Police used water cannon, teargas and batons to disperse 1,000 people who were marching to Uttarkanya, the branch secretariat of north Bengal, here on Thursday, when they attempted to breach barricades and pelted the law enforcers with stones and bottles.

A tribal outfit called Janajati Suraksha Mancha organised the march. Sikha Chatterjee, the BJP MLA of Dabgram-Fulbari, was part of the procession which was held to protest the assault on a pregnant tribal woman at Jhamaklal Jote in the Phansidewa Assembly constituency of Darjeeling district over a land dispute in December.

According to them, the woman sustained severe injuries in the attack and subsequently lost her child. The protesters demanded immediate arrests of the culprits, exemplary punishment for the accused, and adequate financial compensation for the victim’s family.

Around 3pm, the rally started from Jalpai More and proceeded towards Uttarkanya. A large police contingent from the Siliguri Metropolitan Police, led by senior officers, was deployed at Tinbatti More to prevent the marchers.

Barricades were placed along Asian Highway 2, and water cannons were kept on standby as the area around Uttarkanya is designated a restricted zone.

Around 3.30pm, the protesters managed to remove one of the barricades and headed forward. The police told the marchers that such a large gathering would not be permitted to approach the secretariat.

The protesters, however, refused to disperse and began hurling water bottles and stones at the police. The police soon used the water cannon and batons and fired teargas shells. By 4pm, the situation was brought under control.

Sources said at least 10 police personnel were injured in the violence. On the other hand, 16 individuals were arrested on the spot.

“They had assembled unlawfully. We requested them to vacate the area. But when they attacked us with stones and bottles, we used minimum force to disperse the mob,” said Rakesh Singh, deputy commissioner (east), and underscored that the march was organised without prior permission.

Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb, who is a senior Trinamool Congress leader, accused some BJP leaders of provoking the tribal community to engage in violent activities.

“After the incident (assault on the pregnant woman), all necessary steps were taken by the police and the administration. But two months after the incident, BJP leaders, including Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, are inciting the simple tribal people into violence by issuing provocative statements. We condemn it and demand steps against these leaders as the elections are ahead, and these people are conspiring as they lack proper issues,” Deb said.

Last week, Bista visited the victim’s family in Phansidewa and condemned the assault.

On Thursday, the MP as well as Chattejee, the Dabgram-Fulbari MLA, condemned the lathi-charge.

“A tribal woman was assaulted, and her baby did not survive. But when the tribal people demanded justice for it, they were beaten and arrested. We want the chief minister to resign,” she said.

Bista, in a social media post, alleged that the administration tried to shield the accused of the case, and so far, all those who were involved in the attack on the women have not been arrested.

“The peaceful protest was on the way to Uttarkanya. However, the police resorted to violence, ranging from teargas shelling, lathicharge, and using water cannon on tribal brothers and sisters,” he wrote.