BALASORE:At least five police personnel were injured in a mob attack at Panisandha village under Bhogarai police limits in Balasore district on Wednesday. The mob also damaged a police vehicle. The injured include two assistant sub inspectors (ASIs).
The incident took place in the afternoon when a police team reached the village after getting information that some women were detained in a house in connection with three deaths that had taken place in May.
On May 16 night, one Zahira Bibi and her two sons died in sleep under mysterious circumstances. Police said initially her parents did not lodge any complaint but a month after the deaths, Zahira’s father filed an FIR accusing her elder brother-in-law of killing them.
Additional SP Santosh Nayak said following the FIR a case was registered. “The postmortem report, however, indicated that the three had died due to inhalation of toxic gas. We suspect the gas was generated from a generator which was operational close to their bedroom that day,” he said. The accused was absconding ever since.
Suspecting that the accused returned home on Tuesday night, the villagers gheraoed his house on Wednesday morning in a bid to apprehend him. They ransacked the furniture besides attacking women members of the family.
Nayak, who visited the village, said a team of police officials rushed to the spot following phone calls from the women and one of the woman’s husband, who is in Singapore.
“The police team was detained on way to the village and attacked. They also damaged the police vehicle. Two cops with head injuries and as many rescued women hostages have been admitted to District Headquarters Hospital,” he said.
The injured ASIs are Radhagobinda Madhual and Srustidhar Dey and three APR constables are Siba Hansdah, Srimanta Hansdah and Subas Marandi and driver Rabindra Das.
Meanwhile, two cases have been registered against the villagers who have been accused of attacking police officers on duty and assaulting women besides damaging household articles and stealing ornaments. Two platoons of armed police forces have been deployed in the village as the situation remains tense.