At least six policemen, including officers-in-charge of two Birbhum police stations, were injured in a clash that broke out when police attempted to recover smuggled coal stockpiled at Gangaramchawk village under Lokpur police station area on Friday afternoon.

Police sources said a team, including Kankartala OC Jahidul Islam and Khoirasol OC Sanchayan Banerjee, received injures from stones and brickbats hurled at them by villagers allegedly incited by coal smugglers. Local residents were also injured by police rubber bullets in the same exchange.

The villagers have accused the police of open firing and claimed that two persons were injured in the firing. However, the police refuted the allegations.

“The police went on a raid to rescue stockpiled coal that was smuggled from a local opencast coal mine run by PDCL (Power Development Corporation Limited). Suddenly, a mob launched an attack on the police team with stones in which a few police personnel, including our officers, were injured. They also ransacked four police vehicles. The police team did not retaliate to avoid an untoward incident. Raids are on to arrest the accused,” said Narendra Kumar Tripathi, district superintendent of police in Birbhum.

Asked about the injuries to villagers, Tripathi said: “As per our information, one of the villagers was injured but it was by the same stones which they hurled towards the police.”

Sources said following repeated complaints of coal smuggling from the PDCL’s coal mine, a large troop went on a raid to take control of smuggled coal stockpiled at Gangaramchawk village of Nawapara gram panchayat.

“As soon as the police reached the spot and started to load the illegal coal on a dumper, the mob instigated by a group of smugglers launched an attack on us. The police did not open fire but used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the mob. They also set fire to the dumper brought by us to recover coal,” said a police officer who was part of the team.

A woman resident of the village, however, claimed that police had opened fire on the villagers during the raid.

“The police opened fire and at least four were injured,” she said.