Siliguri, 10th July: Eight people have been arrested following a violent clash that broke out between two groups over a cricket match dispute in Siliguri’s Ward 20 and Ward 28 on Wednesday.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Pappu Paswan, Gobindo Das, Titon Ghosh, Jairul Islam, Amar Bhagat, Mohammad Aman, Mohammad Firoz, and Prem Paswan. All were produced before the Siliguri court on Thursday.
The clash led to widespread stone-pelting and vandalism in both wards, leaving several people injured. Police personnel, including a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), were also targeted during the violence.
To control the situation, Siliguri Metropolitan Police used tear gas shells and baton charges. Top officials, including Commissioner C. Sudhakar, DCP Biswa Chand Thakur, DCP Rakesh Singh, and HQ DCP Tanmoy Sarkar, reached the spot with a large police force and took charge of the situation.
Police have begun analysing video footage to identify others involved in the violence. They are also investigating the related incident in which a youth was allegedly forcefully taken and assaulted after the match.
Heavy police picketing has been deployed in the affected areas, and the situation is gradually returning to normal. The investigation is ongoing.