Five persons have been arrested and several persons, including five police personnel, were injured in Pakur of Jharkhand when a clash broke out between villagers and policemen on Wednesday over cow slaughter during the Id festival. The situation is said to be tense but under control.
Police officials said the villagers at Dangrapara under the Maheshpur police station in Pakur district bordering West Bengal attacked policemen on Wednesday when they reached there on a tip off that cow slaughter is being done on the Id festival. Since 2015, cow slaughter has been banned in Jharkhand and on August 18, the Jharkhand government had issued a directive for deputy commissioners of all districts to make sure that cattle were not slaughtered on Id.
“The villagers attacked the policemen… five policemen, including the Maheshpur police station officer in-charge Umesh Prasad, were injured while some villagers too got injuries in the clash... the situation is under control now,” Pakur Superintendent of Police Shailendra Prasad Barnwal told journalists. Both the SP and Deputy Commissioner of Pakur, Dilip Kumar Jha are camping at Maheshpur, said R.K. Mallick, Jharkhand police spokesperson. “Deputy Inspector General, Raj Kumar Lakra, has also been sent along with additional forces to bring the situation under control”, he added.
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Baton charge
The police had resorted to baton charge and used tear gas shells against protesters. However, local people claimed that the police also opened fire on them in which at least seven persons were injured. The police imposed Section 144 in the area which prohibited assembly of four or more people at a place.
Many injured villagers crossed the Bengal border for treatment at the Rampurhat government hospital in Birbhum district, 45 km from Pakur.
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