Armed miscreants today raided several villages in the Panrui block of Birbhum district, using firearms and hurling bombs, prompting the police to open fire in order to bring the situation under control.
Trouble started this morning when armed miscreants started raiding villages of Bheramari, Simulia, Palsa, Beluti, Salan, Bishnu Khand and Mahula one after the other, creating panic among the villagers.
"BJP-backed miscreants started raiding the villages since morning with only one aim - to oust Trinamool workers and supporters from the villages," claimed Mustaq Hussein, a senior Panrui block Trinamool Congress leader.
Countering the allegation, local BJP leader Nimai Das said, "Most of the villagers in those villages had joined the BJP and today, armed hooligans backed by Trinamool leadership and with active help from the local police, tried to regain grip on their lost areas."
Though local residents claimed that the police reached the spot after trouble had spread across several villages and fired forty rounds to disperse the miscreants, no senior officer confirmed it.
Repeated attempts to contact district police superintendent Mukesh Kumar proved futile as his mobile phone went unanswered.
