Thrissur Rural Police have arrested two men for allegedly assaulting a village officer and a village assistant, obstructing them from discharging official duties, and attempting to run them over with a tipper lorry, near Vallachira, in Thrissur district.The arrested have been identified as Mithun, 42, of Venginissery and Nishil, 27, of Pazhuvil. The police also seized the JCB used for illegal soil excavation, the tipper lorry used for transporting the soil, and the car belonging to the accused.The incident occurred around 5.15 pm on May 20 near the Vallachira Village Office. According to the police, village officer Shinod, 49, and village assistant Shaji, 55, questioned the accused upon noticing illegal loading of soil into a tipper lorry. This allegedly led to the accused assaulting the officials and obstructing their duties.During the altercation, the first accused allegedly drove the tipper lorry towards the officials in an attempt to run them over. However, both managed to escape unhurt by moving away in time. The collision damaged their scooter and motorcycle.The police said the attack was driven by previous enmity after the village officer had earlier intercepted Mithun in a case related to illegal soil transport.Mithun is reportedly involved in three criminal cases, including assault and rash driving causing serious injury, while Nishil is an accused in an assault case registered at Cherpu police station. Published - May 22, 2026 08:06 pm IST