Two groups of goons, allegedly backed by local Trinamool factions in Birbhum’s Kankartala, clashed with crude bombs on Tuesday for control of “proceeds” from a local sand mine.

Two persons were injured in the incident that came as a fresh embarrassment for the administration and ruling dispensation.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee reprimanded the district magistrate over sand smuggling in Birbhum last month during a live-streamed administrative meeting.

A police source said at least two people, including TMC worker Sattar Ali, suffered splinter injuries. Ali was admitted to a private hospital in West Burdwan’s Durgapur. The other injured person was released after primary treatment.

“After being informed about the incident, police reached the spot and controlled the situation. We have arrested eight people involved in the clash and raids are on to nab the rest,” said Birbhum SP Amandeep.

A source said that two factions of goons, headed by two local Trinamool leaders, had been fighting for at least the past three months over the right to extort money, especially from vehicles laden with sand mined in this area beside the river Ajay.

A powerful group, allegedly led by the husband of a local Parsundi gram panchayat member, had snatched control of the money collection, resulting in acrimony among those who were left out.

Clashes over extorting money “in the name of development of the area” are not new in districts like Birbhum, East Burdwan and Bankura, where hundreds of sand mines, legal and illegal, are located.

A source claimed that goons affiliated with the TMC, mainly from villages near sand mines, had developed a practice of extortion in the name of the “village committees”, creating trouble for the police and administration.

During an administrative review meeting on January 2, Mamata reprimanded Birbhum district magistrate Bidhan Ray, particularly for the rise in sand smuggling in the district.

“What happened suddenly that sand smuggling became the highest in the district? I will not tolerate the government losing its revenue,” Mamata told Ray.

“We are not as happy as before. I am giving you (Ray) seven days to prevent such leaks and take action,” she had added.

After Mamata’s warning, Ray raided at least a dozen illegal sand mines.

“However, here the sand mine is legal, but the crisis is extortion,” said a source in the Birbhum administration.

The BJP promptly claimed that the clash’s bigger picture was factionalism between two TMC strongmen — Anubrata Mondal and Sheikh Kajal.

Mondal, who returned from Tihar Jail after being granted bail in a cattle smuggling case, is a known rival of Kajal, who emerged as a strong face in the district during the former’s absence.

Anup Saha, local BJP MLA and senior BJP leader raised questions about how Trinamool-backed goons clashed with crude bombs openly.

“People from Anubrata Mondal and Sheikh Kajal’s factions clashed with bombs over extorting money from sand mines. At a time when the chief minister is criticising her administration for sand smuggling, her party workers are clashing with bombs openly. We condemn such extortion practices in the TMC,” said Saha.

Trinamool claimed that the clash had no connection with the party.

“Our party has nothing to do with this clash or the extortion practice. Police will take action against those involved. It may be that the clash broke out between rival groups of goons due to local issues,” said TMC district vice-president Malay Mukherjee.

However, a TMC source confirmed that most of the eight people arrested were known as local party workers.