In a video posted by the news agency ANI, locals are seen attacking police personnel, while the police are also seen beating people.
In a similar incident, clashes broke out outside PDS outlets in parts of West Bengal earlier this month as people jostled to get free ration being distributed by the state government. Police had to meddle in between to control the mob.
Similar scenes were witnessed outside a shop in Purulia''s Balarampur where two groups clashed over free ration, police said, adding that the dealer was also thrashed by the mob for failing to provide the quantity of foodgrain promised by the state government.
In Kolkata and other districts, people were seen scrambling at the Public Distribution System (PDS) outlets to stock up, defying the advice of social distancing.
The West Bengal government has announced free ration for over 7.5 crore population in the state till September in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Large gatherings were seen outside such outlets in Tollygunge, Beliaghata, Maniktala and Dum Dum areas of the city.
The number of lives claimed by the COVID-19 Coronavirus in India escalated sharply to 640 on Wednesday morning, with the total tally of positive cases rapidly nearing the 20,000 mark. West Bengal's total COVID-19 count is 423 with over 15 deaths in the state. 73 people have also recovered from the novel Coronavirus infection.