Panrui (Birbhum), April 21: An altercation between police and Nationalist Trinamul Congress supporters snowballed into a pitched battle this afternoon, resulting in injuries to 19 civilians and seven policemen, including two senior officials, here.

Altogether 17 persons were arrested after police had to first lathicharge, then lob teargas shells and fire 12 rounds in the air to disperse the mob.

Around 10 this morning, about 500 Trinamul supporters reached Panrui police station to submit a memorandum, demanding the arrest of those responsible for eve-teasing a Madhyamik examinee who committed suicide and abducting another schoolgirl from the area. They refused to hand it over to Shyamal Kundi, the officer-in-charge, and wanted senior officials to hear them out.

The supporters turned violent once they were told that none of the senior officials were available. After pelting stones at the police station, the mob set up a roadblock at Panrui More. Rush-hour traffic was stalled.

As the situation worsened, the police sought reinforcements. Soon a force led by Bolpur sub-divisional police officer Rabindranath Sarkar reached the spot. But the mob refused to disperse and a pitched battle ensued.

When Trinamul leader Mustaque Mohammad was injured in police lathicharge, his supporters exploded. They rained brickbats on the force, injuring seven policemen including the SDPO. At this, the police lobbed teargas shells and then began firing in the air.

“The place was filled with white smoke and our eyes began to burn and then we heard the firing,” said a local betel-shop owner, Sanjoy Ghosh, who immediately downed his hatch.

The situation was finally brought under control after another posse of policemen arrived from Suri soon to help their colleagues.

The injured policemen were taken to the Abinashpur hospital for first-aid treatment. Seven villagers, including three women, were admitted to the Bolpur sub-divisional hospital.

Women run over

Five women were run over by a truck at the crossing of Sildaha in the Joypur police station area in Bankura, about 200 km from here. Police said they were walking along the edge of the Bishnupur-Arambagh highway when the driver of a Kotalpur-bound truck lost control and rammed into them.