A senior official under investigation in Yunnan province has been accused of instructing more than 100 policemen to attack local residents who accused him of corruption.

Shen Peiping, vice-governor of Yunnan, allegedly ordered the policemen in Pu'er city to detain at least 10 people and injure many others in December, when workers at a State-owned transportation company protested against the company’s restructuring, China Business Journal reported.

Some of the protestors questioned whether Shen, then Party chief of Pu'er city, was involved in corruption linked to the company’s restructuring process. The accusation infuriated Shen and he allegedly ordered the police to carry out the attack, the report said.

It was announced by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, the country's top anti-graft watchdog, on March 9 that Shen was under investigation on allegations of corruption.

The commission has not released further details about its investigation.