Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH, June 27: Members of a special police team resorted to aerial firing after villagers attacked them during a raid in connection with drug peddling, here.
The incident took place in Gursai Nallah village of Mendhar Sub Division following which the protest erupted in the area.
Official sources told that a police team from Poonch comprising of police personnel in civvies was sent to Gursai Manda in Mendhar to arrest a suspected drug peddler Sajjad Ahmed, son of Mohammad Younus of Manda Gursai.
Sources said after overpowering the suspected person, police personnel were trying to shift him to their vehicle but a large number of villagers assembled on the spot following which a scuffle broke out between the police and locals.
“Villagers attacked police personnel and also managed to get the suspected accused free from the police team”, sources said.
They added during the incident, police personnel resorted to firing in air in self defence and escaped from the spot to save themselves from the clutches of villagers.
Later, protests broke out in the area and villagers alleged that police harassed them.
The protesters were pacified by SDPO Mendhar Neeraj Padyar and other officers who reached on the spot.