Villager killed in crossfire between Bathinda cops, ''drug smugglers'' in Haryana

Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, October 9

A team of Bathinda Police were beaten up by villagers in Desu Jodha in Haryana’s Sirsa district on Wednesday morning after a 45-year-old villager was killed in the crossfire between them and a gang of suspected drug dealers, sources in the police said.

The sources said police were tipped off about a possible drug ring at the Haryana village by two people they had arrested on Monday with 6,000 tramadol tablets from from Rama Mandi. After the suspects, identified as Gagandeep and Mandeep, told police that they got the tablets from a drug dealer in the village, a police team conducted a raid there.

IGP, Bathinda range, Arun Kumar Mittal said: “The police had arrested two persons — Gagandeep and Mandeep — with 6,000 tramadol tablets at Rama Mandi on Monday. They told us that the drugs were handed over by Kulwinder Singh at Desu Jodha. Acting on the information, the police booked Kulwinder in the case. They also had information that Kulwinder would again supply drugs across the interstate border today.”

The suspected dealer and his gang attacked the team, forcing police to retaliate, sources said. A bullet hit the villager, Jaggi Singh, in the chest, killing him. Angry villagers then attacked the police team, forcing Haryana Police to intervene.

Sources said seven policemen were wounded in the incident, of which one was hit by a bullet. The wounded have been taken to Bathinda’s Max Hospital. The policeman with the bullet wound is believed to be in serious condition.

The suspects are believed to have vandalised police vehicles as well.

Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police Nanak Singh said: “Police had booked some suspects under the NDPS Act and a team had gone to arrest them when they were attacked".