40 held over clash in West Bengal

Forty people have been arrested in connection with a violent clash between two groups in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, which left several police personnel injured and prompted the administration to impose prohibitory orders, an officer said on Thursday.

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The incident, which occurred in Maheshtala under the Rabindranagar Police Station area on Wednesday, stemmed from a dispute over the construction of a shop and alleged encroachment on government land.

The unrest quickly spiralled, resulting in vandalism, and additional forces were deployed to bring the situation under control.

"A clash between two groups occurred yesterday afternoon in Rabindra Nagar PS area and adjacent areas of Nadial PS over an illegal construction and consequent plantation on govt land without any permission whatsoever and replacement of an existing shop in the process, resulting in brick batting at police and isolated vandalism in the vicinity," the police said.

The police resorted to "necessary use of force and dispersed the crowd", they said.