Seven policemen injured in stone pelting in Bhopal as mob targets shops

Protestors attacked the police personnel who reached the site to stop a mob attack on shops.

Published on: Oct 23, 2019, 23:35:49 IST

Hindustan Times, Bhopal | By Shruti Tomar

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At least seven police personnel including a senior officer were injured in stone pelting by a mob opposing construction of a shopping complex on land of a temple in Shahpura area of Bhopal on Wednesday, said police.

Among those injured was a senior police officer who suffered fractured ribs after a stone hit him. (Representative photo/Getty Images)

Six people were arrested by the police in connection with the incident, according to police.

The injured cops included Bhopal city superintendent of police Bhupendra Singh, an inspector, two sub-inspectors and four constables.

Superintendent of police, south Bhopal, Sampat Upadhyaya said that there had been tension in the area for several months after a private society constructed shops near Bharat Nagar vegetable farm in Shahpura.

“A few months ago, a private society named Railway Society constructed shops near Bharat Nagar vegetable farm in Shahpura. The local residents of Bharat Nagar had been opposing the construction for the past three months and also lodged complaints at different government offices. The locals also moved the court over the land dispute. The locals claimed that the shops were constructed on the compound of a temple, constructed many years ago, and the construction of shops hindered the way to reach temple. On Wednesday morning, a large number of people gathered in front of shops and moved to demolish the shops. They also started stone pelting,” Upadhyaya said.

“When police personnel reached there to control the situation, the protestors also attacked the police personnel,” he added.

A heavy police force has been deployed in the area to bring the situation under control.

“City superintendent of police (CSP) Bhupendra Singh was seriously injured as a stone fractured his ribs. All the police personnel were admitted to a private hospital,” said Irshad Wali, deputy inspector general (DIG) of police.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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