DHARAMSHALA, Jan. 20: Around ten motorcycles were set on fire in the early hours of Monday on Tipa road, a neighborhood in McLoed Ganj that is predominantly inhabited by Tibetans. This is the second incident of arson in the span of few days in the same area.
Around 12:30 am local time on Jan. 20, residents were woken up to dramatic scenes as motorcycles were seen to be engulfed in flames at different points on the Tipa road. A video shot from a cell phones and shared widely on micro-messaging apps show people trying to contain the flames on the motorcycles.
A fuse caught fire as two bikes on fire were parked directly under an electric pole. The resulting short circuit caused power outage in the whole neighborhood. The vehicles petrol content and plastic parts exacerbated the fire but was later doused by residents.
Days before two motorcycles were set on fire on the same road. A resident Tenzin Dhargyal whose bike was also set on fire told Phayul, “It is anyone’s guess at the moment who did it. We just hope that the police find clues to catch the culprits as this is the second time incident like this has happened. We hope similar incidents can be avoided in the future.”
A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at the Mcloed Ganj Police station by a Tibetan residing at Tipa road. Head Constable Rajiv Kumar confirmed to Phayul that the FIR was registered and that investigation is underway. Statements were taken from first responders and CCTV footages from the nearby hotels are being reviewed, the police said.
Dharamshala settlement officer Kunga said that he is urging the local police to employ their resources to further the investigation. “It is early to draw any conclusions, the probe is underway,” Kunga told Phayul.
