation of the Muslim Rohingyas to Myanmar where they, according to their lawyer advocate Prashant Bhushan, maybe “killed or subjected to torture.”
“Fire started at around 0100 hours and could douse at 0315 hours. Three fire tenders were pressed into service,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jammu, Chandan Kohli, said.
“No injury or loss of life has been reported,” he said, adding, “Fire started from Kabaar and within no time engulfed the jhuggies of the close periphery. Rest situation is normal,” he added. (GNS)
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