A policeman drags a cow away at Nala Road in Patna on Thursday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Two cops suffered head injuries when a group of people, mostly khatal (cowshed) owners, pelted stones on a police team at Nala Road locality on Thursday.

One of the seriously injured policemen Mauli Munda has been admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH).

The residents of the locality protested the district officials’ move to remove encroachment and khatals from the encroached land. They pelted the men-in-uniform with stones and forcibly took possession of their cattle, which were seized during an anti-encroachment drive in the area falling under the jurisdiction of Kadamkuan police station.

A senior officer posted at the district control room said: “The residents came out on the streets and started raining stones as soon as the police personnel accompanied by the magistrate seized the cattle and started removing the makeshift houses. Two cops suffered head injuries and were subsequently hospitalised.”

He added that the anti-encroachment drive was launched in the locality on the directive of Patna High Court. On Wednesday, too, the district officials had to face stiff resistance from the residents when the former had gone to remove the encroachments from government land in Jakkanpur police station area, the officer said.

The khatal owners, who outnumbered the security personnel, attacked the police team. Two policemen identified as Bir Bahadur and Anil Kumar received serious injuries, while the station house officer Arjun Lal suffered minor injuries in the incident.

Four persons — Ram Nath Yadav, Sanjay, Rajesh and Chhote Rai — were arrested from the spot. The situation was brought under control after reinforcement reached the spot from the district control room.

“A separate cell has been set up at the district control room to carry out anti-encroachment drive in the town,” the officer said.

The court on Thursday directed the district authorities to remove all cowsheds from Patna within four weeks. While hearing a PIL filed on behalf of Sunil Kumar, a division bench comprising Justice V.N. Sinha and A.K. Trivedi asked the Patna Municipal Corporation to remove all the 52 private khatals from the town.