Two police officers were stabbed while trying to control a clash between a local gang and private bus staff in the Vypin area of Kochi, Kerala, on Tuesday night, October 20, according to a report by South First on Wednesday, October 21, and a separate report by The India Print.

South First reported that Sub-Inspector Jithin and Constable Ragesh of Njarakkal police station were stabbed while intervening after a gang led by a man known as Munna, who is an accused in a murder case, allegedly attacked a private bus driver near a petrol pump at Elamkunnapuzha. Both officers were admitted to a nearby private hospital, the report said. Sub-Inspector Jithin had taken charge at Njarakkal police station shortly before the incident, according to reports.

The India Print reported that police took three suspects into custody shortly after the incident and registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). It identified the three, in reporting also carried by Saptashwa TV, as Munna, whose real name is Prajith, his brother Prajeesh, and Rahil, a native of Varapuzha. The India Print said two of the three arrested individuals have previous criminal records and are linked to multiple cases, and that police were preparing to take the accused to the petrol pump where the attack occurred to gather evidence and reconstruct the sequence of events.

Police are investigating the alleged assault on the bus employees that preceded the attack, the circumstances in which the officers were injured, and the alleged involvement of each suspect. The allegations against the arrested men are yet to be established through the legal process. Reports available at the time of writing did not give a detailed medical update on the two officers beyond their admission to hospital.