ROURKELA: Two police personnel sustained head injuries after being allegedly attacked with stones while attempting to prevent a clash among truck drivers at Garjanbahal coal mines of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) in Sundargarh’s Hemgir block on Monday evening.
The injured cops are officer-in-charge of Balinga police outpost Sushil Bagarti and havildar Amarjit Panda. Police said several trucks had lined up in the mine’s parking area for coal loading when a group of drivers reportedly tried to bypass the queue, leading to an altercation. The situation soon escalated into a physical clash.
A police team from Balinga outpost reached the spot to restore order. However, some miscreants resorted to stone pelting, injuring the two policemen.
Sundargarh SDPO Nirmal Mohapatra said there were server issues which affected the ‘first come, first serve’ entry system for trucks. Some drivers attempted to force entry, triggering tension among others waiting in the queue. The situation worsened amid a power disruption caused by rain and thunderstorms, during which some individuals allegedly took advantage of the darkness to attack the police.
Additional police force was deployed, and the situation was eventually brought under control. As part of the investigation, 13 truck drivers have been arrested in connection with the case. CCTV footage from the site is being analysed, and further arrests may follow, said police.