According to the police, it all began when two rival groups of tribals from the nearby Desar village came to the Ramesara market for festive purchases. An altercation reportedly led to an assault, and led the members of the Jivan Master group to seek shelter at the police outpost. But around 15 members of the rival Sarpanch group followed them there.Subsequently, according to Halol police station senior PSI Bharat Bhandari, Sarpanch group member Mausam Dulsinh Nayak, who was wanted in connection with a robbery, arrived at the spot and was detained by the police.

The Sarpanch group then turned violent and started pelting stones at the outpost and the personnel present, the police said. When pleading with them yielded no result, ASI Jinabhai fired three rounds into the air from his service revolver, Bhandari said, adding that no one was injured.

Though the mob retreated, they managed to free their associate from custody, Bhandari said.

A police party led by Bhandari, PSI G S Pawar and Halol Circle Police Inspector J J Desai subsequently raided the houses of the accused and arrested village sarpanch and head of the Sarpanch group Chandu Gaja Nayak, his son Sujan Chandu Nayak, Gopal Dulsinh Nayak and Vijay Gulab Nayak.

Bhandari said that the accused fiercely resisted the police attempts to arrest them and that some police persons received minor scratches in the scuffle.

The police conducted another raid in Desar and three neighbouring villages of Tadia, Devdam and Panchkhobla on Wednesday. However, no one could be arrested as the entire male population had fled from the village.