Siwan/Patna, Oct. 19: An attempt by the police in Siwan to free a woman from the clutches of a mob which had branded her a child-lifter snowballed into a full-scale battle this morning, leaving three persons dead following a stampede and alleged firing by the men in uniform.

The violence in Siwan, about 140km northwest of Patna, occurred on a day the police top brass met in the state capital to review law and order in Bihar. At least 15 policemen sustained injuries in the clash.

Trouble erupted around 9am when a middle-aged woman was caught by some villagers who accused her of being involved in child-lifting. The woman, identified as Urmila Kunwar, was held captive and severely beaten by the residents of Dhanarua village.

Hearing of the mob violence, a police team led by station house officer of Basantpur, Ravindra Mochi, rushed to the spot. The police had to face the ire of the residents when they tried to free the woman from their captivity. The crowd, which refused to relent, started pelting stones at the police.

When the policemen tried to intervene and flee the spot with the woman, the mob attacked the police vans.

Eyewitnesses said the mob turned violent when a 70-year-old villager, Kapildeo Rai, was knocked down by a police patrol van on the outskirts of the village. “My father was crushed to death by a police Gypsy,” said Kapildeo’s son Basudev Prasad, a resident of neighbouring Kishunpura village.

Agitated over the death of Kapildeo, the residents caught hold of some policemen and assaulted them. Maharajganj sub-divisional officer Ashok Kumar Singh too had to face the wrath of the mob when he rushed to the rescue of his junior colleagues.

The eyewitnesses said the police then opened fire on the villagers in which two persons died. Siwan SDPO Ashok Singh confirmed the death of three villagers — besides Kapildeo, the others have been identified as Deu Ram (60) and Raj Kishore Rai (25), both residents of Madarpur village.

Mochi, the station house officer, trainee sub-inspector Manoj Kumar and assistant sub-inspector M.P. Singh were seriously injured in the brick-batting and have been shifted to PMCH, Patna.

SDPO Ashok Singh said that Kunwar, who said she was the wife of one Ram Shanker Singh, a resident of Railway Colony at Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, has been admitted to Basantpur hospital for treatment. “She appears to be mentally ill,” the police officer said, adding that the Uttar Pradesh police have been contacted to verify her identity.

Siwan superintendent of police Amrit Raj had to rush to Siwan from Patna where he had come to attend the high level meeting convened by chief minister Nitish Kumar. Later, inspector-general of police (Tirhut zone) Gupteshwar Pandey and the district magistrate too were sent to Siwan by a helicopter to bring the situation under control.

Director-general of police (DGP) Abhyanand denied the report of police firing. He said some local residents died in the stampede after the police made an attempt to escape with the woman held captive by the mob. “Unconfirmed reports said some people received injuries after being hit by police vehicles,” he told reporters in Patna.

If the allegation of police firing is true, it would be a major embarrassment for the DGP. Soon after taking over as police chief less than two months ago, Abhyanand had exhorted his force to shoot with the camera, not with bullets, and asked his subordinates to identify the culprits of mob violence and ensure speedy trial against them.