Police hide under table to escape attack in Kolkata

Terrorised policemen were seen hiding behind almirahs and under the table and scampering to use files as protective shields after a group of people said to owe allegiance to West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress rampaged through a police station, a stone's throw from the state police headquarters here Friday.

Enraged over the administration's attempts to evict encroachers from a piece of land owned by the state public works department, a group of slum dwellers residing on the plot - near the Presidency Correctional Home for Women - staged a demonstration and pushed the officials away.

When police swung into action and nabbed 10 of the demonstrators all hell broke loose.

Some of the agitators forced themselves into the Alipore police station and beat up the security personnel with sticks. Stones were hurled at the police station and the attackers even snatched sticks from the cops and rained blows.

The mob even put up a roadblock outside the police station for several minutes, but was dispersed by fresh police reinforcements sent to the spot.

Later, police held a peace meeting with the protestors. No one has been arrested for the attack on the police station so far.

As television channels broadcast images of the attack on the police station, a stone's throw from the state police headquarters Bhawani Bhawan, the opposition Left Front raised the issue in the assembly.

However, Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim denied that the mob had attacked the police station.