Vehicles ransacked, personnel injured as mob clashes with police near Kolkata

Kolkata: A mob clashed with the police, ransacked vehicles and injured several personnel, turning the Rabindranagar area, a few kilometres from Kolkata, into a virtual war zone, an officer said.

The police fired tear gas shells to control the situation.

The incident occurred following a clash between two groups of people over a local issue.

As the situation worsened, a mob set ablaze a motorbike in front of the Rabindranagar police station in South 24 Parganas district.

The attackers brickbatted police vehicles and the windshield of a patrol car was smashed. Several officers were injured in the attack, the officer said.

Among the injured was a woman constable, who suffered a head injury after being struck by a brick. Several other police personnel were also seen bleeding from stone-pelting injuries.

The violence raged for nearly an hour.

In response, a huge police contingent was rushed to the spot. The police fired multiple rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the mob.

Efforts were made to clear the road in the area as security forces slowly pushed the crowd back, the officer said.