Doomdooma: Three chowkidars of Baghjan Tea Estate in Upper Assam's Tinsukia district were critically injured when they tried to stop a group of 35-40, who had allegedly entered the garden to steal tea leaves early on Wednesday.

Baghjan is around 15km from here and 39km from Tinsukia.

As the news of the attack spread, thousands of tea workers hit the Doomdooma-Baghjan-Diyamuli link road, blocking it for almost seven hours.

The functioning of Baghjan, Diyamuli, Dighaltarang and Rupai tea estates were affected on Wednesday. The workers also gheraoed Baghjan police station for seven hours demanding safety of life and property.

A meeting was held on Wednesday in the presence of Tinsukia superintendent of police Rajendra Ojha, circle officer Pankaj Nagbonshi, Baghjan police station officer in-charge Partho Protim Sing-khon with the leaders of Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha, Assam Tea Tribes Students' Association, All Adivasi Students' Association of Assam, Chah Janajati Mahila Samiti and others, where the leaders sought safety measures, including night patrolling and nabbing of the culprits within 24 hours, to which the police agreed.

A case has been registered by Baghjan Tea Estate deputy manager Naushad Alam at Baghjan police station. According to the complaint, around 1.30am on Wednesday, a gang, heavily armed with swords and knives, entered McLeod Russell India Ltd's Baghjan Tea Estate to steal green leaves and attacked the chowkidars who were on duty. Anand Induwar, 30, Hussain Batik, 25, and Sanjoy Karmakar were injured critically, while several others received minor injuries.

All the injured were admitted at Baghjan Tea Estate Hospital.