A dog that was unleashed on the protesters. (Pradip Sanyal)

Calcutta, Jan. 5: The residents of Purbasha Housing Estate had never expected the kind of rebuttal they faced today when they began their protest against the “filling up” of a dis- puted water body.

Gunshots and barking dogs triggered a wave of panic among the protesters, many of them elderly residents.

The shots were fired in the air but three fierce-looking Alsatians and a Doberman were set on them. They did not bite but only barked — maybe because of training or by sheer providence.

“When a second payloader arrived at the site, we sensed that work was going to pick up pace and realised that something would have to be done,” said Chiranjeeb Deb, 35, who was injured in the fracas that followed. “So far, we had been holding meetings and approaching officials, but today we decided to gather at the site.”

As soon as transport minister Subhas Chakraborty left the place, after having appealed to the residents to let work on the project proceed smoothly, the protests grew louder. That is when the action began.

Around 40 people who were clearing hyacinths rushed out of the water and ran towards the protesters, abusing and threatening them.

“They were very aggressive without any provocation,” Deb said. “They told us to leave immediately or be killed.”

Most of the protesters thought these were empty threats. Only when the first blow fell on Deb did reality dawn on them.

“I was standing in front. When one of the workers came towards me menacingly with a bamboo pole, I really did not believe that he would hit me. I stood my ground,” Deb said.

Hit on the right arm, he fell. As Deb tried to rise, more blows fell on him. That is when Chandan Neogy, 65, his neighbour, intervened.

“As my father rushed to help Deb, the goons attacked him,” said Chandan’s daughter Abir.

“He was hit on the back, very close to his head, and he slumped to the ground. They didn’t hit him again, perhaps because many thought he could die. But abuses continued to be hurled at us,” said Abir.

More people were hit as they rushed to help Neogy, who was hospitalised.

As if the charge with the bamboo poles was not enough, the security guards set their dogs on the protesters.

“As the dogs came rushing, we panicked. Some of us made a dash to get out of the place,” recalled Chinmoy Mukherjee. “Fortunately, they did not bite anyone but simply barked at us. It’s unimaginable that such a thing can happen in a city like Calcutta.”

The brutality did not end with the dogs either, said the residents. The workers at the site threw stones and half-bricks at the protesters and then the security guards fired in the air from their double-barrel guns.

Order was restored only when police arrived and made the arrests.