DHENKANAL: Four devotees, including two women, were allegedly abused and assaulted by a group of local youths while returning from Kapilash Temple here on September 18. Gondia police on Monday detained two persons in connection with the incident and said more arrests could follow if their involvement is established.
The accused have been identified as Saroj Naik (41) and Sameer Naik (37), both residents of Bania village under Gondia police limits.
Police registered a case after one of the devotees, a woman from the Choudwar area in Cuttack district, lodged a complaint.
According to police, two men and two women from Choudwar visited the Kapilash Temple on scooters to offer prayers to Lord Chandrasekhar. While returning around 3.00 pm, they were allegedly intercepted by some local youths near Bhanarabeda village on the Kapilash-Dhenkanal road.
The youths allegedly abused and assaulted them. The group managed to leave after some elderly persons intervened.
A video of the incident was subsequently recorded and circulated widely on social media, showing the incident.
The four devotees returned to Choudwar after the incident. After the video surfaced on social media, the woman devotee lodged a complaint on Monday, alleging that they had been beaten and misbehaved with by local youths.
The complaint was subsequently referred to Gondia police, which registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Gondia IIC Pratap Kumar Dalei said, “After receiving the complaint, we immediately launched an investigation and apprehended two main accused from Bania village. More persons will be detained if their involvement is established."
However, he clarified that the complaint does not contain any allegation of molestation. Police are examining the video and other evidence to establish the identities and roles of those involved in the incident.