The coronavirus lockdown in the state of Punjab turned violent, with a team of police officers attacked and heavily injured by armed locals who defied the cops’ request to show their curfew passes.
The clash broke out at a vegetable market in Patiala, a city in eastern Punjab, after a group of Nihangs – people from a Sikh order – armed with traditional weapons tried to enter the premises but were stopped at the entrance by local staff who asked to see their curfew passes. The altercation drew the attention of police officers standing nearby, but their intervention went profoundly awry.
The men pulled their weapons out and attacked the police, chopping one officer’s hand off and injuring a few others. The culprits managed to escape but were chased down and captured a while later. The officer, identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector Harjeet Singh, had surgery performed on his left arm, local police later said, describing the scuffle as an “unfortunate incident.”
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi moved to extend the nationwide lockdown beyond the previous deadline set to expire on Tuesday. The state of Punjab prolonged it until May 1.
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