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NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Mobs barged into a railway station in the eastern Indian state of Bihar Wednesday and set two passenger cars on fire to retaliate against alleged attacks on Biharis in another state, police said.
Police arrested a dozen people, said Amit Kumar, senior superintendent of police of in Bihar's capital, Patna.
The train was on its way to the capital from the neighboring state of Jharkhand when protesters, mostly students, set two of its cars on fire after the train stopped at a railway station, Kumar added.
The attackers were protesting alleged assaults on Bihar natives in the western state of Maharashtra, home to India's financial capital, Mumbai, he said
For months, a local politician in Maharashtra has railed against natives of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, saying they have been coming to his state and taking jobs that should rightfully go to Maharashtrians.
The politician, Raj Thackeray, heads the nationalist Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which promotes the use of Marathi language and culture.
His firebrand speeches have sometimes incited followers to attack migrant workers, mostly cab drivers, in Mumbai.
Police arrested Thackeray on Tuesday for inciting riots. His arrest, in turn, spurred more riots as angry supporters clashed with police. 
Watch Thackeray in custody »
In retaliation, Biharis attacked the train Wednesday -- even though there is not a significant population of Maharashtrians in their state.
CNN's Harmeet Shah Singh contributed to this report
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