Police fire in air after villagers attack cops

Three policemen, including the SHO Mitesh Kumar, were injured in the attack.

Purnia: Police on Saturday fired in the air to disperse a mob after it torched the Dagarua Police Station, about 16 km from here, and injured three policemen to protest the murder of a local.

Md Iqbal alias Nasim, a villager of Chandmari, was kidnapped on Wednesday and his body floating in a pond near the village, was recovered this morning, police said.

As the news spread, hundreds of locals collected on the National Highway near the police station and blocked the road blaming the police for the kidnapping and murder. They later surrounded the police station premises and started beating up the policemen who were present there.

Three policemen, including the Station House Officer (SHO) Mitesh Kumar, were injured in the attack, sources said, adding the mob used kerosene to set the police station on fire. Police had to fire six rounds in the air to scare away the mob, the sources said. Superintendent of Police, Purnia, Amit Lodha, arrived at the police station with reinforcements and bought the situation under control, they said.

Patrolling was intensified as tension ran high in the area.

PTI