The chief of a Trinamul Congress-run gram panchayat in Malda district and his supporters allegedly attacked a village on Sunday night in a sequel to an altercation over a football match between two places.

The residents of Pransagar staged a blockade on Chanchal-Ashapur state highway for four hours on Monday to protest against the attack on their village.

Sources said a football match had been held between Pransagar and Nimtala villages on October 14. Both the villages are in the Kaligram gram panchayat which is in Chanchal 1 block.

"A dispute cropped up during the match and the supporters of the two teams had a scuffle. Senior citizens intervened and brought the situation under control," said a source.

Rezaul Khan, the chief of the Kaligram panchayat, had backed the Nimtala team.

On Sunday night, Khan, along with his henchmen, allegedly attacked Pransagar. “They lobbed petrol bombs at shops which caught fire. The attackers also ransacked a house and fled the village,” said Shahazan Sheikh, a resident of Pransagar, which is around 70km from Malda town.

Fire engines reached the village and doused the flames within one hour.

Nurul Islam, another Pransagar resident, said Khan had carried out similar attacks earlier.

Around 5am on Monday, the Pransagar residents started blocking the Chanchal-Ashapur state highway to protest against the attack.

“How can Rezaul Khan attack us with bombs? Why are police silent? They should take immediate action against him,” said Islam.

Traffic on the highway was disrupted. Chanchal police reached the spot and persuaded the agitators to clear the road with an assurance that their complaint would be investigated and legal action would be taken.

The blockade was lifted around 9am.

Khan rejected the charges. “Some residents of Pransagar village assaulted my brother Imran during the football match. He was severely injured and is under treatment. Now, those people are trying to defame me by levelling false allegations against me,” Khan said.

The police said they had received complaints from both sides.

“Investigations have started. We are also taking appropriate steps to maintain law and order in the village and adjoining areas,” said a police officer.