A customs officer, Pradeep Kumar, was brutally ‘assaulted’ at his Sonarpur residence late Saturday night, allegedly by a mob of around 53 people, led by an autorickshaw driver, following a reported altercation with the driver over rash driving in Rajpur area near Kolkata, police said.

A police officer said an investigation into the incident has been launched.

One person has been arrested, police said. Later, four were detained, but according to sources all four have already secured bail.

“All four were granted bail by a court in Baruipur. A counter case of assault was lodged against the Customs officer,” he said.

Kumar said he had an altercation with the autorickshaw driver after the latter’s vehicle dashed against his car.

According to Kumar, that night, the auto driver and approximately 53 others allegedly stormed his house, broke the collapsible gate, smashed his head, and tortured his wife, the police said.

“I called the police repeatedly. They said ‘I’m coming’— but arrived 40 minutes later,” Kumar alleged.

According to news agency PTI, the CCTV footage from the flat showed the officer with a bloodied forehead, as household materials lay scattered around.

Kumar said he suffered injuries on the forehead, neck and chin, and was taken by his colleagues to AIIMS-Kalyani in Nadia on Sunday for further treatment.

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari condemned the incident as “mob lynching,” and raised questions on police response and bailable charges filed.

He also demanded the arrest of all 53 people involved in the incident, labeling them “terrorists”.

Adhikari met the injured officer and expressed dissatisfaction with the initial medical report.

The Sonarpur police registered a case against the accused under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) including 332 (house trespassing), 126/2 (wrongful restraint), 117/2 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 324/4 (mischief), and 311/2 (using a deadly weapon).

Meanwhile, Kumar has raised serious questions as all these sections are reportedly bailable.

The incident has also sparked internal criticism within the ruling Trinamool Congress.

Sonali Roy, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor for Ward No. 25 of the Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality, pointed to “backed elements” in her party, saying she receives regular complaints and that those behind such incidents “know they are backed by someone” and “consider themselves above party.”

She also requested the police to “act neutrally.”

TMC’s Debangshu Bhattacharya said that the incident is “condemnable” and under investigation, with arrests made.

The attack on the customs officer is one of several recent incidents which shows law and order concerns in the Sonarpur area. Days before this incident, a 35-year-old resident of Kustia, Sanatan Naskar, was allegedly stabbed to death by a neighbour and his associates. In another case, a four-year-old girl’s body was recovered in the area, which is under investigation as a suspected murder.