SRINAGAR: At a time when there was chaos and confusion everywhere at Amarnath Base Camp in Baltal in Central Kashmirs Ganderbal district on Friday, local Dandiwalas, Ponywalas and tent owners were seen struggling to put out fire to save their belongings inside their tents.
These locals alleged that some CRPF personnel deputed on Yatra duty supplied gunpowder to few communal elements who set their tents on fire. I am witness to it and I saw how few men in plain clothes used gun powder to set our tent ablaze. They procured the gun powder from CRPF, a Dandiwala from frontier district Kupwara said adding that CRPF personnel prevented Fire and Emergency Service personnel from dousing the fire in time.
The communal elements present both in CRPF and Free Langar Community burnt down our tents and thrashed us mercilessly when we approached to extinguish the fire, set a tent owner adding that local traders, tent owners, ponnywalas and Dandiwalas have suffered huge losses due to arson and loot.
A top CRPF official from 54 Battalion deputed on Yatra Duty termed the allegations leveled by Dhandiwalas and tent owners baseless and said that it was CRPF which brought the situation under control and saved scores of tents from catching fire.
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