Malda police arrested five persons for allegedly obstructing the force from rescuing a youth who was being confined and being judged at a “salishi sabha”at Datian, a village under of Sultannagar panchayat under Harishchandrapur police station limits of the district on Monday.

“Salishi sabhas”, so-called courts run by community elders in many parts of rural Bengal, are illegal and notorious for dispensing instant and crude justice.

The police have also started identifying some others who had interrupted the police in performing their duties by scanning the recordings and videos of the incident.

Sources said the accused attacked the police vehicle when the young man was rescued from the clutches of some of the residents who had convened the “salishi sabha” to judge the allegation against the youth that he had teased a young girl of the locality and made a lewd proposal to her.

Local sources said that the police vehicle was partially ransacked, and the police personnel were attacked when the youth was rescued and being taken to the Harishchandrapur police station.

“The mob was trying to snatch away the young man from the police vehicle,” said an eyewitness.

“A sub-inspector of police and four other police personnel suffered minor to moderate injuries,” a police source said.

Manojit Sarkar, the inspector-in-charge of the Harishchandrapur police station, was allegedly harassed by the mob.

As the news spread, additional police forces led by the sub-divisional police officer of Chanchal rushed to the spot and handled the situation.

“The youth, who was confined by a section of the residents of Datian, was accused of teasing and abusing a young woman. The young woman’s family had already lodged a written police complaint against him. But before the police could reach the spot, some so-called influential persons of the locality decided to judge the young man in the completely illegal ‘salishi sabha’,” said a police officer.

Pradeep Kumar Yadav, the superintendent of police of Malda, said some local residents obstructed the police van and tried to forcibly take away the youth from the police.

“The area tends to conduct such ‘salishi sabhas’,” the Malda district police chief added.

Family members of the young woman claimed that Jiaur Rahaman, a local Trinamool leader, was insisting on holding the “salishi sabha”, although the matter was already referred to the police.

Rahaman even allegedly instigated the mob that attacked the police, a relative of the young woman said.

The Trinamool leader, however, claimed the allegation was entirely baseless.

“Rather, I tried to help the police when the mob attacked them. If the police examine the video footage, everything will be clear,” the Trinamool leader said.

Asked on the alleged involvement of their party leader, Abdur Rahim Boxi, the Malda district Trinamool president, said that the law would take its own course.

“Our party never interferes in such issues. The police should take appropriate steps,” he said.