Patna police arrested 26 persons and lodged FIRs against 132 persons in connection with Tuesday's violence in the Digha-Rajiv Nagar area.

Violence ensued when the Bihar State Housing Board officials, had gone to remove squatters from two plots of land, measuring 2.5 acres and 2 acres with help from the district administration and police.

The arrested persons include elements from the land mafia operating in Rajiv Nagar area for years. They spread the canard that the authorities had come to remove squatters from the entire 424.52 acres of disputed land. As the matter is pending in the Patna High Court, large number of people, including women and children, assembled at the spot to protest the action.

'Based on video footage from the spot, the police identified several persons involved in the violence,' Patna superintendent of police (West) Ravindra Kumar said.

Among the arrested is Deepak Dubey, part of a land mafia operating in Rajiv Nagar-Digha area for several years. 'Dubey used to purchase land from farmers at low rate and sell it at higher rate after erecting a boundary wall,' DSP (law and order) Shibli Nomani said. 'He had several cases against him, including of forging Bihar State Housing Board land documents to sell land.'

The police claimed Dubey amassed huge wealth and even built a huge building at Chandra Vihar (Nepali Nagar) in Rajiv Nagar area.

Also arrested was Dudeshwar Rai, a retired Bihar Military Police (BMP) constable. 'Despite being a retired police personnel, Rai had built a house on disputed land and was involved in illegal sale and purchase of land,' Nomani said. 'Video footage showed Rai in the crowd that provoked the mob to attack the police. When the police reached Rai's house to arrest him, on Tuesday night, he began pelting the police with stones.' The police have lodged four different FIRs in this connection - disturbing the district administration officials and police from discharging their duty, attacking police personnel, staging road blockade at Digha and Polson road and staging gherao of Digha police station.

The situation in Rajiv Nagar was under control on Wednesday. A large number of police personnel were deployed. Madhusudhan Lal, a resident, said: 'Tuesday's violence could have been averted. We fear retaliatory action from the police and administration.'

He blamed the district administration and police for queering the pitch. 'The government claims the plot belongs to the housing board. Then how come roads have been built and power connections provided to houses?'

In 1974, the state government acquired 1024.52 acres in Rajiv Nagar from farmers at around Rs 2,200 per cottah. But the farmers claim many did not receive compensation.

However, the state government in 2011 passed the Digha Rajiv Nagar Land Acquisition Act 2010, seeking to regularise houses constructed on over 600 acres on the eastern flank of Ashiana-Digha Road. It also brought in a blanket ban on any construction on 424.52 acres on the western flank.

The Bihar Housing Board Corporation had given 2.5 acres to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to set up its regional office and 2 acres to the Passport Seva Kendra to set up its foreign section wing.