Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 31: Around one dozen persons including Tehsildar Jammu, Naib Tehsildar and SHO Nowabad were injured when some persons resorted to stone pelting on them during the eviction of Gujjar community from an encroached land in Jammu city.
The encroachment drive on several kanals of State land in Nikki Tawi area near Fourth Bridge on Tawi river here was being carried out on directions of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jammu Simrandeep Singh to remove alleged land grabbers.
A combined team of over 100 police personnel and JDA officials led by Tehsildar Jammu Abid Hussain and assisted by Naib Tehsildar Mohammad Hanief and Patwari Ghulam Nabi launched a major encroachment drive to vacate the several kanals land in Nikki Tawi area near Fourth Bridge on river Tawi, officials said.
The team tried to dismantle the structures on the land set up by Gujjars, who objected to the drive.
The Gujjars turned violent and pelted stones and bricks on the team, including police personnel, they said, adding that police in turn resorted to firing tear gas shells and lathicharge to disperse the mob.
Seven police personnel including SHO Nowabad police station Inspector Ravinder Rakwal, SI Suresh Kumar, ASI Ashok Kumar, ASI Shamsher, Constable Sham, Constable Dinoj Kumar and Constable Chaman Lal were injured. Apart from them, Tehsildar, Naib Tehsildar and Patwari also received injuries, a senior police office said.
He added that land was evacuated from the encroachers and a case under FIR Number 167/15 has been registered against the mob.