The officer in charge of Ratua police station, Sumanta Biswas, with his wife at the nursing home in Malda on Wednesday. Picture by Surajit Roy

Malda, March 28: A police team which had descended on a village near Ratua last night to round up three persons accused in a defalcation case came under attack from the local people armed with bamboo sticks, choppers and stones.

Six law enforcers, including officer in charge of Ratua police station Sumanta Biswas, were injured in the attack. The attackers almost hit the right eye of Biswas with a sharp weapon and he is being treated at a Malda nursing home.

The other injured persons were two sub-inspectors and three constables. The attack was sparked by a rumour — most probably a ruse to save the three accused men — that a gang of robbers had raided Satmari, 40km from Ratua.

The six-member police team headed by Biswas reached the village in an SUV around 1.30am. They parked the vehicle on the main road and went in search of Abdul Khaleq, Saidul Rahman and Nurul Haque. The trio’s names figured in an FIR lodged by the block development officer of Ratua II, Sanjay Biswas, who alleged that they had embezzled Rs 1 lakh under the Centre’s rural job scheme.

The police first knocked on the house of Abdul and took him into custody. The team then went to the houses of Saidul and Nurul, but couldn’t find them. But the police picked up Saidul’s brother, Tazibur, and Nurul’s brother, Azhar Ali.

“When the police did not find Saidul and Nurul, they picked up their brothers. The police also threatened that if Saidul and Nurul did not surrender by today morning, they would have to face severe consequences,” said Saidul’s uncle Gafur Ali.

Police sources said the team was about to leave with the three men when some villagers spread a rumour that robbers had entered the village. “Armed with whatever they could collect, the villagers surrounded the police and attacked them. The people were holding bamboo sticks and choppers. They also hurled stones at the team. The police became terrified and started fleeing,” said a police source.

A villager said nothing was visible in the dark. “It was impossible to distinguish between policemen and others. The residents thought that dacoits had entered the village and attacked the police.”

Officer in charge Biswas was hit near the right eye with a sharp weapon. He said the police didn’t realise that they would come under attack from all sides. “I was hit on the head by something that split open the area just above the right eye. Our vehicle was also stoned, but we managed to flee with three arrested men,” the officer said from the nursing home.

The five other policemen were admitted to Araidanga primary health centre.

The doctor attending to Biswas said a CT scan had been carried out to check if he had internal head injuries. “He was badly hurt and we are keeping a close watch on him,” said Dr Tapan Roy.

The three men the police were looking for were supervising the construction of four roads in Peerganj gram panchayat under the NREGS. A group of villagers accused the trio of using their job cards and usurping the money for constructing roads.

“Instead of giving the villagers job, Abdul, Saidul and Nurul used tractors to dump earth on the road. The three then submitted bills for over Rs 1 lakh without completing the job,” said a police source. “Ratua II BDO Biswas probed the allegations and found that the charges had substance. Accordingly, he lodged an FIR with the police yesterday,” added the source.

District superintendent of police, Jayanta Pal, said Tazibur and Azhar had been arrested for attacking the law enforcers. “A separate case has been started for the attack on the police. Although raids are being conducted, none could be arrested as all men in the village have fled after the incident,” said Pal.

The arrested men were remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by a court here today.