Violence erupted at Barhara in Bhojpur district on Sunday after the death of a resident, allegedly in police custody, late on Saturday night.

An unruly mob torched a portion of the local police station building, located 18km north of Ara town, and several vehicles parked on the station premises in protest against the alleged custodial death.

The situation turned so violent that the police resorted to firing in the air to disperse the protesters, who had indulged in stone-pelting. They even fired a vehicle carrying the station house officer Suber Kumar.

A constable deployed at Barhara police station was injured in the stone-pelting and had to be rushed to a government hospital in the district headquarters town of Ara, around 60km west of Patna.

Additional director-general of police Sunil Kumar said eight of the alleged attackers had been arrested.

Trouble erupted around 7am, when the family members of the deceased Ram Sajay Tatwa (45) came to know about his death. Police had detained the Ram after his daughter, Nitu Kumari, lodged a complaint on Saturday, accusing him of brutally assaulting her and her mother allegedly under the influence of liquor.

The family members later alleged that Tatwa had died after being beaten up by police in the lock-up. The police, however, denied the charge and claimed that Tatwa suffered severe injuries in his head when he jumped off a police van in a bid to escape from police custody. He was admitted to Ara Sadar hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

As the news about his death spread in the area, a number of local residents surrounded the police station and pelted stones, injuring several police personnel.

Bhojpur district magistrate (DM) Birendra Prasad Yadav said: "The protesters entered the police station and torched a portion of the building. Several vehicles parked on the premises, furniture and some documents were also set afire."

He added that the mob also damaged furniture and other articles in the block office, located adjacent to the Barhara police station. Fire tenders were summoned, he said, adding that additional security forces had been deployed as a precautionary measure.

Ara sub-divisional officer (SDO) Navdeep Shukla and sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Sanjay Kumar were camping at the site. The DM said two senior officers have been asked to camp there till the situation turned normal. He described the situation as tense but under control.

The SDPO said a medical board had been set up to conduct the post-mortem of the deceased's body. "The medical report (read post-mortem report) is awaited," he said. However, a doctor posted at Ara Sadar hospital said Tatwa died of severe head injuries. The SDPO added that the police had picked up Tatwa for interrogation after his daughter lodged a complaint that her father used to come home drunk and used to abuse her and her mother Subhawati Devi.

Deputy inspector-general of police (Shahabad range) Mohammad Rahman put the station house officer (SHO) Suber Kumar and two other policemen under suspension for inept handling of the situation. Rahman said the record room of the police station had been gutted in the fire.

RJD MLA from Barhara Saroj Yadav visited the village and promised the family that justice would be delivered to them. The Bihar Policemen's Association has flayed senior police officers for initiating disciplinary action against the cops without valid reasons.