Delhi Police constable arrested, villagers pelt stones at cops

A Delhi Police constable was on Wednesday arrested by the Ghaziabad police on charges on trespassing and assaulting a man, following which scores of irate locals from Nistauli village gathered at Teela-Modh police post here and pelted stones at policemen.

Superintendent of Police (City) Ajay Pal Sharma said the Delhi Police constable, identified as Balraj, along with his friends, took out a procession on the victory of a candidate in Uttar Pradesh Panchayat poll despite a ban on celebrations and victory procession by the district administration.

Police said Balraj and his friends, in an inebriated state, barged into the house of one Surendra Prajapati and thrashed him for not supporting their candidate who had won the election.

Upon complaint of Prajapati, an FIR under IPC sections 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) was registered against Balraj. Since then, he had been evading arrest. After getting a tip-off, a police team, led by Sahibabad police station SHO Hari Dayal Singh Yadav, arrested Balraj today morning when he was on his way to Delhi. While he was being brought to Teela-Modh police post a mob of locals gathered and pelted stones at policemen. Police retaliated and also resorted to lathicharge to disperse the mob.

On Wednesday, another FIR has been registered under IPC Sections 307, 332, 333, 147, 148, 504 and 506; section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act; and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act against Balraj and several other rioters. Three persons Saurabh, Pradeep and Abhay have also been arrested for rioting.