SAMBALPUR: A delegation of villagers from Marangbahal, a hamlet of Tampersingha under Jujumura police limits, called on Collector Balwant Singh and SP Akhilesvar Singh here to complain about police highhandedness on Monday evening.
In a petition, submitted to the duo, the villagers alleged that about 10 armed police personnel forcibly entered their houses on Monday afternoon and verbally abused them while pointing gun at them. The police accused them of hiding two female Maoists and when the villagers feigned ignorance, they came in for more verbal abuse. They alleged that police later took Jasobanta Naik of the village into custody and after taking him 1.5 kms into the forest, tied cloth on his mouth and held him at gun point. After terrorising him for an hour, police left him.
Protesting the unprovoked abusive action against them, the villagers expressed their anguish over the incident. They sought intervention of Collector and SP.