Allahabad: Out to quell a clash, cops end up manhandled, locked in room

ALLAHABAD: It was a bizarre turn of events as law enforcers out on a rescue mission ended up themselves needing help, after a group of villagers allegedly manhandled and locked up three policemen for over an hour in Baharia area of the city on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, 23 persons, including seven women, were arrested for allegedly locking up three policemen in a room for over an hour in Karniapur village, under the limits of Baharia police station.
According to police, a police response vehicle (PRV) team was alerted about two rival groups allegedly clashing over illegal construction on a disputed piece of land in Karniapur village around 11pm on Wednesday.
Baharia police said the two groups were led by Ram Prasad and Ram Kumar, who have been at loggerheads over a property since the past two years.
Police also said that Ram Kumar’s son Manoj was supposed to get married on February 16. "However, when the policemen reached the spot, they saw the women from Ram Kumar’s family singing in celebration".
SSP (Allahabad) Satyarth Anirudh Pankaj said, "As police started inquiring about the allegations, some of the women got agitated and manhandled the cops. They were later joined by the he rest of the family members and they locked the three policemen in a room."
The policemen tried to assure the women that they were just trying to find out who called them with the fake information, but the latter were not ready to listen them.
Police said that the person who called them on Wednesday night had claimed that he/she was from Ram Prasad’s family. However, police are still verifying the details of the call.
Meanwhile, local villagers alerted Baharia police that the family had locked up three policemen. The policemen were rescued after more cops from other thanas rushed to their help.
The arrested persons include the groom Manoj. The driver of the PRV Lal Chandra lodged a case under sections 147, 148, 149, 341, 342, 332, 353, 323, 504, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code and section 7 of CLA Act.