“A group of about a hundred youths armed with rods, swords, and knives were coming toward us. Our team of 12 tried to chase them away. While doing this, one of the youths attacked us with an axe. I blocked the attack by grabbing the axe and received injuries during the process. It was a scary moment, but we managed to get out safely because we fought back,” said Niketan Kadam, Deputy Commissioner of Police for Zone 5, on Tuesday. The police on Monday night launched a “combing operation” to arrest the rioters. DCP Kadam and his team of 12 entered the houses in Bhaldarpura around 10 pm. After pulling out some of the suspects from their homes, they saw a group of over a hundred youths gathered in front of them.

 

They were holding sharp weapons, while the police only had sticks. They knew that if they moved out, it would cause a bigger fight, so Kadam’s team tried to chase them away. During the struggle, one of the youths attacked Kadam with an axe. Kadam raised his hand to block the axe and received injuries in his hand. Despite this, he pushed the attacker away and led his team to safety.

 

He was then rushed to a private hospital on the motorcycle, where he underwent surgery for his injuries. When Kadam’s family heard about the attack and saw him tying a handkerchief around his hand in the media, they were shocked. “Yesterday's situation was very scary for us. Now that he’s recovering, I feel better,” said his wife, Manisha Niketan Kadam. She added that the attackers should be punished for their actions.