Mob ambush leaves police battered; injured ASI looted, crackdown launched on ringleaders
24 cattle rescued, Sacrilegious Act added in case
JJ CORRESPONDENT
JAMMU, APR 9: A high-stakes intelligence-led operation in the Marallian area of Miran Sahib turned into a horrific scene of lawlessness today, as a well-entrenched bovine smuggling syndicate unleashed a violent mob on a police team.
In a desperate struggle for survival, law enforcement officers were forced to resort to controlled firing to prevent their own lynching and the looting of government weaponry after a pre-planned ambush left several personnel with severe head trauma and fractures.
“The confrontation began when a specialized police party led by SHO Police Station Miran Sahib Inspector Jatinder Singh under the supervision of SDPO RS Pura Gurmeet Singh and SP Headquarters Jammu Anna Sinha, acting on precise intelligence regarding a large-scale smuggling ring, successfully intercepted a vehicle loaded with around two dozen illegally transported cattle”, police sources informed.
“However, as officers moved to secure the livestock, the situation took a dark turn. A violent mob—allegedly orchestrated by the syndicate—descended upon the scene from multiple directions. Investigations identify the primary orchestrators as Babal, Faji, and Kalu, who reportedly utilized the crowd as a “human shield” and a tactical weapon to facilitate the escape of the smugglers”, sources added.
“The scene rapidly deteriorated into a life-threatening war zone. Heavily outnumbered and pinned down by a relentless barrage of stones, the police found themselves trapped in a melee designed to overwhelm their defenses. To prevent the mob from snatching service weapons and to escape a potential lynching, the team was forced to resort to controlled firing”, sources said, adding that, several warning shots were discharged into the air, a measure of last resort that briefly paralyzed the attackers and created a defensive perimeter, allowing the officers to regroup until reinforcements arrived to stabilize the volatile area.
The human cost of the assault was devastating. ASI Vipan Kumar and SPO Garu Ram, positioned at the frontline, were specifically targeted by stone-pelters, sustaining severe head trauma and multiple injuries.
“In a brazen act of audacity, members of the mob snatched the mobile phone of the wounded ASI Vipan Kumar as he lay incapacitated. SPO Garu Ram was rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H) for emergency treatment; medical officials state that while his injuries are serious, he is currently out of immediate danger and remains under close observation. At least six other personnel suffered fractures and bruises, and a police vehicle was left nearly decimated by the projectiles”, police sources said.
In the aftermath, Jammu Police have launched a massive legal offensive, registering FIR Number 53/2026 invoking charges of attempt to murder, rioting, obstructing public servants, and snatching. Significantly, authorities have confirmed that a section under the Sacrilegious Act will be added to the case to address the sensitive nature of the bovine smuggling and the intent to hurt public sentiments.
“While the vehicle has been seized and the around two dozen bovines rescued, the ringleaders remain at large. A massive crackdown has been launched across the Miran Sahib border belt to ensure that those who orchestrated this cowardice face the full, unmitigated force of the law”, police sources informed.
