Vehicles set on fire near Sarai police station in Vaishali on Thursday. Telegraph picture

Patna, Aug.16: At least two persons were injured today when police fired at a mob indulging in arson and brick bating at Sarai police station in Vaishali district, around 27km north of Patna.

The mob was protesting against the police’s alleged failure to arrest two persons accused of raping and murdering a Class X student earlier this year.

The injured, Randhir Paswan, 40, and Rajendra Mahto, 42, were admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital. Doctors attending on them said Paswan’s condition was critical. He sustained injuries in his head, while Mahto was hit on his thigh. Two policemen, including a sub-inspector, were injured in stone pelting by the protesters.

Trouble started around 10am when a group of about 300 to 400 men and women gathered at Sarai Market (Bazaar) and disrupted traffic on National Highway 77. Later, they attacked the police station and set afire the record room and vehicles parked on the campus. The security personnel posted at the police station had to bear the brunt of the protesters, who were in no mood to relent.

Fearing that the situation was going out of hand, Sarai police sought additional reinforcement from the district headquarters.

The protesters, mostly women, had laid a siege to the police station since 10am, demanding arrest of the named accused in the rape and subsequent murder of Kavita Paswan, whose body was found on July 9. As the mob turned violent and did not allow the senior officers to enter the police station, the security personnel opened fired. Paswan and Mahto, both residents of Chakausan village, were injured in the firing. The official vehicle of Hajipur sadar sub-divisional officer Kailash Prasad was damaged by the protesters.

Deputy inspector-general (Tirhut range) Sushil Khopde said: “The police fired three rounds in self defence. Two policemen were injured in the stone pelting by the mob. They have been admitted to the local government hospital.”

On getting information, inspector-general (Tirhut zone) Gupteshwar Pandey, Vaishali district magistrate Jitendra Srivastava and superintendent of police (SP) Upendra Kumar Sinha rushed to the police station to take stock of the situation. The SP said three persons have been detained for interrogation in connection with the attack on the police station.

The agitation was launched under the banner of Bharatiya Mahila Chetna Manch, which had given an ultimatum to the police to arrest the named accused — Chandan and Sudhir — by August 16. Inspector-general Pandey did not rule out involvement of ultra-Left forces in the incident. “The attack on the police station is part of a well-hatched conspiracy,” he told reporters at Sarai after a review of the situation.

“Additional armed forces have been deployed in the area and patrolling intensified as a precautionary measure,” the officer added.