By IANS,
New Delhi : Over 200 people Tuesday attacked a police team and injured nine policemen as they were trying to save from lynching a man suspected of causing a fire in their slums in northwest Delhi.
The mob caught hold of Phool Chand, suspecting him of causing fire that gutted over 1,300 shanties in Shahbad area in Bawana Monday night, and started beating him, a police officer said.
The mob alleged that the fire started from Chand’s shanty and spread to other shanties in the neighbourhood.
As the mob was beating Chand, a police team reached the spot and took him into custody, the officer said, adding the crowd then threw stones on the police team, injuring nine policemen.
“Police resorted to baton-charge and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the mob. Additional forces were rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control,” the officer said.
An inquiry by a sub-divisional magistrate has been ordered into the mob attack.
Ramesh Kumar, a resident of the area, said: “He was bribed by members of a political party to burn his shanty so that they (the party) can gain from the incident.”
“My house was reduced to ashes in the incident. I lost everything and have no place to go to with my small children. I don’t know how are we going to survive in this heat,” said Kumar.