Police station in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district vandalised, officer injured in mob attack

A police station in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district was vandalised and its officer-in-charge injured in a mob attack, a senior officer said on Sunday.

The incident took place at Pandra police station late on Saturday evening, when a mob barged into the premises after a person, undergoing treatment at a private hospital after a road accident, succumbed to his injuries.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Kotwali, Prakash Soy said, “A week ago, a resident of Gumla district was injured in a road accident in Pandra police station area and was being treated at a private hospital in Ranchi. A trailer truck involved in the accident was seized by the police.”

“The accident victim died on Saturday, following which his family members and others blocked the roads. They demanded that the trailer truck owner be brought in front of them, and also sought compensation. The agitators later reached Pandra police station,” he said.

The station in-charge gave them assurances regarding compensation and said the police would take all necessary action against the trailer truck owner and the driver as per the law.

The deceased’s family members lifted the stir following the assurance, Soy added.

“However, sometime later, a few miscreants who were part of the mob returned to the station and started arguing with officer-in-charge Manish Gupta. It escalated and they hit him on the head, and also vandalised the police station and damaged a police vehicle,” the DSP said.

Additional security forces were sent to the spot, and they brought the situation under control. The injured officer was sent to a hospital for treatment, he said.

“We are scrutinising CCTV footage to identify the assailants... strict action will be taken against them,” Soy added.

Meanwhile, the police arrested eight people. The accused were identified as Chandan Kumar, Dinesh Rai, Mahesh Saw, Kunal Kumar Yadav, Kundan Kumar Yadav, Anmol Jaiswal, Meena Devi, and Priya Kumari.

Superintendent of Police (SP City) Paras Rana said, “On September 14, in an accident, the victim named Uttam Kumar was injured and lost his life during treatment on Saturday. After this, some miscreants who were part of a mob attacked Pandra police station, in which an officer and a few security personnel sustained injuries. We have arrested eight persons, including two women, in connection with the damage to public property and stopping an officer from performing his duty.”

Rana said, “A case has been registered against the accused. An FIR has also been lodged against 30 known individuals and 500 unknown people. Investigation is under way. Soon, more arrests will be made in this case.”