Prevented from attacking him, three men threw country-made bombs at the office of a town panchayat president in Tamil Nadu, who had a narrow escape.
Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) Leader MA Stalin, who is a town panchayat president in Thanjavur district, said the incident occurred when he was in his office on Thursday. "I took refuge in the toilet and locked myself inside. Otherwise, they would have killed me," Mr Stalin told NDTV.
Police said two people, including one of Mr Stalin's supporters, Ilaiyaraja, sustained minor injuries, while a window pane and a few items in the office were damaged.
A senior police officer said, "The motive behind the attack is not known so far. We are investigating."
Following the incident, PMK supporters staged protests, burning tyres and raising slogans against the state government. PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss also strongly condemned the attack, accusing the ruling DMK of presiding over a collapse in law and order.
"Law and order deterioration is at its peak and the rulers ought to hang their heads in shame," he said, alleging that "power centres are controlling the police, preventing senior officers from leading."
BJP's Tamil Nadu state president Nainar Nagendran also demanded the immediate arrest of those involved in the attempt to murder the PMK leader. "The law and order situation has collapsed to the extent that petrol bombs are hurled in broad daylight at a Panchayat office," he charged.
DMK spokesperson Dr Syed Hafeezullah dismissed the opposition's allegations. "Despite the police's best efforts, such crimes do take place due to personal motives. The police acted swiftly and brought the situation under control," he said.
