JAIPUR: One person was arrested on charge of assaulting and taking revenue officials hostage at Paikapada village under Binjharpur police station limits, police said on Sunday. The accused has been identified as Achyut Pradhan of Kuanrpur village.
Pradhan, along with four others, allegedly assaulted a woman Revenue Inspector (RI) of Pritipur revenue circle, Anita Samad, and her staffer Pramod Kumar Natha Sharma when they went to Paikasahi village to assess damage caused due to cyclone Fani on Wednesday. Though Pradhan was arrested on Saturday night, others involved in the incident fled from the village. A manhunt has been launched to nab them.
“Basing on a complaint filed by the RI, we arrested one of the accused. Four others involved in the crime have fled from the village. We will arrest all those involved in the crime,” said Siba Charan Behera, Inspector-in-Charge of Binjharpur police station.
The accused was forwarded to court on Sunday. He was later remanded in judicial custody after his bail plea was rejected. The woman RI and her subordinate Natha Sharma were attacked, tied to a tree and kept hostage for four hours by villagers of Paikapada when they had gone there to assess damage caused by Fani. Police said Paikapada villagers were angry with the revenue officials over administrative negligence after their village was affected by cyclone Titli last year.