Three police personnel, including a sub-inspector and a woman constable, were attacked with rods, canes and sharp-edged weapons by a tent house operator and his kin following an argument in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district.
The cops had reached Netampur village of the district after getting information about an altercation between two traders — Anwar and Chhote Lal — at a fair that was underway at Lalpur Karauta temple in the village.
The dispute was between the tent house owner Anwar and a Sitapur resident Lal, who set up his shop in the mela and had taken some chairs and other things from the tent house on rent.
Anwar, a local muscle man, was pressurising Lal to pay some extra amount as some of the chairs were damaged and held him captive, said V.K. Yadav, inspector in-charge of Mohammadpur police station.
Yadav said the tent house owner and his family members attacked the police team when they tried to intervene and free the shopkeeper from their captivity.
Those injured in the attack were S-I Raja Ram, constable Ankit Butar and woman constable Poonam Sharma.
Raja Ram, whose retirement is due later this month, is in critical condition with a head injury, he said. The trio was undergoing treatment at a Barabanki hospital.
An FIR has been lodged against nine people under IPC sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons), 149 (for offence committed in prosecution of common object), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons), 332 (voluntarily causing to deter public servant from his duty) 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 504 (insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation), he said.
Yadav said Section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act was also slapped against them.
The accused named in the FIR include Anwar, his two sons Chhotu and Shanu, his three daughters, Ruby, Rumi, and Subi, his wife Shammo, his sister Zakira and son-in-law Waqeel, as well as other unidentified people.
He said three accused including Anwar’s wife Shammo, Waqeel and Subi were arrested from the spot while six other named accused are absconding.
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