A clash between residents of two villages in Chanchal-I block of Malda over a football match held on Mahalaya took a violent political turn on Wednesday when the chief of Trinamul-run Kaligram panchayat alleged that his house was torched by Congress and CPM supporters.

The area is around 70km away from the district headquarters.

Although both Congress and CPM leaders of Chanchal rubbished the charges, the situation turned violent when two groups clashed on Wednesday.

On October 14, during the football match, residents of Pransagar and Nimtala villages got into a scuffle.

After nine days, on October 23, residents of Pransagar alleged that Rezaul Khan, the head of Kaligram panchayat who backed Nimtala village, attacked them with his henchmen.

Villagers Shahazan Sheikh, Abdul Sheikh and Nurul Islam alleged that Khan and his hired men lobbed petrol bombs at shops that gutted four shops. Two fire engines doused the flames.

Khan, however, had denied the allegations.

On Wednesday, Khan said some Congress and CPM supporters attacked and torched his house in the morning.

As the news spread, his supporters sat on the Chanchal-Ashapur state highway in protest.

After some time, some Congress and Left workers reached the spot and asked Trinamul workers to withdraw the blockade.

An altercation ensued. Soon, violence sparked in the area. Both sides attacked each other with iron rods, sticks and bricks.

“The Congress and CPM goons mercilessly beat up Trinamul supporters. They had sharp weapons. My brother Imran was badly thrased by them. They are trying to gain control over the area as they couldn’t beat Trinamul politically. For this, they are using the issue of the recent scuffle between the two villages," Khan said.

A Chanchal police team reached the spot, but as the clash continued, additional forces led by Suvendu Mandal, the Chanchal sub-divisional police officer, also went to the location. A police lathi-charge dispersed the mob.

According to police sources, 15 persons from both sides got injured. Some are under treatment in local hospitals.

Six persons, three from each side, have been arrested so far.

“We will not let anyone break the law. Police personnel are marching in the area. Our officers are also monitoring the villages,” said a senior police officer.

Congress leaders blamed Khan for the unrest.

“He (Khan) has been trying to foment tension in the locality and making baseless allegations to shield himself and his family. It was not a political clash. A mere scuffle turned into such a clash because of his hooliganism,” said Aminul Khan, an elected Congress member of Kaligram panchayat.