A stretch of Asian Highway 48 at Bhotpatty in the Mainaguri block in Jalpaiguri district turned into a battlefield on Wednesday when a group of local people and police clashed during a protest.
The local people were blocking AH48 demanding the arrest of three youths who had misbehaved with two girls on Tuesday evening. The protesters resorted to brick-batting and vandalised police vehicles when the law enforcers went to the spot to clear the blockade.
Reinforcements went to the spot and brought the situation under control. Eighteen persons have been arrested so far, sources said.
The two minor girls from Bhotpatty were returning home after tuition when the three local youths intercepted them.
When the youths tried to drag the girls to a deserted place, the duo raised an alert. The youths then escaped. Some villagers rushed to the spot and escorted the girls to their homes.
Hundreds of villagers assembled on AH48 and raised a blockade around 8.30am on Wednesday. They were demanding the youths' arrests and exemplary punishment for them.
Traffic between Mainaguri and Changrabandha came to a halt because of the blockade. Police officers went to the spot and asked the demonstrators to lift the blockade.
The villagers didn’t relent. When the police tried to clear the highway around 11.30am, a section of the protesters attacked the force.
"They threw bricks and stones at the police, ransacked at least two police vehicles, and toppled some other police vehicles parked nearby," said a source.
The police resorted to lathi-charge and burst teargas shells to disperse the mob. The clash continued as additional police forces reached the spot.
After two hours, the situation was brought under control.