Jamshedpur: Sundernagar police station premises turned into a battleground on Tuesday as hundreds of protestors barged into the building and assaulted the police officials on duty to protest alleged attempt by certain cops to turn a murder case into that of an accident.
The mob fury was triggered by the recovery of the body of a man Salkhu Chakiya of Nildungri near Ramdih-Mahuldih road in the morning. Villagers alleged that the deceased was killed following a conspiracy. They said it was not a case of accident.
The protestors comprising villagers of Nildungri vandalized furniture and other equipments kept in the police station and beat up the cops with fists and kicks. The police officials ran away to save their lives.
The situation continued to be tumultuous for several hours. It turned to normalcy after senior superintendent of police (SSP) Amol Venukant Homkar reached the police station and persuaded the villagers to quit the agitation.
The SSP assured to take action against the guilty police officials and conduct a probe into the allegations of turning the murder case into an accident case. He said the villagers should have contacted senior officials to get their complaint heard.
The villagers said Salkhu had set out of his house around 1 am to carry a passenger to his destination. Next morning, his body was recovered on the roadside.
An FIR was lodged on the complaint of Manju Chakiya, wife of the deceased, prior to the agitation. The villagers found a blood-stained cloth in the house of a local youth Gagrai, but failed to find him. When they failed to get positive response of the police officer in-charge, they barged into the police station and attacked the cops.
The mukhiya of Keruadungri panchayat Kanhu Murmu said police should arrest the culprits without delay.
