Mob sets Agra police post ablaze after youth dies in road accident

AGRA: An angry crowd on Thursday set ablaze a police post in Agra's Tajganj area after vandalising it,looting laptops and wireless sets and beating up policemen, injuring two of them following the death of a man in a road accident.

The police had to make heavy deployment of force to control and chase away the rampaging mob, said Inspector General of Police A Satish Ganesh of Agra police range.

Ganesh said a youth was earlier severely injured in the morning after his tractor-trailer overturned in the district.

He was hospitalised but died during the treatment after which an angry mob with some miscreants attacked Tora police post under Tajganj police station area and set it afire, he said.

Some rowdy elements vandalised the local police chowki, set it and some vehicles parked outside it on fire.

They also tried to disrupt law and order, prompting the deployment of adequate force at the site, including senior officers, Ganesh said.

Those involved in the firing and vandalisation will be identified with the help of CCTV footage and brought to the book, he added.

The youth's body has been sent for the post-mortem, he said, adding law and order has been restored and the situation is under control.

Identifying the man who died in the accident as Karbana resident Pawan, locals said the youth was carrying sand in his tractor-trolley and had sped up after spotting some policemen on the way.

The speeding vehicle lost balance and went down a drain, leaving him severely injured, they said.

Earlier, videos surfaced on social media purportedly showing policemen and a mob pelting stones at each other.

Several policemen were in partial riot gears, the visuals showed.

Police officials said people from the crowd beat up constables at the post and targeted the policemen in uniform while passing by a police station.

Two policemen were injured in the incident and have been admitted to a hospital, they said.

Officials said the mob also looted wireless sets and laptop kept in the police outpost and set fire to official documents.

Senior police officials including Agra SSP Babloo Kumar who visited the spot said the whole matter and allegations would be investigated.