BALASORE: Tensions flared up in Gopinathpur village under Bhograi block here after unidentified miscreants reportedly vandalised at least 10 unfinished clay idols of Goddess Durga and other deities at two separate puja pandals on Saturday night.
The vandalism came to fore on Sunday morning when members of the local Basanti Durga puja committees discovered that the heads of the idols were missing.
Committee members Sushant Parida, Anirudha Parida and Ravindra Kumar Ghosh said, “This is an insult to our faith. The culprits involved in the act must be immediately arrested and punished as per the law.”
Sources said since the last 13 years, Gopinathpur has been organising Basanti Durga Puja at two separate locations due to dispute between villagers. This year, efforts were made to resolve the conflict and organise the puja jointly at a single pandal. A fortnight back, a meeting was also held between members of the two committees in this connection. However, a clash broke out at the meeting and the matter reached the local police.
To ensure smooth conduct of the puja, the district administration convened another meeting with representatives from both the committees on Saturday. Though the meeting was held in presence of police, it failed to yield any result due to hostilities between members of both the committees.
Subsequently, the district officials advised to hold another meeting to resolve the issue. The same night, unidentified miscreants beheaded the 10 unfinished idols at both the pandals.
With tension palpable in Gopinathpur after the incident, Bhograi police rushed to the village and started investigation. Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Dillip Kumar Sahoo said though no formal complaint had been filed by the committee members in this connection, investigation is underway to identify the culprits involved in vandalising the idols and apprehend them.