Malda (West Bengal), Jan 8 (IANS): Irate protesters set on fire a police vehicle and rained stones and bombs at the security forces, who responded by firing rubber bullets and lobbying tear gas shells in Sujapur of West Bengal's Malda district on Wednesday.

Sources said the police also baton charged the protesters who had earlier obstructed a National Highway as part of their efforts to enforce Bharat bandh called by ten central trade unions and as also by various sectoral independent federations and associations pressing for a 12-point charter of demands including scrapping of NPR, CAA and NRC and opposing the union government's disinvestment policies.

The disturbances started around noon when Kaliachak police station personnel tried to remove a road blockade on National Highway 34 at Sujapur, about 350 kilometers north of the state capital Kolkata.

According to the police, the strike supporters resisted violently and pelted stones and threw bombs at them.

Police first tried to control the situation by unleashing a baton charge, but failed to disperse the protesters, who torched a police vehicle.

With the situation deteriorating, the police lobbed tear gas shells and then fired rubber bullets.

Tension still prevails in the area after the violent incident.