Woman, her two children killed as fire breaks out in house in Kishtwar

JAMMU: A woman and her two minor children were burnt alive when a fire broke out in their house in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours of Monday, police said.

Nazia Begum, her daughter Amina and son Rizwan were fast asleep at the time of the incident, they said.

The incident triggered protests by Nazia’s family members who alleged that the three had been murdered.

The fire broke out in the house of Khursheed Ahmad in Badhat-Jashar village of Drabshalla around 4.30 am. While Khursheed managed to get out in time, his wife and children did not, police said.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. An investigation is underway, they said.

Nazia’s family members, including her parents, staged a protest outside the Kishtwar district hospital, where the bodies have been kept for post-mortem, claiming that she and her children were murdered and it was not an accident.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ishan Gupta rushed to the spot and assured the protesters that a thorough investigation would be conducted to uncover the truth.

“This is an unfortunate incident and we have already taken note of it. If there has been any wrongdoing, we will expose the culprits and bring them to book,” he said.

Several political leaders, including BJP MLA from Kishtwar Shagun Parihar and former minister G M Saroori, also reached the spot and extended their condolences to the bereaved family.

“Anyone found guilty will face strict action,” Parihar said.

A fire also damaged a Gujjar Bakerwal boys hostel in Chatroo in Kishtwar late on Sunday night, police said. There were no casualties in the incident, they said. (PTI)