In the attack, four of the accused were seriously injured, while the fifth managed to escape taking advantage of the confusion, district police officers said.

Superintendent of Police (Darjeeling) Rahul Srivastav told The Indian Express that the five people, including prime accused Krishna Bahadur Diyali, were being taken to the court after being arrested on Thursday when the incident took place.

“A huge mob of GJM supporters had gathered outside the court gates, due to which we could not take the accused inside. Considering the unstable situation, the ACJM walked out to the gates, took a look at the five accused and remanded them in judicial custody. At this point, the crowd attacked the vehicle,” Srivastav said.

The district police chief said the Morcha supporters dragged the police vehicle into a nearby drain and began dousing it with petrol. “Apprehending danger, the police escort began evacuating the accused. Several members of the mob then attacked the accused with khukris, injuring them seriously. Luckily, additional police back-up reached the spot and managed to take away the injured.

An escort of 50 personnel had been provided to take the accused to court, but they were overwhelmed by the mob. I have called for a massive police contingent before cracking down on those responsible,” Srivastav, who has been camping in Kurseong since Thursday, added.

While all the injured murder suspects have been admitted to the North Bengal Medical College & Hospital, unconfirmed reports stated that one of them succumbed to his injuries.