Patna, Feb 17 (IANS): Several villagers including women were injured when police attacked them for illegally mining sand from a river bank in Bihar's Gaya district.

A chilling video of the incident which took place on Tuesday went viral on social media in which women are seen sitting at the bank of Morhar river in Ahatpur village with their hands tied. They were reportedly mining sand from the river bank.

The police said, the villagers started pelting stones at the mining department officials and police team who went their to stop the illegal sand mining. The police then resorted to lathicharge and fired tear gas shells to overpower the villagers.

Local police claimed that nine cops and around two dozen villagers sustained injuries in the clash.

However, according to sources, it is only the villagers who received injuries after a brutal assault launched by the police. They tied the hands of villagers and attacked them with sticks.

Meanwhile, when contacted by IANS, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Gaya, refused to comment on the incident.