Watlab: Army vehicle carrying EVMs catches fire

A day after polling in north Kashmir’s Baramulla-Kupwara segment, an army vehicle carrying Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) caught fire at Watlab area of this north Kashmir district, witnesses said.
They said the vehicle, which was part of the cavalcade carrying EMVs from Bandipora to Baramulla for storage in ‘Strong Room’, was seen in flames near Watlab. The cavalcade of about 10 Army and Police vehicles was carrying about 124 EVMs. 
Reports said Deputy Commissioner Bandipora and SP Bandipora were part of the cavalcade.
Sources said the fire incident occurred near an Army camp at Watlab Hillock. There were about eight to nine trunks of EMVs in the vehicle that caught fire.
Though authorities downplayed the incident as “minor fault in the vehicle”, witnesses said the vehicle suffered “considerable damage” in the fire. 
When contacted, J&K’s Chief Electoral Officer UmangNarula said he didn’t know anything about the incident.
However, an official at the Election Cell Bandipora, said there was a fault in engine of the Army vehicle due to which it caught fire. 
“But fire tenders accompanying the cavalcade were put to service and machines were immediately shifted to another vehicle. All EVMs were safely shifted to Baramulla,” the official, wishing anonymity, claimed.