In a shocking incident today, a group of seven, dressed as Nihang Sikhs, attacked policemen and chopped off an ASI’s hand in the Patiala district of Punjab.
Outrage on being asked curfew passes
The group of men was initially denied entry to the Patiala Sabzi Mandi at around 6:15 am on April 12 by the mandi board officials. They were asked to show curfew passes, to which, they crashed into the gate and attacked the policemen.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Patiala, Mandeep Singh Sidhu said:
“They were asked to show (curfew) passes. But they crashed the vehicle against the gate and barricades put up there.“
After crashing into the barricades, the group of men attacked the policemen and also chopped an ASI’s hand. Two other officials also suffered injuries in this attack.
The SSP further added:
“An assistant sub-inspectors (ASI) hand was chopped off with a sword. The station house officer (SHO) of Sadar-Patiala sustained an injury on his elbow and another official suffered an injury on his arm.“
The fugitives were later arrested
The group fled after the attack and were later traced to Balbera where local police surrounded them and asked them to surrender. Around 20 have been detained in Patiala in relation this case.
The ASI was later taken to the Rajindra Hospital, from where he was referred to a hospital in Chandigarh. As per the latest reports, ASI Harjeet Singh is undergoing surgery at PGIMER Hospital in Chandigarh.
