2 buses gutted in fire in MP's Naxal-hit Balaghat

Balaghat, Jun 19 (PTI) Two empty stationary buses were gutted in a fire in Madhya Pradesh's Naxal-affected Balaghat district in the wee hours of Thursday, police said.
    The incident took place at around 2.30 am in Ukwa area under Roopjhar police station limits of the district, which shares border with Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, Ukwa police outpost in-charge sub-inspector Gopal Singh told PTI over phone.
    Asked about possibility of the role of Naxalites, the official said the incident was being investigated from all angles.
    The two private buses, parked near a mine since some time, caught fire at the spot, located 40 km from the district headquarters.
    The police reached the spot after being alerted by a watchman there, the official said, adding that fire tenders were rushed to the site.
    An investigation was underway to ascertain whether someone torched the buses or they caught fire due to other reasons.

    A process was on to register an FIR based on complaints of the bus owners - Suraj Agrawal and his son Santosh Agrawal, the official said.

    On June 14, four Naxalites, including three women, were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in a forest under Roopjhar police station area of the district.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)