Patna superintendent of police (east) Dhurat Sayali Sablaram had a narrow escape this evening when a mob allegedly attacked her official vehicle, pelting it with stones and injuring some of her bodyguards.

The incident occurred around 6.40pm at the Chowk Shikarpur area under the jurisdiction of Chowk police station in the old city area.

The 2010 batch IPS officer was saved after her driver somehow managed to drive away from the spot.

It all started when the SP was on her way to the Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib Gurdwara to check security arrangements made after the police received a hoax bomb call on their Dial 100 facility this morning. Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vikas Vaibhav said they received a call around 10am in which the caller said a bomb had been planted in the gurdwara.

Security was beefed up at the gurdwara in Patna City morning after the call on Friday. But no suspicious object was found there.

"This area is always crowded and owing to some ongoing construction work, the road has turned very narrow. The officer's vehicle was on its way but was forced to stop when an autorickshaw came in front of the vehicle," Amar Kumar, an eyewitness to the incident, said.

He further said: "The driver of the officer's vehicle honked frantically but the auto driver just would not budge and give her vehicle free passage. Suddenly some guards stepped out of the officer's vehicle and darted towards the driver and started to assault him without warning. One of the cops hit him with his stick on his foot several times, causing the auto driver to fall down writhing in pain. The residents saw this and got very worked up. They immediately surrounded the spot and began pelting the officer's car with stones. Her guards had to first run for cover. But they somehow got back into the car and the driver managed to drive away from the spot. At present, the people have blocked the entire road and are protesting," Amar Kumar, an eyewitness to the incident, said.

Though many senior officers feigned ignorance about the incident, the SP, in a brief talk with The Telegraph, confirmed there had been an attack on her car.

"I am not injured but some of my guards suffered injuries in the incident. I never came out of my vehicle and don't know how it all started. Of what I am aware of, the auto driver was blocking the road and was not moving aside despite repeated honking by my driver. His auto was parked right in the middle of the road and was busy talking to some vegetable sellers sitting by the roadside who were apparently his relatives," she said.

The officer, who hails from Maharashtra, added: "My guards would have asked him to move aside and might have used some force. The stone pelting started suddenly and my vehicle was damaged. I was going to check the security arrangements made at the gurdwara."

The auto driver, identified as 25-year-old Shiv Kumar, is said to have suffered injuries on his legs.

"He might have suffered some injuries on his legs and the police are taking care of him. At present, the police are requesting people to clear off the blockade," an officer at the Chowk police station said.