BHUBANESWAR: In what looked like a re-run of the JNU rampage, dozens of masked men armed with sticks and sharp weapons ransacked roadside shops at Unit-II market here on Friday evening. Over 30 makeshift shops were damaged.
The goons also beat up the shopkeepers, who confronted them on the spot. Bhubaneswar Police detained six persons in connection with the vandalism. Many of them are stated to be students.
Vendors said, over 50 masked men arrived in Market Building area between 6.30 pm and 7 pm and started vandalising the goods with sticks. A street vendor said he was serving chaat (snack) to the customers when they attacked his shop. “I was not present but miscreants targeted our shop and attacked my younger brother Krushna Chandra with sharp weapons when he confronted them,” said Prasanna Harichandan, who runs a sofa cover outlet.
Some people present there also captured the movement of the goons on their mobile phones. The video which went viral on the social media showed the anti-socials walking in a group, attacking the shops and even overturning some hand-carts.
However, they did not enter the BMC Keshari Mall or the Market Building Complex during the rampage. A local, Dilip Sahoo, suspected that it might be the fall-out of an argument between a shopkeeper and a female customer which took place on Thursday night.
“The woman visited the shop to purchase a watch but had an argument with the shopkeeper over its price. The woman’s relatives and friends then arrived and had a brawl with the shopkeeper,” he added.
Police were deployed in the area following the incident to prevent any further untoward incident. Additional CP Anup Sahoo also visited the spot to take stock of the situation. “Two persons involved in the crime have been apprehended,” Sahoo said.
Later in a tweet, Commissionerate Police said two persons received minor injuries in the incident. Miscreants have been identified and they will be arrested, it added.