Minister booked, four held for attacking cop

Rudrapur, March 27

Four persons were arrested and nearly 150, including minister Arvind Pandey, booked for allegedly attacking and abusing a police official on duty in Udham Singh Nagar district in the state, the police said on Wednesday.

A total of 19 persons were named accused in the case in connection with the ruckus created at the Kundeshwari police chowki in Kashipur on Tuesday allegedly in the presence of Pandey, Additional Superintendent of Police, Kashipur, Jagdish Chandra said on Wednesday.

Four persons had been arrested and eight police teams were conducting searches at different places to nab the rest of the accused, Kashipur SHO Chanchal Sharma said, adding that more arrests would soon be made. Pandey was among the accused in the case, Sharma said.

Asked whether Pandey would also be arrested, the official said action would be taken only after his role was investigated. Kundeshwari police chowki in-charge Arjun Giri was abused and roughed up by people engaged in illegal mining allegedly in the presence of the minister on Tuesday forcing the official to shut himself in his office to save his life.

Angry with Giri for seizing their dumpers, they stormed the police chowki, called the minister and roughed up the official allegedly in front of him, Sharma said. — PTI