BHUBANESWAR : Police on Tuesday arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in the armed group clash at the busy Station Square in the city. They are prime accused Raja Behera and his accomplice Paritosh Mali, both residents of Phalikia slum. Mali is a native of West Bengal’s Balurghat village.
Police informed that the clash between the two groups of Phalikia slum and Mali Sahi Masjid slum on Monday was a fallout of a fight between Raja and Sheik Sahid. “Sheik Sahid of Mali Sahi had visited Raja’s shop about a month back to purchase gutkha. When Raja misbehaved with a person, Sahid confronted him which led to an argument between them. Following this, Sahid hit Raja’s head with a wooden plank,” said ACP Manas Garnaik. Capital police had registered a case against Sahid for assaulting Raja.
Sahid held a grudge against Raja and he along with his accomplices arrived at Station Square on Monday to attack him. However, Raja, his brother Rakesh and their associates overpowered the Mali Sahi youths and attacked them with blunt objects. Sahid, Sheik Rulamin, Sheik Raja and Sheik Kamal sustained serious injuries in the brutal attack. Raja and Rakesh’s mother was reportedly present during the incident and her name has been mentioned by the injured persons in their complaint.
Raja and his brother Rakesh were running three roadside makeshift shops under Government Railway Police (GRP) station limits which were evicted by police on the day. Earlier, locals had accused Raja of selling illicit liquor in one of his shops with GRP turning a blind eye towards the illegal trade. Police also carried out raids in Phalikia and Mali Sahi slums on Monday to avoid any further untoward incident.
This is not for the first time the anti-socials have shown a scant regard to law and order in the city. A driver was allegedly killed inside a moving vehicle in broad daylight here by two brothers over a personal dispute on March 6 this year. Last year on October 4, a man was hacked to death by anti-socials at a busy marketplace.