UP: 7 held for power cable theft in Ballia after encounter; 2 injured
Ballia (UP) (PTI): Seven individuals allegedly associated with a gang involved in electricity wire theft were arrested on Thursday following a police encounter in Ballia district, with two of them sustaining bullet injuries, police said.
Additional Superintendent of Police (North) Dinesh Kumar Shukla said a joint team of Sahatwar and Bansdih police was conducting vehicle checking near Akbarpur village around 1 am when two four-wheelers were spotted approaching from the Samarthpar side.
On being signalled to stop, the vehicles attempted to turn back, prompting the police to lay a cordon. The occupants got down and allegedly opened fire at the police with the intent to kill, Shukla said.
According to the ASP, the police retaliated in self-defence, leading to the arrest of Tinku Kumar Shah (37) and Shamim Ansari alias Sonu (36) along with Arvind Yadav, Mannu Kumar Sah, Rohan Kumar Pandey, Firoz Khan and Abhishek alias Anshu Gaut.
Shah and Ansari sustained bullet injuries in their right legs and were admitted to the district hospital for treatment, the officer said.
Police said the accused were involved in theft of electricity wires and had multiple criminal cases registered against them in various police stations of the district.
Stolen electric cables, tools, country-made pistols, cartridges and knives were recovered from their possession, officials said.
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Mamata blames EC for 'failing to protect' judicial officers gheraoed over voter name deletion
Sagardighi (WB) (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday blamed the Election Commission for "failing to protect" judicial officers engaged in the SIR exercise in West Bengal's Malda district.
Seven judicial officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) were rescued by security forces after protesters gheraoed them for several hours on Wednesday over the deletion of names from the electoral rolls.
"I condemn the Election Commission for failing to protect the judicial officers," Banerjee said, addressing an election rally here in Murshidabad district.
Claiming that the EC posted its own officers in civil and police administration after announcement of assembly polls in the state, Banerjee accused the poll body of having "totally failed to control law and order".
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Several officers, including the state's chief secretary, home secretary and director general of police (DGP), were replaced in West Bengal soon after the assembly polls were announced by the Election Commission.
"All my powers have been taken away, I have never seen such an Election Commission," the chief minister said.
Banerjee claimed that the BJP's game plan is to get the assembly polls cancelled in Bengal and to get President's Rule imposed.
"There are communal people in the BJP, and some communal people have also entered your ranks," Banerjee said, addressing the rally.
She claimed that such people flew in from Hyderabad with money from the BJP and are trying to divide the Muslim votes in the state.
