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| Fire in CM's BP car's engine | | Police contradict official version | | EarlY Times Report
Jammu , Feb 10
Even as those close to Omar Abdullah persisted that the chief minister had a providential escape Tuesday night after the engine of his brand-new bullet-proof (BP) car caught fire "mysteriously" on the Jammu-Pathankote National Highway, police "denied" the incident. Neither Kathua police nor Samba police confirmed the incident. "Honestly, we do not have any knowledge of such an incident," police officers in the twin border districts of Kathua and
Samba said.
Even the police control rooms (PCRs) in the two districts did not have any such report.
This has aroused a controversy with police disagreeing with what the government machinery claims. Official sources said the engine of CM's car caught fire at Ghagwal, about 50 km from here, when he was on his way back to Jammu from Kathua after attending the marriage ceremony of the daughter of Congress Member Parliament (MP) Lal Singh. The
incident was said to have taken place at about 10 pm.
Police, however, sought to contradict the incident. "We were on high alert till the CM left our jurisdiction and during our stay on the road, we did not see any such incident taking place
anywhere," the officers said.
Not only police officers, the "incident" has left astonished all in the corridors of power too. "How can the engine of a brand-new BP car catch fire?" some questioned, saying, "Cops
are always in knowhow of such matters, but in this case, police surprisingly do not know anything." To "justify" the incident, the government, however, said it would take up the issue with the manufacturer of the car. A probe was also ordered into the incident.
Official sources said the saving grace was that the central locking system of the vehicle did not jam, which happens in case of fire. Omar was later brought to Jammu in another car,
which was part of his cavalcade, the sources added. Omar was fine as he also chaired a board meeting at his residence today, the sources added.
But the question is why police contradicted the "official" version of the incident. This suggests that there could be something "fishy" in it. It is now up to the government to see
why its one organ had chosen to distance itself from the incident.
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