Three members of a family were injured when a mob of 25 men attacked them with sticks allegedly for plugging a vector-breeding well in Kumharpara under Sonari thana area of Jamshedpur early on Tuesday.
Nageshwar Sahu (55), wife Heera Bai (48) and son Jitesh (22) have been admitted to MGM Medical College and Hospital in Sakchi, where Nageshwar's condition is said to be serious. He has sustained head injuries, besides a fractured leg and collar bone.
Police said they were probing the incident.
Speaking to the media from her hospital bed, Heera said her husband worked at Adivasi Association Bhavan in Sonari and since their 15-year-old nephew, Pritesh, had had dengue fever a month ago, Nageshwar identified an unauthorised well servicing cattle sheds in Kumharpara as the culprit.
"Pritesh was treated at the ESI Hospital in Adityapur and he survived. But, we feared that more members of our family will fall victim to dengue. So, we filled up the well with debris and soil on Sunday to stem the mosquito menace," the woman said.
Now, the well was dug up by one Rajaram Prajapati and others on an encroached plot in front of the Sahu house. Cattle are also reared in allegedly illegal sheds there.
"We had reported the matter (mosquito menace because of the well and cattle sheds) to civic guardians Jusco and Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC), but in vain. We decided to act on our own," Heera said, adding that Rajaram led the 7am assault on them.
The woman said they retaliated with stones, but were easily outnumbered by the stick-wielding men. "When some neighbours joined us, the attackers fled. But, by that time, my son Jitesh (a trainee at Tata Motors) and my husband were injured. So was I," Heera said, adding that a car parked in front of their house was also damaged.
Sonari thana OC Anuj Kumar said they had reports about a group clash in which people from both sides were injured. "We are getting the matter investigated. Statements of the injured will be taken," he added, but clammed up when asked if any action would be taken against the unauthorised cattle sheds.
