JEYPORE: The station manager of Jeypore airport allegedly stabbed a security personnel after getting irked by frisking at the entry gate on Wednesday.
Jeypore Sadar police arrested the accused, Behera Chandu (27) of Nuvvarevu village in Srikakulam district of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, on charges of attacking Rajesh Kumar Sahu (34) with a sharp metal object.
Sources said Rajesh, a havildar of OSAP 3rd battalion in Koraput, was on a duty with other security personnel at the airport’s entry gate. At around 7 am, airport station manger Behera arrived in a car and approached the entry gate. Havildar Sahu stopped him for the mandatory security check and sought to know why he was going inside when the lone scheduled flight from Bhubaneswar had been cancelled.
Behera reportedly took offence at the question and categorically refused to undergo the frisking on the grounds that he was the airport station manager. When Rajesh denied him entry without the mandatory check, the accused allegedly abused the security personnel verbally and assaulted him with a sharp iron object in the neck. The havildar suffered injury in the attack.
The station manager also reportedly dragged Rajesh away from the spot. On hearing the commotion, other security and airport staff reached the spot and brought the situation under control. The injured security personnel was rushed to the district headquarters hospital, Jeypore for treatment.
On being informed, police reached the airport for investigation. Jeypore Sadar IIC Sachindra Pradhan said police questioned the airport staff and other eyewitnesses about the incident. The accused station manager was subsequently taken into custody.
Basing on the complaint lodged by the victim, police arrested Behera under sections 126 (1), 121 (1), 132, 296, 115 (2), 118 (2), 109 (1) and 351 (3) of BNS. The accused was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody, Pradhan added.