By IANS,
Lucknow : In a shocking incident, a crowd tried to set afire a senior Uttar Pradesh government official, police said.
The incident occurred Thursday in Badayun, 274 km from here, when Neeraj Singh, a district supply officer, went to raid an outlet to probe complaints of diesel adulteration.
An irate mob surrounded him and doused his vehicle with kerosene and tried to set him and his jeep on fire, a police officer said.
The officer however managed to slip away and reached a nearby police station and filed a complaint.
Police have booked the husband of the head of the block, a shop owner, the village head, five other people and 150 unknown people.
The incident took place at Dahganva village in Zareefnagar at the shop of one Girish Chander.
The officer was accompanied by a rationing officer and seven staff members.
While the shop owner fled as the raid began, the officials sealed his godown since it stocked kerosene, which was to be mixed with diesel, said police.
In no time, a mob of hundreds gathered and it started beating up the team.
As the officer tried to flee, the villagers poured kerosene on his car and tried to set it on fire, Superintendent of Police Manjit Saini told IANS.