JAGATSINGHPUR: Police arrested five women on Sunday in connection with an assault on two home guards during a Ganesh Puja idol immersion procession at Tarapur bazaar last night. The women were among a group of people who allegedly assaulted the home guards, one of whom was also chased by a man wielding a bhujali. The group allegedly took offence to being asked to turn down the loudspeaker volume.
Police said other accused persons in the assault that took place under Raghunathpur police station limits would be arrested soon. The arrested women were identified as Archita Mallik, Laxmipriya Das, Sasmita Mallik, Bimala Mallik and Priyadarshini Mallik, all between 30 and 35 years old, of Tarapur village.
According to a complaint lodged by home guard Pramod Sethy (55) of Badakorkor village, he was on duty when the procession reached the bazaar. Sethy asked the participants to reduce the volume, following which one Anil Mallik of Tarapur, along with some women, allegedly assaulted him. When another home guard, Umesh Mallik, intervened, Anil allegedly took out a bhujali and chased Sethy.
Sethy alerted the Raghunathpur IIC, who reached the spot. He also alleged that an accused arrived on a motorcycle and tried to run him over.
In a separate incident, a 70-year-old man of Tarapur, Khetrabasi Mallik, lodged a complaint alleging that a group of villagers abused him and his family, played obscene songs targeting his daughter and threatened to kill them with weapons after returning from an immersion procession on Friday night.
According to the complaint, around 10 pm, the accused gathered in front of his house and abused his daughter over a microphone.
He alleged that they and threatened to kill him, his wife, and daughter. He alerted the emergency service, but alleged that the accused continued abusing his family even after the police arrived.
He alleged that similar incidents had occurred on April 1, 2025, and twice in February this year. Cases related to the earlier allegations are in court. Police registered a case on the basis of the fresh complaint. Raghunathpur IIC Premjit Das said the women accused in the home guards assault case were forwarded to court. He said those named in Khetrabasi Mallik’s complaint were yet to be arrested as they were absconding.