Islampur, Aug. 1: Five persons were injured in a clash today over the hoarding of rice meant for mid-day meal of school children.

The supporters of the Congress and the CPM at Bhujagaon fought with iron rods, bombs and arrows. The injured including a 70-year-old man have been admitted to the subdivisional hospital here.

The BSF personnel from a nearby camp brought the situation under control. Subdivisional police officer David Lepcha said: “The situation is tense. A police picket has been posted in the area. No one has been arrested.”

The village market in Bhujagaon was closed down after the clash. Nazrul Islam, a trader, alleged that rowdies looted Rs 60,000 from his shop and took away his motor cycle. He has lodged a police complaint.

According to the police, the trouble started over storing of rice meant for mid-day meals for students of Jagirbusti Primary School in the house of Mohammed Mujibar, a CPM leader and the member of village education committee.

Mujibar had stocked nearly two quintals of rice. “But the rice had neither been sold nor did Mujibar return them to the school. The Aagdimthi gram panchayat had asked him to return the stock. But the education committee member had not paid any heed to it,” said Mohammed Jalaluddin, a Congress leader.

Bhujagaon falls under the gram panchayat that is run by the Congress.

“The school children are not getting mid-day meals for the past one month. As a result, the guardians of the students had gheraoed Mujibar’s house during the day. But the CPM leader and his men attacked them,” Jalaluddin said.

CPM leader Swapan Guha Neogi denied the charges. “The Congress members had attacked Mujibar’s house unprovoked. They had looted his belongings and also molested the women in the house,” Neogi said.

Headmaster Dibakar Barman said the school was closed down after the clash.