A policeman's hand was chopped off and two other police officials were injured when a group of people allegedly attacked them in Punjab''s Patiala district on Sunday, police said.
A group of four-five ''Nihangs'' (Sikhs armed with traditional weapons and dressed in loose blue top) were travelling in a vehicle and they were asked to stop at a vegetable market at around 6.15 am by the Mandi board officials, they said.
"They were asked to show (curfew) passes. But they crashed the vehicle against the the gate and barricades put up there," Senior Superintendent of Police, Patiala, Mandeep Singh Sidhu said.
The group then attacked the police personnel on duty, he said.
"An ASI''s (Assistant Sub Inspector) hand was chopped off by a sword. A Station House Officer of Sadar Patiala sustained an injury on his elbow and another official suffered an injury on his arm in the attack," Sidhu said.
The ASI was rushed to the Rajindra hospital from where he was referred to PGIMER in Chandigarh. The Nihangs fled the scene after the attack, the SSP said, adding efforts are on to arrest them.
As per reports, a total of 20 people have been arrested and one Nihangi has also been shot but not dead. A press conference by the Patiala Inspector General is expected shortly.
DGP Punjab Dinkar Gupta took to twitter and said, "Grateful to PGI for full support. Director PGI tells me that surgery has already started by 2 senior surgeons who will do their best. All of us praying to Waheguru for his full recovery!"
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