Anti-encroachment drive: DySP among 16 cops hurt in mob attack at Kathua

FIR lodged, two detained; CISF deployed to restore law and order

Jammu: At least sixteen police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police, were injured on Saturday after allegedly being attacked by a mob protesting against an anti-encroachment drive in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, officials said.
A drive was launched in the Nagri area, an outskirts of Kathua city, to demolish an illegal place of worship that was resisted by a group of locals, the officials said.
They turned violent and attacked the police, injuring sixteen personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police .
They said that a police party headed by Additional SP Kathua, ACR Kathua and Tehsildar Nagri Ms Ana Jamwal reached village Padri in Nagri area to demolish an illegal place of worship which was constructed on state land. The move on the part of the government was resisted by people of a particular community who started pelting stones on the police party in which sixteen police personnel received injuries.
Taking cognizance of the incident, police booked a case u/s 307,353 IPC against the stone pelters and arrested the two persons. They have been identified as Kamal Din S/o Marid Ali R/o Padri Nagri, Kathua and Shabir Khan S/o Mohd Hussain of Nagri, Kathua.
Later the administration deployed CISF personnel in the area to restore law and order.
The injured cops have been identified as DySPHqrs Kathua Manjeet Singh, Inspector Ajay Chib, SHO Kathua, ASI Gurmeet Singh, Hc Nissar Ahmed Hc Usha Devi, Hc Rajini Bala, SgctGharjeet Singh, Sgct Jyoti Devi, Ct Sonia Sharma, Foll Sunita Devi, Foll Shabnam, SPO Rajini Bala, SPO Monika, Ct Puneet Khajuria, Sgct Barkat Hussain and SPO Ravi Sharma.
The injured cops were shifted to Sub District Hospital Nagri and after first aid they were referred to GMC Kathua for advance treatment .