Clash in Aligarh village, cops injured; 18 held, tension prevails

Police have arrested 18 people on Tuesday, after a clash broke out between a team, which went to arrest an accused in a land dispute case, and villagers, here, leaving three personnel injured, officials said.

Police have arrested 18 people on Tuesday, after a clash broke out between a team, which went to arrest an accused in a land dispute case, and villagers, here, leaving three personnel injured, officials said. The incident occurred on Sunday in Naugawan Arjunpur in the Rorawar area when locals allegedly resorted to stone-pelting and resisted the police team attempting to arrest one Mehdi Hasan, who was wanted in connection with violence linked to the dispute, police said. Inspector Mahesh Chand and Constables Deepak Kumar and Pawan Kumar sustained injuries in the brickbatting, police said. During the melee, some miscreants allegedly snatched the inspector's service revolver, which was later recovered the same evening, they added. An uneasy calm prevailed in the village on Tuesday, with a heavy deployment of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) in place as a precautionary measure. The village, which has a population of around 5,000, appeared largely deserted as most male residents fled, fearing arrest. Many houses were found locked, with families leaving the area, officials said. Superintendent of Police Aditya Bansal said 18 people, including the main accused Mehdi Hasan and some women, have been arrested and sent to jail. They have been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including attempt to murder, obstruction of government work and assault, he said. Bansal added that 38 persons have been named in the FIR, while around 200 unidentified individuals have also been booked in connection with the violence. ''Anyone taking the law into their hands will be dealt with strictly,'' the SP said, adding that police teams are conducting raids to arrest the remaining accused who are absconding.