JAJPUR: Tension erupted in Brahmabarada and Chandpur areas of Jajpur district following the death of an 18-year-old youth, Shaik Jalal, who reportedly drowned in a pit caused by illegal sand mining in the Brahmani riverbed.
Jalal, a student of a local higher secondary school, was reported missing on Wednesday after he went to take bath in the Brahmani river along with his friend.
Eye-witnesses stated that while bathing, his friend slipped into a deep water pit and Jalal dived in to save him. While Jalal successfully saved his friend, he himself went missing soon after.
Despite extensive search efforts by local fire brigade and police, he could not be located. It was only on Thursday morning that his body was found floating at the bazaar ghat and fished out by rescue personnel.
Irked with the indiscriminate mining that led to the mishap, the locals staged a road blockade on the Baruan-Balichandrapur route, placing Jalal’s body near Brahmabarada bridge on Friday afternoon. As a result traffic on the road was paralysed. This protest lasted for over an hour, where protesters sought attention of authorities towards the illegal sand mining operations that led to Jalal’s death. They demanded justice, action against the sand mafia and compensation for his family.
The Brahmabarada police intervened to calm the protesters. The roadblock was lifted after assurances from Rasulpur tehsil officials that action would be taken against the sand miners.
On the day, police seized two machines used in the illegal sand mining operation.