SHO, 4 cops among dozen injured in clash

Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH, Dec 20: Five Police personnel  including Station House Officer Gursai and about half a dozen other villagers were injured during clash at village Ari in Mendhar Sub Division of district Poonch  this evening.
Official sources said that clash took place at around 7 pm when police party from Gursai along with Naib Tehsildar (Magistrate) had gone to  shift the drilling machine mounted on vehicle  from Jattan Mohalla in Ari to some other location on the directions of the Sub Divisional Magistrate Mendhar. This machine had been held in the captivity by the locals of the area demanding that water hand pump should also be installed in their locality. They were not allowing the PHE Drilling Division to  shift the machine for the last 25 days.
When the police team led by SHO Sanjay Gupta along with Magistrate arrived there at the village  and tried to shift the machine, the villagers went violent and resorted to stone pelting on police party. The police lobbed 5-6 tear gas shells and also resorted to lathi-charge on them. During clash, SHO and four other cops were injured while about half a dozen villagers including two women  also sustained injuries. The police failed to shift the machine from there.
Village Numberdar, Abdul Aziz said that they had been assured by the MLA to install hand pump in their locality. One had already been installed in the nearby locality. They wanted to complete drilling work first in their area before shifting it to some where else.  He said that police tried to shifted it during night giving slip to the locals.  He alleged that police beaten up the villagers with lathis and also fired tear gas shells on them. Two girls and 4-5 five other villagers were injured in police action, he added.
The SDPO, Riaz Tantray said that villagers attacked police party when drilling machine was being shifted from Mohalla  Jattan in Ari. He said the villagers had kept the machine in illegal custody. The department sought police help and on the directions of District Administration the police was assisting the shifting operation. He claimed that SHO Gursai, Insp Sanjay Gupta, constables -Maqsood Ahmed, Mohd Nasir, Zaheer Khan and Imtiaz Ahmed were injured in stone pelting.  He said the police will take action against the attackers.

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