A mob stormed the Dandkhora police station in Katihar district of Bihar on Saturday, allegedly in an attempt to free an arrested man, leaving five police personnel injured, including the station house officer (SHO).
The confrontation began after Dandkhora police arrested Suraj Kumar from Navada village on Friday evening in a liquor smuggling case. According to sources, Kumar was scheduled to be sent to judicial custody on Saturday morning, but a mob allegedly including Kumar’s relatives reached the station and resorted to violence in an attempt to free him, physically assaulting officers and vandalising the police station in the process.
Katihar Superintendent of Police (SP) Vaibhav Sharma said that at around 6 am, “approximately 150 to 200 villagers came at the police station to free Suraj”.
“The attackers manhandled staff at the police station, causing minor injuries to five personnel. CCTV footage is being analysed and identification of perpetrators is underway,” he said.
The officer also said that “five individuals — four women and one man — were immediately arrested from the scene”, with further raids being conducted to apprehend others identified through video evidence and investigation.
“During the investigation, the local village head was also found to have been involved. We are registering an FIR and naming him as one of the accused. The names of all others identified through the cameras will also be recorded,” SP Sharma said.
According to sources, during the attack, personnel at the police station fired in the air to disperse the crowd. Among the injured were SHO Om Prakash Mahto. The injured personnel were subsequently taken to hospital and their conditions are currently reported as stable.
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