UP: Armed undertrial overpowered after commando opn

Lucknow, Jun 1 (UNI) Much akin to a Bollywood potboiler, a mentally disturbed undertrial, who had locked himself in a hospital ward last night, was finally overpowered after a commando operation early today.

The man was armed with two .303 service rifles and over 70 live cartridges.

The seven-hour-long drama at the psychiatry ward of King George Medical University and hospital started unfolding around 2200 hrs when people heard gunshots. Later it became clear that the two police escorts who had brought him to the hospital from Hamirpur for treatment had left their weapons with him and gone out for dinner.

The undertrial took control of the weapons and locked himself up in the room.

Initially police tried to break open the room but failed as Sri Chand, accused of battering his daughter to death, threatened to shoot himself.

Patients on the floor were shifted to other wards and reenforcements were called.

''We gave him water laced with sedatives but he refused to drink we made him talk to his wife and father to calm his temper, but it also did not work,'' state director general of police (DGP) Girdhari Lal Sharma told reporters. Efforts by the district police to use tranqualiser guns also failed.

Early today around 0445 hrs, state police 'Cobra' commandos were called in to end the crisis. ''By this time it was clear that he was too smart to kill himself,'' said the DGP.

When Sri Chand was sitting on the bed with a rifle pointed at his chin, a group of policemen fired blank rounds outside the room to divert his attention. This gave sufficient time to the commandos, wearing bullet-proof vests, to break open the door and overpower him. ''He had even tried to cock the weapon to shoot the cops...but they managed to catch him,'' said the DGP.

The accused later denied firing police weapons and claimed the rifles went off on their own.

Meanwhile, the two police escorts who had brought him to the hospital on May 29, have been placed under suspension. ''Constables Jwala Prasad and Santosh Kumar shall be dismissed from service,'' said IG (Lucknow zone) A K Jain.

UNI