Chinsurah, Feb. 1: Medicine shop owners in Hooghly today called an indefinite strike after police batoncharged them for locking in officials at the district drug controller’s office.

There are 4,000 medicine shops in Hooghly. Some stores downed shutters tonight.

Around 3pm, about eight members of the Hooghly chapter of Bengal Chemists & Druggists Association went to the assistant director in the drug controller’s office to submit a memorandum accusing a section of employees of taking bribes to grant licences.

They also protested against a pharmacy store chain that had obtained licences in several Hooghly towns allegedly using unfair means and in connivance with a section of the staff.

An altercation started between assistant director Abhay Kumar Mishra and members of the association. The shop owners then broke furniture in the office and locked Mishra and three others in his office till 9.30pm. They were rescued by the police.