The Dussehra fair at Jehanabad, around 50km south of the state capital, turned out to be a frightening experience for women as they were stealthily attacked with blades by unidentified anti-socials on Friday evening.

Around two dozen women received injuries, sparking panic in the crowded Thakurbari area, where the attacks took place. Police sources said the aim of the hooligans could have been to trigger stampede, but luckily it did not happen.

However, the blade strikes did take the joy of the festivities out as people on the streets scurried back to their homes after learning about the attacks.

Jehanabad superintendent of police Maneesh told The Telegraph that he and district magistrate Alok Ranjan Ghosh saw 13 injured women, but pegged the total number of the injured at 16 or 17.

The injured women were rushed to the Sadar Hospital and discharged after treatment as the injuries were not life-threatening. A majority of them were in the age group of 20 to 30 years.

One of the women injured in the blade attacks in Jehanabad on Friday. Telegraph picture

“The incidents happened around the time of aarti. The local population was out on the streets and the crowd was such that only heads could be seen. Majority of the blade injuries were inflicted on buttocks and thighs of the women and girls,” Maneesh said.

“It seems that some anti-socials carrying blades in their hands were moving in the crowd, nicking women and girls. Blade injuries are such that the person who receives them doesn’t realise it or feels pain immediately,” Maneesh added.

However, some of the women had deep cuts on their arms too and police sources said the nature of the wounds suggested that those who inflicted them could have been carrying scalpels instead of shaving blades.

The Jehanabad police have registered an FIR against unknown persons and begun investigating the case, though nobody has been identified for the attacks so far.

SP Maneesh said CCTV footage of the area where the incidents took place was available, but was of low resolution. “However, some leads are available and we are trying to work on them to identify the culprits,” he added.

Residents were simmering with anger over the blade attacks on women. They said that such incidents have been occurring during the Dussehra fair for the past two years, but not a single person has been arrested till date.