Four police personnel and as many villagers were injured in a Sunday night clash in Aurahi, Mahottari, over a gang rape incident.

The locals encircled the police post after police allegedly prioritised rescue of one of the rapists over treatment of the 19-year-old victim. 

Police fired five warning shots to disperse the irate mass.

Birendra Yadav, a local, said rather than helping the woman who was in need of immediate medical attention, the police appeared hostile towards the villagers for capturing one of the rapists.

Enraged by the police behaviour, the locals, most of them women, marched to the police post and started hurling rocks, prompting the security personnel to retaliate.

The protest continued on Monday as well. The Aurahi locals obstructed the traffic along the Bardibas-Jaleshwor road for several hours, demanding action against the guilty.

On Sunday evening, four men had raped the woman while she was returning home from Aurahi Bazaar.

She was rescued by some villagers after hearing her shout. One of the rapists was also apprehended.

The woman is undergoing treatment at Janakpur Hospital.

Superintendent of Police Raj Kumar Lamsal said the police had to rescue the suspect as the villagers were beating him. He added a search was underway for the other suspects.