In a heart-wrenching incident, an officer’s hand was cut off with a sword and three other policemen injured by a group of Nihangs. The incident that had happened in Patiala district, Punjab on Sunday took everyone by shock.
In what could be termed as a shocking crime in Patiala district, police officials were attacked by miscreants, allegedly because they were stopped from violating the lockdown at a vegetable market in Patiala.
The incident reportedly occurred outside the wholesale vegetable market in Sanaur town in Patiala district, on Sunday. The reason behind this gruesome attack was that the cops asked Nihangs, who were traveling in an SUV car, to show their identity, but the group refused to show their identity, rather they tried to dodge police officers instead. When the cops stopped them from entering the market, they started assaulting officials with sharp-edged weapons.
In the deadly incident, Assistant Sub Inspector Harjeet Singh’s hand was chopped off with a sword and three other policemen sustained severe injuries. A mandi’ official was also hurt. The ASI was rushed to Rajindra hospital nearby and then referred to PGIMER in Chandigarh where he went through surgery, police said.
A video clip went viral on social media in no time in which ASI Harjeet Singh can be seen seeking help. A man picks up the severed hand and gives it to the officer. He is then taken away from the scene on a two-wheeler.
The victim underwent a complex surgery to repair the severed wrist, surgery was successfully completed in the hospital which lasted over seven hours.
The attackers fled after the occurrence happened in the morning at 6:15 am in Sanaur town. They hid in the Nihang Dera complex which also houses Khichdi Sahib Gurdwara.
Police forces and Special Operation Group (SoG) immediately launched the search operation to nab all accused. The cops cordoned off the Gurdwara and asked them to surrender with their weapons and swords, but they refused to surrender.
“They were asked to show curfew passes. But they rammed the vehicle against the gate and the barricades,” Patiala’s Senior Superintendent of Police Mandeep Singh Sidhu said.
A gunfight broke out between the police personnel and the hiding perpetrators at Gurdwara. “Seven persons have been arrested,” Punjab Director General police Dinkar Gupta later told PTI.
The fierce encounter
“We requested them through the public address system to surrender but they refused,” he said. The Nihangs inside hurled abuses at the policemen. The Nihangs threatened to set fire to the cooking gas cylinders if police entered, said DGP. The DGP said an exchange of fire also took place. 11 people have been arrested including the five involved in the cowardly attack.
Two separate cases have been registered against the accused. The first has been registered for the incident at Sabzi Mandi and the second case has been registered for attempt to murder and other charges, Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said.
