The R-Block roundabout virtually turned into a battlefield between Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists and security personnel, who fought a pitched battle for around an hour on Thursday afternoon.

The ABVP has also called a Bihar Bandh on March 30 in protest against the lathi-charge. The state government has sought a report on police firing and lathi-charge on ABVP workers from the district magistrate and the senior superintendent of police. 'Action would taken on the basis of the report,' a senior IAS officer posted in the chief minister's secretariat said.

Trouble started around 1.30pm when the activists reached R-Block, protesting against deterioration of education in the state. While majority of the protesters remained at R-Block to vent their ire against the government's apathy to fulfil their demands, another group sneaked into the Assembly premises and started shouting anti-government slogans.

The cops deployed on the Assembly premises immediately intervened and dragged them out from there. In the meantime, the scene at R-Block took an ugly turn when cops tried to prevent protesters from proceeding ahead. ABVP had earlier taken out a Vidhan Sabha March from Gandhi Maidan to highlight issues related to students.

Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Jitendra Rana said the cops fired rubber bullets in the air when ABVP protesters scaled the gates at R-Block and broke the barricade to march towards the Ass embly as part of their agitation. A contingent of policemen was deployed at R-Block to stop the agitators from reaching the Assembly , he said.

As many 40 policemen suffered injuries in stone-pelting while over 100 activists were rounded up and detained at Kotwali police station. The police fired several rounds in the air to disperse the mob, which attempted to enter the Assembly premises, a prohibited zone. The injured were admitted to government hospitals at Gardanibagh and Gardinar Road. Additional forces have been deployed in the vicinity of the Assembly, which is in session. Eyewitnesses said a number of protesters were injured in the lathi charge.

On getting information, deputy inspector-general (central range) Upendra Kumar Sinha, SSP Rana and superintendent of police (central) Chandan Kumar Kushwaha reached the spot with reinforcement to bring the situation under control.

'Camera footage shows the aggressiveness of the agitators. The very fact that a large number of security persons were injured, shows that the incident was pre-planned,' he alleged. However, BJP leaders said that over 30 ABVP activists were injured in the incident, some of them seriously.

SSP Rana said the police had to use force, as the protesters were adamant to enter the Assembly premises. A section of them earlier indulged in stone pelting and ransacked shops and other business establishment in the locality. Over 36 cops suffered injuries, the SSP said.

The situation was brought under control after senior police officers, including the DIG and the SSP, reached the spot with reinforcements. 'The situation is under control. Additional forces have been deployed in the area as a precautionary measure,' Rana added. Police said those detained were let off in the evening on personal bonds.

The action of the police, however, evoked sharp reactions from political parties. The state president of the backward cell of the BJP and former ABVP state general-secretary, Pramod Kumar Chandrawanshi, condemned the lathi-charge and termed the government policy anti-student.

Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ashok Choudhary said the protest was a fall-out of a conspiracy to defame the government.