DUBAI: A Bahraini policeman was injured when his patrol was petrol-bombed in a village where Shiites frequently stage protests and clash with security forces, the BNA state news agency said on Tuesday.

It said a policeman "suffered medium burns in several parts of his body when a group of terrorists attacked" his foot patrol in Bani Jamra late on Monday, adding that the assailants threw Molotov cocktails.

"The injured policeman was rushed to hospital to undergo treatment," it quoted a police official as saying. "Police have launched an investigation to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice."

The authorities often accuse Shiite protesters in the Gulf kingdom of using petrol bombs against security forces during demonstrations in villages outside the capital Manama.

Sporadic protests have intensified since a March 2011 crackdown ended month-long protests in Manama's main Pearl Square demanding democratic reforms in the Sunni-ruled Shiite-majority state.

On Friday, authorities said an interior ministry bus was attacked by petrol bombs near Bani Jamra, as witnesses reported clashes there between security forces and demonstrators.

Rights group Amnesty International says 60 people have been killed since the protests first erupted in Bahrain in February last year.