Tragedy struck Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar when a massive fire engulfed their shanties leaving four people, including three children, dead and reducing their colony to ashes at Narwal area of Jammu.
Tragedy struck Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar when a massive fire engulfed their shanties leaving four people, including three children, dead and reducing their colony to ashes at Narwal area of Jammu.
Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered an inquiry to find out the causes of the fire.
The incident occurred on Friday night when the refugees were in deep sleep. Fire emanated from one of the shanties and within no time flames engulfed the entire colony. Four people including three children and a woman were charred to death as they could not be rescued as huge flames were shooting up into the air. Nearly 70 shanties have been reduced to ashes.
Deputy inspector general of police, Jammu-Kathua range, Ashkoor Wani told DNA that the fire started at around 1am and engulfed the shanties. "Four people have died and five are injured. All of them are from Myanmar," he said.
District development commissioner of Jammu Simrandeep Singh said the plot of land was rented out by a local resident on which they had set up their shanties. "It was not a colony. A local resident had allowed them to live there," he said.
Singh noted that an enquiry under 174 Cr PC has been launched to find out the cause of the fire. "Action will be taken against the person who had kept them on rent", he said.
More than 5,000 Rohingya refugees are living in different parts of Jammu. Data available reveal, there are 1,219 Rohingya families comprising 5,107 members staying in Jammu district.
Official figures reveal many as 14 Rohingya Muslims who are living as refugees in Jammu, have married the locals. Information provided in the Legislative Assembly recently revealed that J&K is playing host to as many as 13384 foreigners.
Ladakh region, Jammu and Samba districts are the main areas where the foreigners, mostly Tibetan Refugees live. Ten of these refugees are being held in jails under PSA and three of them are facing trial.
Figures reveal that around 36,000 Rohingyas are living in different parts of the country after they fled the persecution in Myanmar.
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