A mob allegedly caught a youth and poured acid into his eyes in Sitamarhi district of Bihar on Thursday, police said.
The incident in Madhurapur village under Bajpatti police station occurred out of enmity between the mukhiya (village chief) and his predecessor, Superintendent of Police P A K Beck said on Friday.
Supporters of ex-mukhiya Chandradeo Prasad allegedly thrashed Mahesh Sah and two others and poured acid into Sah's eyes, he said.
Sah was admitted to the Sadar Hospital in Sitamarhi and later referred to the Patna Medical College and Hospital.
The two persons who were held along with Sah were missing, the SP said, adding a search for them was on.
Later, a team under Sub-Divisional Officer Radha Mohan Prasad, which visited the scene of the incident, became a target of the irate villagers, who threw stones at them.
Eight people, including the SDO, were injured, Beck said.
Fifteen people, including the ex-mukhia, were arrested in connection with the attack on Sah and the officials.
This is the third such case in the state in the past two months.