At least seven Sikh pilgrims suffered head injuries in Bhojpur district of Bihar on Sunday when a group attacked them for not giving donations for a temple and a yagna.

Altogether 60 Sikhs from Mohali in Punjab were returning after participating in the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh at his birth place at Takht Sri Harimandir Ji in Patna.

“The pilgrims were returning in a truck, which was stopped by a group of people at Dhyani Tola, demanding donation for a yagna and construction of a Hanuman temple. The driver told them he had no money. It led to an altercation and the local group pulled him down from the vehicle and attacked him,” sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Rahul Singh told The Telegraph.

When the other pilgrims tried to save the truck driver, the donation-seekers attacked them with sticks, bricks and stones. One of them was held hostage by the attackers.

The Sikh pilgrims eventually managed to escape in the truck and informed a police patrol vehicle. An alert was sounded and reinforcements from seven police stations were despatched.

“The Sikh pilgrim who was held by the miscreants was rescued and four persons were arrested. The injured were treated at the government hospital at Charpokhri,” SDPO Singh said. The police escorted the pilgrims to the Grand Trunk Road.

An FIR against 11 named and around 15 unnamed persons has been registered.