Liquor smugglers, tipplers bash up UP babus, cops

Four Uttar Pradesh officials, including a deputy superintendent of police, were injured in an attack by people involved in the illegal sale of liquor brought from Haryana, police said Wednesday.

A team of officials, acting on a tip-off, raided a liquor vend in Atrauli village of Pilkhuwa, about 30 km from the national capital and falling within Hapur district of western Uttar Pradesh,.

After receiving the tip-off late Tuesday, Amit Kumar Nagar, circle officer (CO) of Pilkhuwa, led the raiding team, comprising six officials from the police and excise department of the state government, police said.

At about 10 p.m., as the officials raided the vend, irate buyers and sellers of liquor gathered at the site attacked them with sticks and stones.

The circle officer was especially targetted by the irate mob and sustained critical head injuries. The other officials were less grievously hurt -- excise inspector Ajay Yadav sustained injuries in the neck and back while constable Vipin Sharma escaped with a sore arm.

One of the men involved in the illegal sale of liquor, identified as Rajendra, escaped under the cover of darkness in the melee at the vend.

Police managed to nab two of the people involved in attacking the officials.

"A criminal case was registered, and two suspects were arrested. Effective measures are being taken to stop smuggling of liquor from Haryana," a police official said.