Prohibition Enforcement Wing cops, UP tourists clash at check post in Coimbatore

Some police personnel, in plain clothes, asked the bus crew to show them the documents as their shift ended. However, they showed e-documents, which triggered an argument.

Two policemen attached to the Prohibition Enforcement Wing Checkpost at the state border area of Karaikadu near Mettur in Salem district were injured in a clash between tourists from Uttar Pradesh. Three tourists were also injured after both of them started assaulting each other with wooden sticks and metal rods Photo | Express

COIMBATORE: Two policemen posted in the border check post at Karaikadu near Mettur in Salem suffered minor injuries in a scuffle with a group from tourists from Uttar Pradesh. Locals said the clash broke out after a policeman who was in plain clothes allegedly demanded money from tourists to allow them to cross the check post. However, senior police officers denied the allegation and said there was a miscommunication while checking the vehicle documents as the tourists spoke in Hindi.

According to sources, 44 people from Uttar Pradesh were on a 35-day tour across India in a bus and they arrived in Salem district two days ago. After visiting several temples, they planned to visit Male Mahadeshwara Hills in Karnataka, through Kolathur near Mettur. Around 8 am on Friday, when they were heading to Karnataka, the bus was intercepted by the police at Karaikadu check post, which is manned by Prohibition Enforcement Police (PEW).

Some police personnel were in plain clothes as their shift ended, asked the bus crew to show the documents. However, they showed e-documents which triggered an argument. The language problem escalated into trouble, said police sources.

“In the melee, a policeman pushed the driver preventing him from being attacked, but the crew thought the latter was a middleman since he was in plain clothes and assaulted him. The cleaner of the bus attacked the police with an iron rod. Noticing it, the villagers besieged the bus to support the police personnel. Two policemen Senthilkumar and Sugavaneshwaran suffered minor injuries. The bus driver Sivanarayan (52), and cleaner Ajay (22) were booked in a case on multiple sections,” said P Arokiaraj, Mettur DSP. The officer further said the bus has all India permit till January 2025. The language was a problem that triggered the clash.

Videos recorded by locals showing police personnel attacking the tourists with a pipe, and the cleaner attempting to assault police with an iron rod, were widely circulated on social media.