Police station torched in Bihar

Siwan, Jul 24 (UNI) The building housing the M.H.Nagar police station in Siwan as well as the residential house of the officer in-charge were torched tonight by a group of villagers, who were agitated over the alleged death of a person under police custody.

Reports here said that the police picked up one Dhasai Singh of Rampur Arjani village during the day in connection with some criminal charges.

"Police tortured Dhasai Singh in the lock up leading to his death in police custody," villagers alleged. As the report of the alleged custodial death spread, villagers assembled in large numbers and seized the police station as the officers and constables deserted it to some unknown place. They allegedly carried the corpse of Dhasai Singh with them.

The unruly villagers then set afire the police station building and the official quarter of the officer in-charge, reports said adding that all records and others properties in the police station were burnt to ashes.

Fire brigade vehicles, however, reached the spot before the fire could spread to nearby houses and doused the flames in no time.

District development commissioner Jaymangal Paswan and sub-divisional police officer Sudhir Kumar have reached the police station with reinforcements. The situation was tense but under control, official sources claimed.

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