Bathinda cops face mob fury in Sirsa, crossfire kills man
BATHINDA: A man was killed and seven cops were injured on Wednesday as villagers in Haryana’s Sirsa district clashed with a Punjab Police team that had gone there to nab a drug supplier, an incident that saw an exchange of fire and the locals brutally assaulting the cops and torching their vehicle.
Sirsa deputy commissioner Ashok Kumar said a magisterial probe has been ordered.
Bathinda SSP Nanak Singh said a seven-member CIA team came under attack around 6 am by villagers during a raid at the house of Kulwinder Singh, a resident of Desu Jodha village in Dabwali. The team had gone to arrest Kulwinder on the basis on information given by two accused that they had purchased 6,000 banned pills from him.
“Police had information that Kulwinder would be arriving at the Punjab-Haryana border to supply drugs. Our team went to the specified location to nab him but he escaped. Cops chased him up to his house where they were attacked by villagers,” he said.
An exchange of fire took place between cops and some villagers, leading to death of Jagga Singh, 55, who is believed to be uncle of Kulwinder, and bullet injuries to two Punjab Police personnel, officials said.
Video clips purportedly of the incident surfaced on social media showing the policemen being brutally attacked with iron rods, sticks, bricks and sharp-edged weapons.
They were kicked and slapped by a group of villagers and dragged on the street. Their vehicle was also torched. In another video, a man whom villagers identified as a cop in civvies, is seen firing on people from an assault rifle while people are also throwing stones on cops.
The personnel were later rescued by Haryana Police. “Seven cops including a woman constable were injured. Constable Kamaldeep Singh suffered injury from a bullet fired by villagers,” said the Bathinda SSP, adding that the injured cops have been admitted to a private hospital.
A case has been registered against 55 villagers and 50 unidentified persons on the complaint of CIA sub inspector Harjivan Singh. Contradicting Bathinda cops’ claim, Bhupinder Singh, brother of Kulwinder Singh, said Punjab Police cops came at their house around 6 am when the family was fast asleep.
“They started beating Kulwinder and my father mercilessly. They also demanded money to let Kulwinder off in the case. As clash broke out, cops opened fire killing my uncle Jagga Singh,” he said.
He said that Haryana police personnel didn’t accompany the Punjab Police team at the time of raid.
Dabwali deputy superintended of police Kuldeep Singh said while a case has been registered on the complaint of Bathinda police, a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the death of Jagga Singh as his family has alleged that he was killed in police firing. “Action will be taken as per the magisterial probe report,”he said.
He said that Bathinda police team hadn’t informed the Haryana counterparts about the raid but it wasn’t illegal as it happened while chasing an accused.