BARIPADA: A day after an angry mob attacked nine cops including Rairangpur Town IIC and sub-inspector of Rairangpur Rural police station at Murmu chowk in Bahalda area, police on Saturday arrested 34 people in this connection.
Police also apprehended a youth SK Chhutu in Binjua village under Tiring police limits for his alleged misconduct towards a girl at Bahalda market on Thursday.
After the news of Chhutu misbehaving with the girl spread in the village, local residents on Thursday staged road blockade on NH-220 demanding that he be handed over to them. When some police personnel reached the spot to pacify the agitators, they were attacked by the agitators.
Nine cops including Rairangpur Town police station IIC J Swain and sub-inspector of Rairangpur Rural police station Alok Swain sustained injuries in the attack. The protesters had also vandalised the vehicle of Bahalda tehsildar who was trying to pacify them.
As per locals, the girl had gone to withdraw money from an ATM kiosk in Bahalda on Thursday, when the youth reportedly misbehaved with her. When she returned home and narrated the entire incident to her family, they informed the villagers, who rushed to the youth’s house and vandalised it.
On being informed, Rairangpur SDPO Birendra Senapati along with a police team from Bahalda had reached his house and camped there.
Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Birendra Senapati said the arrested accused were produced in SDJM Court, Rairangpur and remanded in judicial custody after their bail pleas were rejected.