Eight Chandigarh cops thrashed by mob

CHANDIGARH - Eight policemen were allegedly beaten up by a group of people when they tried to arrest two men charged with attacking cops here last month, an official said Tuesday.

Three sub-inspectors, one assistant sub-inspector and four constables late Monday went to arrest Damma and Ranjit in the Mauli Jagran area of Chandigarh, police said.

The police team had to beat a retreat after they were thrashed badly by the two men, their relatives and neighbours.

“We went to arrest Damma and Ranjit. When we knocked on the door, some women started throwing bricks, stones, utensils and water from the balcony of their house,” said Sher Singh, one of the injured policemen.

“They were soon joined by male members of the family and their neighbours. We did not get a chance to react. We had to leave the spot to save our lives. They also damaged our scooter and set fire to official documents,” he said.

Following the attack, reinforcements — comprising over 100 cops — led by senior police officers reached the area during the night to arrest the accused. However, they found no one at Damma’s house.

One person of the locality has been detained for questioning.

On May 17, Damma and his accomplices reportedly assaulted two policemen in the busy market of Mauli Jagran. A sub-inspector suffered a broken nose in the attack.