Punjab Police officer's hand chopped off, 7 Nihangs held (Lead)

Chandigarh, April 12 (IANS) In a bloody clash in Punjab, an Assistant Sub-Inspector's (ASI) hand was chopped off and three others got grievous injuries on Sunday when a group of Nihang Sikhs attacked them in Patiala town on being asked about curfew permission, police said.A group of seven armed Nihangs, who were travelling in a vehicle, were asked to stop at a vegetable market in Patiala."They were asked to show the curfew pass. They got angered and in retaliation they attacked police personnel and government employees deployed there with sharp-edged weapons," a police official said.An Assistant Sub-Inspector's hand was chopped off, while six others sustained multiple injuries.After the crime, the Nihangs fled from the scene. They were later arrested from Gurdwara Khichri Sahib, after a scuffle between the police and Nihangs.One of them was injured in police firing and was being taken to a hospital for treatment, said Special Chief Secretary K.B.S. Sidhu in a tweet.He said out of the seven, five were involved in the attack on police officials."In an unfortunate incident today morning, a group of Nihangs injured a few police officers and a Mandi Board official at Sabzi Mandi, Patiala. ASI Harjeet Singh whose hand got cut-off has reached PGI Chandigarh," Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta informed in a tweet.He said he was grateful to the PGI for full support.
--IANS vg/dpb