Mob clash with police over electricity demands in West Bengal

According to reports, protesting against continuous power cut and demanding uninterrupted electricity supply, local villagers had blocked National Highway 34 at Jigri More area under Farakka Police Station limits since Sunday morning.

When a heavy police force went there to lift the blockade in the afternoon, demonstrating mob engaged in a clash with the police.

They allegedly pelted stones aiming at the police force.

Police restored to lathicharge to disperse protesters and brought the situation under control.

Several protesters and at least seven policemen, including Farakka PS's IC, were injured in the clash.

Congress MLA of Farakka assembly constituency, Mainul Hoque, claimed that police fired multiple gunshots during the protests, killing at least one man.

"Without controlling the situation in a peaceful way, police fired at least six round bullets aiming at protesters, who came from 25 nearby villages," Mainul Hoque told IBNS.

"One local villager was shot and killed and sustaining bullet injuries, few others are being treated in Jangipur Hospital," Hoque further said.

Meanwhile, police denied the allegation of gunshot firing.

"When our force tried to clear NH 34, crowd pelted stones, fired gunshots and hurled handmade bombs aiming at the policemen," a senior official of Murshidabad district police told IBNS.

"When seven policemen, including local police station's IC, were injured, we had to lathicharge to bring the situation under control. Police did not fire a single round gunshot there, not even any blank warning-shot," the officer added.

A heavy police force, along with Rapid Action Force (RAF), have been deployed to the scene, while injured policemen are being treated in Lalbagh Sub-Divisional Hospital.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)