The Thane civic body's drive against illegal hawkers took a grisly turn on Monday when a man, furious over the action being taken, attacked a senior official with a knife, chopping off three digits of her hand. Thane Assistant Municipal Commissioner Kalpita Pimple was attacked by vegetable vendor Amarjit Yadav while she was overseeing a drive to clear out unauthorised hawkers in the Kasarvadavali locality.