Army officer dies trying to save his dog from fire

Srinagar: An Army officer died while trying to save his dog during a fire incident in Gulmarg area of Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Sunday. A fire had broken out in an officers'' hut Saturday night and Major Ankit Budhraja of Corps Signals, attached with SSTC Gulmarg, rescued his wife and one of his dogs.

However, while rescuing another dog, the major received burn injuries up to 90 per cent and died on the spot, a police official said. The fire was brought under control by firefighters with the assistance of local police.

The body of the Army officer has been shifted to sub-district hospital Tangmarg for further medico-legal formalities.

Meanwhile, the authorities in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir have expunged illegal entries for 1,951 acres of state, forest and common land, and directed revenue officials to keep a close vigil on the encroachers, officials said on Sunday.

The Kishtwar district administration under the supervision of District Development Commissioner Rajinder Singh Tara removed the illegal entries for 1,562 acres of state land, about 349 acres of forest land and 40 acres of common land in the district, the officials said. With this, the officials said the administration has expunged 100 per cent illegal entries of state, common, kahcharai and forest land from the revenue records and restored the land to its legal status in the district.