12 villagers booked for 'attacking' officials

FARIDKOT: The district police have registered a case of, attempt to murder against 12 residents of Golewala village, for allegedly attacking the officials and employees of wine contractors.
Three of the accused were produced before the chief judicial magistrate of Faridkot on Friday, who remanded them in police custody for a day.
According to police sources some officials of excise department accompanied by two employees of wine contractors, had gone to Golewala on Wednesday to check sale of illicit liquor on the occasion of a festival in the memory of Baba Kala Tola.
A police party was also deputed with the team of excise officials. On seeing the excise officials, someone announced from the loud speaker to teach them a lesson for searching the houses of the villagers. On this call at least 12 persons armed with sharp edged weapons attacked the excise party injuring an assistant sub inspector, a havaldar and an employee of the wine contractor.
On the other hand the villagers have contested the police version of the incident. Some residents told that the wine contractors of Faridkot area were harassing them for a long time. The employees of the contractors search the houses of the villagers with the help of police personnel and use derogatory language in the presence of women folk. They told that the villagers were only protesting against this high handedness of the wine contractors.