Dhaka: In an incident which would make one laugh, a brawl broke out between villagers in eastern Bangladesh arguing over the plot of an Indian fantasy television serial, leaving 100 people injured.

The hilarious incident took place at a restaurant in Habiganj district on Wednesday night. Villagers had gathered to watch Kiranmala, a famous Bengali-language show about a warrior princess who saves mankind from evil, when the dispute erupted.

Police had to intervene to control the situation. The police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd. The argument went all over the night with angry viewers vandalising the restaurant in Dhol village and attacking each other with sticks and knives, sources said.

Local police chief Yasinul Haque informed that two men got involved into an argument over the story of the episode, which later turned into a group skirmish. At least 100 people were injured during the brawl in the village 176 kilometres (109 miles) north-east of Dhaka, Haque said, with 15 requiring hospital treatment. The fifth went on till Thursday morning, he said.

According to Bangladeshis, the broadcast of Indian television channels is leading to “spread degenerate culture” in the Muslim-majority nation. Three suicides of young women have also been linked to watching Kiranmala in the past year, according to local media, after their parents reportedly refused to buy them an expensive dress worn by the princess.