Eight Bihar cops injured in attack by men involved in illicit liquor trade

At least two police vehicles were damaged in the incident which took place around 7pm on Saturday in the West Champaran district.

At least eight policemen were injured, two of them seriously, in an attack carried out by men involved in illegal sale of liquor at Madhubani village of Bihar’s West Champaran district on Saturday evening.

Police party was attacked when it was conducting a raid to seize illicit liquor (Sanjeev Kumar/HT Photo/Representative)

On Sunday, sub divisional police officer (SDPO) of Ramnagar, Arjun Lal said a case has been registered at the local police station against 30 named and 150 unknown offenders. "Raids are on to arrest the accused. No arrests have been made in this connection so far," said Lal.

Havildar Vijay Kumar Singh’s leg was fractured and seven other policemen from Ramnagar police station, too, received injuries when they were attacked during a raid following inputs of illegal liquor trade at Madhubani village of Ramnagar block, about 265 km north of state capital Patna.

“We had definite information about the illegal sale and manufacturing of spurious liquor. Just when the police were trying to catch hold of some liquor traders, a group of villagers, many of them women, attacked the police,” said a police officer.

He said the crowd pelted stones forcing the outnumbered cops to retreat. At least two police vehicles were damaged in the incident which took place around 7pm on Saturday.

“The injured policemen were immediately rushed to the government hospital at Ramnagar, from where, havildar Vijay Kumar Singh was referred to government hospital in Bettiah,” said SDPO Arjun Lal.

Police have registered a case under Sections 147, 148 and 149 of the IPC among others.