"If someone fires at police, we will respond with four times the force," West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said on Thursday, issuing a stern warning following an attack on two policemen in Uttar Dinajpur district.
The incident took place on Wednesday near Panjipara in Goalpokhar when two undertrial prisoners overpowered the policemen escorting them, snatched their service revolvers, and fired before fleeing.
The injured officers, assistant sub-inspector Deben Baishya and constable Nilkanta Sarkar, are currently undergoing treatment at a private nursing home in Siliguri's Matigara area.
On Thursday morning, DGP Kumar visited the injured officers at the hospital and held a closed-door meeting with senior police officials, including the inspector general of North Bengal, the Siliguri police commissioner, and SPs from various districts. After the meeting, he visited the site of the attack to review the situation.
Speaking to reporters, Kumar said, "If someone fires at police, we have the capacity to fire back four times. We are trained to handle such situations. The investigation into the attack has started, and we are committed to bringing the culprits to justice. The culprits will be nabbed soon." The attack happened while the undertrials were being transported from Islampur court to Raiganj central correctional home in a prison van. The accused, including murder suspect Sajjad Alam, managed to escape with the help of accomplices waiting nearby. A massive manhunt is underway, with checkpoints set up across the district.
On the same day, another attack on police personnel took place in Domkal, Murshidabad, where a policeman was injured by a sharp weapon during an operation to apprehend a criminal.
The DGP's remarks have drawn mixed reactions.
While some view it as a morale booster for police personnel, opposition leaders criticised the statement.
BJP leader Jagannath Chattopadhyay said, "Let police act instead of making bold statements."
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
