At least six police personnel were injured after villagers allegedly attacked a police team attempting to arrest accused persons in pending criminal cases in Chhattisgarh’s Surajpur district on Friday, police said.
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Dewangan said they had anticipated resistance and deployed a large police contingent for the operation. The officer did not release details about the suspects who were tracked by the police or the cases in which they were wanted.
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Additional Superintendent of Police (Addl SP) Yogesh Dewangan said the police team had gone to Dharampur and Madannagar villages to arrest persons wanted in old criminal cases and denied claims by villagers that the police deployment was linked to a proposed coal mining project.
“The team had gone only to arrest accused in pending cases. One accused was apprehended, while the others could not be traced. There was no survey team at the spot, only police personnel,” Dewangan said.
“We had anticipated that there could be resistance to the arrests and had reached the spot fully prepared. However, we did not expect the opposition to turn so violent. The villagers resisted the operation aggressively, leaving more than six police personnel injured,” Dewangan said.
Officials said villagers allegedly pelted stones at the police team and chased personnel with sticks, forcing them to retreat.
Videos circulating on social media showed policemen, including women constables in anti-riot gear, running along a road while being chased by a mob. Several personnel reportedly fell and sustained injuries. Police said deputy superintendent of police Rajesh Joshi was among the injured.
Police said the situation was brought under control later in the day.
About 250 police personnel participated in the operation, with reinforcements brought in from neighbouring districts.
The incident comes days after villagers in the area protested against a land acquisition survey for a proposed coal mining project. Police, however, maintained that Friday’s operation was solely aimed at executing pending arrest warrants and had no connection with the survey.
