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2 cops among four hurt in attack by ‘drug peddlers’ in Gurdaspur
Head constable Sukhdeep Singh and senior constable Rikhi Ram were injured in the attack, according to the FIR registered at Kotli Surat Malhi police station falling under the jurisdiction of Batala police district.
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Four persons, including two Punjab Police personnel, were injured after alleged drug peddlers and their associates attacked them in Shikar Machhian village near Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district late on Monday night.
According to reports, the clash erupted when villagers objected to the alleged sale of narcotics in the area and confronted outsiders entering the village to buy drugs.
The confrontation escalated into a physical altercation between the two groups, leaving two villagers injured.
A police contingent, including commandos, rushed to the village to restore order and intervene in the dispute. After police arrested a few people, others allegedly attacked the police personnel instead of dispersing, pelting stones from rooftops and assaulting them with sharp-edged weapons.
Head constable Sukhdeep Singh and senior constable Rikhi Ram were injured in the attack, according to the FIR registered at Kotli Surat Malhi police station falling under the jurisdiction of Batala police district.
A case has been registered against 29 people under Sections 109, 132, 221, 191(3), and 190 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against 29 people. Those named in the FIR are Rinku Masih, George Masih, John Masih, Samual Masih, Suraj Masih, Mahinder Masih, Sawal Masih and Jodha Masih.
Station house officer (SHO) Satpal Singh said police received a call from the village sarpanch about the clash and reached the village at around 9 pm.
“Police reached the residence of Rinku Masih and arrested three to four persons. However, to free their associates, the miscreants launched an attack on the police party, pelting stones from the rooftop, leaving two cops injured. The police still managed to arrest two people, besides seizing motorcycles, cars and other vehicles parked there,” the SHO said.
We are investigating the ownership of these vehicles and will add names of the owners to the FIR and make arrests accordingly, he added.
Balwinder Singh, one of the residents injured in the attack, who is undergoing treatment at the community health centre in Dera Baba Nanak, alleged that Rinku Masih and his associates were involved in drug peddling and that villagers objected to their activities.
“On Monday evening, I, along with other villagers, was attacked. While others managed to escape, I was trapped and attacked with sharp-edged weapons. When we called the police, they attacked the police party as well,” he said.
Balwinder’s attendant Gianbir Singh said the villagers had lodged several complaints with the police about the drug trade; their concerns had gone unheeded.
“We stopped the outsiders coming to our village to purchase the drugs. These people held a grudge and attacked Balwinder Singh and other persons on Monday,” he said.
The incident comes 10 days after 40-year-old man Bikramjit Singh was killed while confronting alleged drug peddlers at Madi Pannwan village near Sri Hargobindpur in Batala on October 15.
Bikramjit and his two companions, Nishan Singh and Gurmukh Singh, were attacked by a group of 10 to 15 armed men after they had confronted them over alleged public harassment, thefts, and open drug peddling in the village. Bikramjit died of his injuries; Nishan and Gurmukh survived.
On October 13, anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead in Mansa after confronting a medical store owner, Ashwani Kumar, over alleged sale of synthetic drugs.
