Patna: Several police personnel, including a station house officer, were injured after a police team came under attack during a raid targeting an alleged liquor smuggler in Bihar’s Supaul district, officials said on Monday.
The incident took place late on Saturday night in Piprahi village under the Ratanpura police station area, when officers were conducting a raid as part of an ongoing campaign against illegal liquor trade. Bihar has enforced total prohibition since 2016.
According to police, the team had detained a wanted suspect, Ramtan Rai, from his residence when a group of villagers allegedly attacked the officers with sticks and sharp weapons as they attempted to leave. The station house officer, Raju Kumar, sustained a fractured nose, while around half a dozen other officers were injured in the violence. Police said the suspect managed to escape during the chaos, but another accused, Roshan Kumar Rai, was arrested. A case has been registered against several named individuals and eight to 10 unidentified people.
However, members of the accused family lodged a counter-complaint at a women’s police station, alleging that officers assaulted women, elderly residents, and children during the raid. The family claimed that a woman in her 70s and several minors were beaten by police personnel.
The family also alleged that they were being targeted due to political reasons, claiming harassment linked to their support for the Bharatiya Janata Party, an assertion that police have not commented on.
Officials said both the attack on police and the allegations of misconduct are being examined, and further investigation is underway.
