In a shocking incident, a street vendor’s vegetable cart was mercilessly crushed by a backhoe loader during an anti-encroachment drive conducted by the district administration in Kathua. The distressing video of the incident quickly circulated on social media, triggering widespread condemnation from the public.
The video captured the desperate attempts of the vegetable seller to prevent the destruction of his cart. Despite continuous pleas, the vendor’s efforts proved futile as the officials remained unmoved, leaving him clinging to the machine in a last-ditch effort to salvage his only source of income.
As the JCB machine continued its operation to clear encroachments from public spaces, it collided with the vendor’s cart, reducing it to debris and scattering vegetables across the road.
The incident has fueled public outrage, with onlookers in the video engaging in heated arguments with the officials, criticizing the administration’s actions against a struggling street vendor. Despite the mounting backlash, no official statement has been issued by the district administration regarding the incident.
The anti-encroachment drive, aimed at reclaiming public spaces, took a distressing turn as the unintended victim, a hapless vegetable seller, faced the brunt of the operation. In response to the incident, locals have organized protests against the administration, demanding accountability for the destruction of the vendor’s livelihood.
As the video continued to circulate on social media platforms, the incident brought to light the human cost of such initiatives, prompting a reevaluation of the methods employed during anti-encroachment drives.
In response, Officials of the Municipal Corporation Kathua stated that warnings had been issued for three months, urging people to remove encroachments. With non-compliance causing traffic congestion, the campaign against encroachments will persist in various parts of the city until it achieves an encroachment-free status.