Forty persons have been arrested after communal clashes broke out in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on Wednesday, The Hindu reported.

The clashes erupted between members of the Hindu and Muslim communities over a dispute involving a temporary shop in the Rabindranagar area in Maheshtala, which borders Kolkata.

“Initially, police tried to calm down the situation, but it escalated with stone pelting in the area,” The Indian Express quoted unidentified police officers as saying, adding that shops were also vandalised.

The clashes also spread to the Nadial area.

A place of worship was also allegedly attacked during the violence, reported The Hindu.

At least five police personnel were injured, The Indian Express quoted Deputy Inspector General (Presidency Range) Akash Magharia as saying. Among the injured was a deputy commissioner of police, The Hindu reported.

“Bricks were hurled from rooftops, tyres were set ablaze on the roads and miscreants torched a motorbike in front of the police station,” PTI quoted an unidentified police officer as saying. Several police vehicles were damaged, the officer added.

Police personnel and the Rapid Action Force were deployed at the scene, and tear gas shells were used to disperse the mob, the news agency reported.

Prohibitory orders were imposed in the area following the violence, Additional Director General (Law and Order) West Bengal Police Jawed Shamim told The Hindu. “The situation is under control,” he added.

Seven first information reports have been registered in connection with the clashes, including four at the Nadial Police Station.