DESTRUCTIVE IRE: The damaged jeeps lying at the Prohibition & Excise station during a mob attack in Dhoolpet on Thursday.- Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

HYDERABAD: Police fired shots in the air to quell angry mobs, which attacked the Excise and Prohibition station in Dhoolpet, torched two motorcycles, injured the station personnel besides upturning five jeeps on Thursday morning.

The frenzied mobs targeted the excise station believing that a local resident died after being beaten up by the excise staff, during a raid to check the brewing of liquor in Dhoolpet, which is notorious for bootlegging in the State capital.

Excise Sub-Inspector Sudhakar Varma and four constables were injured in stone pelting by the mobs and were treated as outpatients.

Charge denied

Early in the morning, excise officials conducted the raids and returned to their station. The local residents, however, alleged that the raid teams had assaulted Anand Singh resulting in his death. However, the excise officials denied the charge.

"Excise authorities say that they neither picked up any person nor assaulted anyone during the raid," Goshamahal ACP K. Sridhar Rao said. But Singh's wife Madhavi Devi charged that the excise team came to their house in Takkarwadi around 6 a.m. "When my husband opened the door, they dragged him to a corner and showered blows on his chest," she alleged. She maintained that the team hurriedly left the place after Singh collapsed.Singh was rushed to a private hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. He used to run a flour mill in the area.

As the news of the death spread, some 200 youngsters stormed the station, hurling stones. Armed police contingents were moved to the areas as the situation slipped out of control. A case of culpable homicide was registered against the excise officials after Singh's wife lodged a complaint. Another case against the mob attack on the station and officials was registered. Maharajgunj MLA Mukesh Goud called on the victim's family and assured them of compensation from the Government.

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