Cop shot at as coal mafias clash

Suri: A constable sustained bullet injury when a mob attacked a police jeep after a clash between warring

coal

mafia gangs at Barrah in

Birbhum

’s Kankartala.

Injured constable Arup Manna, 45, was operated upon and the bullet was removed from his right thigh at a private hospital in Durgapur on Saturday. The hospital described Manna’s condition as stable.

The clash broke out when two groups of coal smugglers tried to overpower each other. Cops picked up

Kalo Sheikh

but came under fire while taking him away in a police jeep through Barrah, the village of the accused.

Bombs and bricks were also thrown at the jeep. Police fired back to disperse the mob.

Birbhum SP N

Sudheer Kumar

said, “As coal smuggling has been stopped, there is grudge against police. Some people were there who instigated the locals against police. We have identified them. All the suspects will be arrested and we’ll take strong action as per law this time. So far, three persons have been detained. Most of the suspects have fled to Jharkhand. Raids are on.”

Illegal coal excavation and poppy cultivation have been largely controlled in Birbhum, barring some along the district’s border with Burdwan.