Net shut, Doda on edge after man shot dead by cops in cattle smuggling stakeout

JAMMU: The J&K administration Friday suspended mobile internet services in Doda district till further orders and deployed a large security contingent in Bhaderwah town, where tensions flared up after a 30-year-old man was shot dead around Thursday midnight following a run-in with the state police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) in a cattle smuggling stakeout.Three SOG personnel, whose identities were not disclosed, are also said to have been injured in the incident that took place on Jai valley road, a tourist place 30km from Bhaderwah.The deceased was identified as Arif Hussain, who, locals claimed, was an auto driver.According to police sources, a SOG party intercepted two persons on suspicions of cattle smuggling, but they attacked the personnel and tried to snatch an automatic weapon from one of them.“During the scuffle, the weapon went off, injuring Arif, while the other person managed to escape. Three SOG personnel were injured in the attack,” a source said.“All injured, including Arif, were rushed to the sub-district hospital at Bhaderwah and from there to Government Medical College Hospital in Doda, where Arif was declared brought dead,” the source said.The nature of injuries sustained by the SOG personnel wasn’t immediately clear.Meanwhile, as news spread, angry locals from Bhaderwah and adjoining areas hit the street and local outfit Anjuman-e-Islamia gave a call for a shutdown, even as police took a local resident into custody.Sensing trouble, the administration on Friday morning suspended mobile internet services in Doda district. Senior officials are camping at Bhaderwah.Later in the day, Arif’s body was handed over to his kin after autopsy.There was no official statement from the district administration or police till Friday evening.Meanwhile, former CM Mehbooba Mufti posted on X, “Reports emerging from Doda about the killing of a civilian, Arif Hussain, who was allegedly stabbed and then shot dead by security forces, followed by an internet shutdown across the district, are deeply disturbing.”“The administration must act swiftly to establish the facts and ensure accountability. J&K must not be allowed to slide towards a situation where allegations of cow smuggling become a pretext for mob violence and the killing of Muslims,” she said.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.