A protest against long power cuts in Port Blair turned violent on Wednesday after the police, fearing the situation would go out of control, fired tear gas shells and used batons against the residents, The Times of India reported. A station house officer was injured in the violence.

Hundreds of residents protested outside Raj Niwas – the seat of power of Andaman and Nicobar Lieutenant Governor Jagdish Mukhi – as the administration had not addressed a crippling power crisis in the archipelago, according to The Echo of India.

The protestors alleged that there were daily blackouts and the administration has failed to fix the problem. “We are not going to be cowed down by such police action and the intensity of the protest against such ruthless power-cuts will only intensify till the administration normalises the situation,” an unidentified protestor told The Echo of India.

After the agitation, the electricity department issued a statement acknowledging the power shortage, and assured residents that it would be resolved in a few days.