Policemen and villagers were injured in a clash in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia
Four policemen including a senior officer and several villagers were injured in a clash over alleged custodial torture in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia, 350 km from state capital Lucknow. Visuals show several injured policemen and others being treated at a hospital.
Panna Rajbhar, who is in his 20s, was on Wednesday called to a police post at Rasra in Ballia district for questioning over a dispute with his extended family, some villagers said.
A written compliant by Mr Rajbhar's family alleged he was thrashed so viciously inside the police post that he had to be rushed to a government hospital. The complaint named a sub-inspector and a head constable.
Soon, a large number of villagers gathered on a road and started protesting. They refused to disperse, started throwing stones at the police, allegedly set a police post on fire and vandalised some motorcycles.
In response, the police lathi-charged hundreds of villagers who have been protesting on the road.
Visuals shot by locals showed hundreds of men and women charging at the police. Some showed the police hitting the villagers with lathis.
Visuals from a local hospital showed policemen with head injuries being treated by doctors. An injured woman is also seen being taken away by two others.
"A woman had given a room to her brother-in-law, Rajbhar, to live in her house. She had written to the police asking for help in persuading her brother-in-law to leave. The police post's in-charge had brought Rajbhar there. Rajbhar's alleged the police tortured him. The police post in-charge and the head constable will be questioned… The Additional Superintendent of Police was also injured in the violence," police officer Devendra Nath told reporters.