M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Nov. 23: An irate mob stoned a small contingent of police of the Pipra police station last night on NH 98 near Chaparwar in Palamu. A sub-inspector, Abhay Anand, was severely injured leading to 9 stitches in his head.
Officer in-charge of Pipra police station, Suraj Chail and two other cops; Benjamin Lakra and Ajay Yadav, were also hurt in the hail of the stones unleashed by the mob.
Suraj Chail said, “A 50 year old villager identified as Sheonandan Yadav of village Labhra was hit by an unidentified vehicle on NH 98 around 7 last evening at Chaparwar who died on the spot.”
Sheonandan was out on the NH 98 to have some refreshments when the incident happened.
“I, along with just two cops Ajay Yadav and Benjamin Lakra, was on way to Pipra police station last evening from Chhatarpur where I had gone for a discussion with the SDPO. Suddenly, we saw a mob of around 200 people surrounding Sheonandan’s body. They got even more furious and got into further frenzy upon seeing us,” said Chail.
“We had stopped there to find out whether anyone could help us with any information about the vehicle that had hit Sheonandan and fled away but the mob thought we were just wasting time and soon picked up stones and wooden sticks to attack us in sheer anger,” he added.
The OC then sent a message to Pipra police station about 17 kilometres away from the site of accident and attack on them and sought reinforcement. Abhay Anand and other cops rushed to the site and before he could have pacified the situation, the mob hit him with stone in head.
The mob later vandalised a hotel as well. Nobody knows in which direction the vehicle that hit Yadav to death, fled.
“The mob misunderstood us and behaved most unlawfully hindering and preventing us from our discharge of the official duties. Officer Abhay Anand was severely injured while he was on duty and this is a major offence that has been committed by the mob,” Chail said while informing that Anand is undergoing a CT scan in MMCH Daltonganj.
Police are trying to identify the stone pelters and a criminal case is waiting to take a shape now.
SP Palamu, Chandan Kr Sinha, said that he has taken this unprovoked and unwarranted attack on the cops on duty by unruly elements seriously and culprits can’t afford to get away.
“Police will take stern action against the stone pelters and other vandals who have taken law unto their hands,” the SP said.
“Section 307 (attempts to murder) and 353 (preventing government officials from discharge of official duty) under the IPC will be initiated against the offenders without fail,” thundered the SP.
Postmortem of SheonandanYadav will be done in MMCH Daltonganj today as it got quite late last night and the body could not be sent to the hospital.
