Protesters face tear gas, lathis after bid to storm police station in Madhya Pradesh

JABALPUR: Police fired around 30 tear-gas shells and resorted to a lathi-charge on Tuesday to disperse a crowd that allegedly tried to storm Kirnapur police station while protesting the alleged custodial assault of a pregnant woman and her husband. The protesters pelted stones at the station, injuring SDOP Deepak Tomar and several other policemen.Police said around 100-200 people gathered outside the station and initially tried to open the gate, demanding that police personnel be brought out. The crowd later entered the premises and allegedly damaged window panes by pelting stones. Police then used force and fired around 30 rounds of tear gas to bring the situation under control.Among those injured in the stone-pelting were SDOP Tomar, inspector Jitendra Chauhan, Shailendra Patel, SDOP’s driver Alok, head constable Varsha, and women constables Ambika and Avisha, besides others.The protest came eight days after allegations surfaced that a pregnant woman and her husband were stripped and assaulted inside Kirnapur police station. The allegations emerged on Sept 8, following which all police personnel concerned were suspended and a special investigation team (SIT) was constituted by senior police officers.The case dates back to Aug 21, when two women visiting the Kirnapur post office allegedly lost Rs 50,000 in cash in two bundles and another Rs 10,000. They lodged a theft complaint the same day. A man and a woman were subsequently identified as suspects and arrested on Sept 1.Police sources said the accused later alleged that they had been assaulted in custody, with one of them showing an injury in the lower thigh region. Since the police personnel concerned had already been suspended and the SIT was investigating the allegations, sources said the sudden mobilisation and violence raised questions over whether the protest could be linked to a larger conspiracy involving accused persons in other cases.The matter is being investigated.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bhopal | Silver Rate in Bhopal | Bank Holidays in Bhopal | Public Holidays in Bhopal | Petrol Price in Bhopal | Diesel Price in Bhopal | CNG Price in Bhopal | LPG Price in BhopalStay updated with the latest Bhopal news. Download the TOI App.