New Delhi, Feb. 19: An Uttar Pradesh traffic cop was yesterday beaten up and run over in Noida by six teenagers he had booked a day earlier for drink-driving.

John Peter, 52, who is in hospital with broken arms and legs, had booked the six, all school dropouts from Haryana and from affluent families, on Wednesday night and had taken them to a police station.

Bailed out the next day by friends, the accused yesterday beat up Peter with hockey sticks when he was on duty. One of them ran him over three times. Hospital sources said the policeman was in critical condition.

The six, who claimed they were innocent and had been “harassed” by Peter, have been arrested.

“He (Peter) harassed us. We had come here for a wedding. He could have let us go,” said Parvin, one of the accused.

“Most of the accused belong to Faridabad and have been taken into custody. We are investigating if they have a criminal record,” said Ashok Kumar Singh, special superintendent of police, Gautam Budh Nagar.

Peter’s daughter said “he was just doing his job”. “His arms and legs are badly fractured. He is in the ICU. We have come from outside and are appalled at what is happening. We are not safe anywhere.”