ROURKELA: The recent uptick in violent crimes in Sundargarh has put the men in uniform of the police district under scanner.
On Saturday evening, a contractual sanitary supervisor of Sundargarh municipality was hacked to death on the road at Biju Patnaik chowk, exposing the deteriorating law and order situation in the town. The murder took place in full public glare reportedly due to a dispute over distribution of sanitary works.
Nine days back, a 19-year-old Plus-II student was charred to death along with his scooter at a haystack in Sargipali within Lefripada police limits under mysterious circumstances. Police are yet to reach any conclusion in this connection.
In December last year, a rape victim was murdered by the accused who cut her body into pieces and disposed the parts at Rourkela. At the root of the gruesome crime was Dharuadihi in Sundargarh where she was raped in August 2023 by the accused of nearby Lefripada.
Similar instances of criminals operating with impunity without any fear of Sundargarh police are galore. In October 29 last year, five members of a nomadic family including three women were brutally hacked to death by their rivals at Kirei within Sadar police limits. In August, a rural business man was hacked to death by a rival gang on Kuanrmunda-Hathibari road in Birmitrapur.
Sources said Birmitrapur, Raiboga and Hathibari areas bordering Jharkhand are notorious for crimes and ineffective policing. Large-scale gambling and cockfights are organised on a daily basis at Kanderkala of Hathibari, Kadobahal of Raiboga and a few places in Birmitrapur.
In Sundargarh town, six households were burgled during Christmas celebration on December 25 night. A month back, eight construction workers of West Bengal were paraded naked on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in presence of Sundargarh Town police.
DIG (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai said police have little preventive role in murder crimes that take place over personal reasons or sudden provocation. Necessary instructions have been issued to contain property and other crimes besides strengthening patrolling, surveillance and community policing, he added.
Four arrested for murder of municipality staff
Rourkela: Police on Sunday arrested four persons for their involvement in the murder of a contractual sanitary supervisor of Sundargarh Municipality on December 4. Sundargarh Town IIC Aditya Mahakur said Pahad Mukhi (25), Biru Ghasi (24), Pratham Sendiya (25) and Pradum Tandia (25), all of Ghasipada in Sundargarh town, had hacked Babuli Kak to death at Biju Patnaik chowk in full public glare. The murder took place due to a dispute over distribution of sanitary work. The accused were arrested under sections 61 (2) and 103/3 (5) of BNS and produced in court.