At least 13 persons were injured by pellets in a firing at a small tea plantation in North Dinajpur district on Monday.

Tea workers claimed the new owner of the estate orchestrated the attack. Police are trying to identify the new owner.

Six persons have been arrested in connection with the incident so far, sources in the evening said.

Sources said the owner of the Pyarelal tea estate, a plantation located in Ambari area of Chopra block, recently sold the plantation to another person. After the estate changed hands, a dispute cropped up among a section of the workers and the new owner, said sources.

“A section of workers reside in a plot next to the plantation. The earlier owner had told them that they would be provided a patch of land so that they could build their huts there. The new owner, however, refused to provide any land to them. This angered the workers and they did not allow the new owner to enter the plantation,” said a local resident.

On Monday, the workers, most of whom are tribals, alleged that the new owner orchestrated an attack on them.

“A group of criminals reached the plantation today (Monday). They were carrying pellet guns and fired indiscriminately at us. Many of us got injured,” said a worker who was hit by a pellet.

After the firing, the criminals fled the place. A team from Chopra police station rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

Local residents rushed the injured to the block primary health centre in Dalua.

Later, four of them, reported to be critical, were sent to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri.

“Six persons have been arrested in connection with the case. Our men have been deployed in the area. We are also gathering information about the new owner of the plantation,” said a police officer.