Patna, March 23: A group of around 150 people today ransacked the Mahua police station and set it on fire in protest against the death of a man and his daughter in an accident late last night.

Bhadayee Sahni, 35, and his 12-year-old daughter, Chhoti Kumari, died and another person was injured after a tractor knocked them down at Mahua market around 10.30pm. While Chhoti died on the spot, her father succumbed to his injuries at Mahua Sadar Hospital. Sahni was a resident of Abdulpur village under Mahua police station.

As the news of the accident reached the village this morning, the demonstrators rushed to Mahua and attacked the police station.

The cops, outnumbered by the protesters, ran away from the police station and took shelter in nearby shops and houses.

Four policemen, including station house officer Anjani Kumar Jha, were injured as the demonstrators threw stones at them. The protesters even entered the sarista (the place where policemen sit and work), damaged files of various cases and furniture and set afire several vehicles parked on the police station premises. At least four patrol cars of various police stations were damaged in the attack, while over six motorcycles were burnt.

The mob set ablaze a portion of the building of the police station. Fearing that the situation was going out of hand, the station house officer sought reinforcement from the district headquarters. Jha said the mob hurled bombs and opened fire.

The police fired tear gas shells to bring the situation under control. Additional forces from adjoining police stations and the district headquarters have been deployed as a precautionary measure.