High drama was witnessed inside the sales tax office in Kalyanpur as an owner of a Cargo Mover allegedly opened fire on the deputy commissioner, sales tax, under the Kalyanpur police station here on Friday.

Panic gripped the sales tax office building soon after the firing, when a transporter identified as Pravin Jain allegedly fired at deputy commissioner (sales tax) AP Shukla after a scuffle over the seizure of builty papers, sources said. The sales tax officer escaped unhurt and no one was injured in the incident that occurred inside the officer's cabin.

The incident was a fallout of an issue in which a truck loaded with areca nut consignment, belonging to Jain, was seized by the authorities in the state capital on Thursday.

On Friday morning, when deputy commissioner (sales tax) AP Shukla, following instructions from his senior counterparts, reached Pravin Jain's Chandan Cargo Mover office situated in Transport Nagar in Babupurwa and allegedly took the builty book into his possession.

As soon as Jain came to know about the seizure of the builty-book, he, along with transport union leader Shyam Shukla and more than 12 of his supporters, arrived at the deputy commissioner's cabin. "There was a heated argument between the two and later Jain, in a fit of anger, opened fire from his licensed revolver," a senior police official told TOI.

The accused thereafter snatched the builty book kept inside the suitcase of Shukla and went to additional commissioner, sales tax, Ishwari Prasad's cabin and tried to bring the issue to his notice. Following which, the additional commissioner promptly summoned deputy commissioner. Heated exchange ensued between the transporters and Shukla there.

Apprehending trouble, someone from the mob fired in the air. "They started running after opening fire at deputy commissioner AP Shukla and when we tried to stop them, our colleagues were threatened with dire consequences and manhandled. Two more shots were fired by the same elements," an eye-witness informed TOI, adding that no one was injured and the matter immediately brought to the notice of the Kalyanpur police.

The mob, however, managed to nab one of the transporters and beat him up blue and black. Senior police officials, including DIG Neera Rawat, rushed to the spot and conducted preliminary investigations. While talking to TOI Rawat informed that an FIR had been lodged against two persons and further investigations were on.