A group of people vandalised a police outpost under the jurisdiction of the Asansol North police station on Thursday night and beat up the law enforcers on duty after the administration asked the authorities of local mosques not to use loudspeakers for azan.
The incident took place around 9pm and soon turned the Jahangir Mohalla locality into a virtual battleground.
The hooligans also vandalised the police vehicles parked outside the Faiji Aam Bagh police outpost.
The rampage continued for half an hour until a large contingent of police and central forces reached and chased away the mob. The law enforcers also lobbed a few tear gas shells to disperse the mob.
After nearly an hour of efforts, the situation was partially brought under control around 11pm. The police outpost in-charge, Ujjal Saha, and several police personnel sustained injuries in the attack.
The police said they held a meeting with the mosque authorities in the area on Friday evening and asked them not to use loudspeakers during the prayer. Police sources said initially the meeting was fruitful, but suddenly, around 9pm, a group of people assembled outside the police outpost and launched the raid.
Tension continued in the locality on Saturday morning. All shops in the area remained closed and central forces have been deployed to maintain law and order.
The police are examining CCTV footage to identify those involved in the attack, and several people have reportedly been detained.
Asansol Durgapur police commissionerate DCP (central) Dhruva Das said that the exact cause of the incident was being investigated.
The new BJP MLA of Asansol North, Krishnendu Mukherjee, said that none of the culprits would be spared. He termed the incident highly condemnable and alleged that the attack was pre-planned. "This was an attempt made to challenge the administration through violence. The police are taking action," he said.
The police have already arrested 15 persons in connection with the incident.
While reacting to the incident, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said in Calcutta that "such attacks on policemen will not be tolerated".