VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR
Hazaribag, Mar 9: Two groups were locked in a serious clash in Lati village of Padma on Wednesday night injuring around a dozen people including a few policemen. Stone pelting also resulted in the windscreens of the cars getting damaged.
Officer-in-charge of Padma police station, Shiv Dayal Singh said the situation is under control and they have taken seven in custody after lodging an FIR against 40 to 50 unidentified persons.
Sources said the two groups were drunk on the eve of Holi and began a war of words. Soon the situation went out of hand as both sides started pelting stones damaging the windscreens of the cars. Getting information about this incident, Singh reached there and tried to control the situation but soon stone pelting started on the police resulting in injuries to a few men-in-khaki. Singh informed senior officials after which the subdivisional police officer of Barhi, Nazir Ansari reached there with additional forces. Seeing police in large numbers, troublemakers escaped.
A search operation was later started in the area which ended with the recovery of country-made pistols and gelatin sticks. The search was going on with the entire area converted into a police cantonment. Other than policemen, jawans of the Cobra battalion also searched the area.
Singh on Thursday evening said the situation is under control. He said an FIR has been lodged and so far no arrest was made. “We have taken a few in our custody and their interrogation is going on,” added he.
