BARIPADA: At least nine police personnel including Rairangpur Town inspector-in-charge suffered injuries after being reportedly attacked by agitators at Murmu chowk in Bahalda area of Mayurbhanj district on Friday.
The cops came under attack while trying to pacify irate locals who were staging a blockade of NH-220 demanding hand-over of a youth for his alleged misconduct with a young girl in Bahalda market on Thursday. The agitators also vandalised the vehicle of Bahalda tehsildar who was trying to pacify them.
Inspector of Rairangpur town J Swain and SI Alok Singh were injured in the attack and were rushed to Bahalda hospital. Sensing tension in the area, police conducted a flag march.
Locals said a youth of Binjua village under Tiring police limits had allegedly misbehaved with a minor girl who had gone to withdraw cash from an ATM at Bahalda market. When the news reached villagers, they rushed to the house of the youth and damaged it. Receiving the information, a police team rushed to the village and camped there overnight.
On Friday, angry villagers blocked the NH-220 and demanded justice for the victim. Vehicular service was disrupted for several hours due to the incident. When Bahalda tehsildar Siba Prasad Murmu reached the spot and attempted to pacify the locals, the angry villagers vandalised his vehicle. Police then tried to secure Murmu but agitators attacked the cops too.
Contacted, Rairangpur SDPO Birendra Senapati said the minor girl had gone to the market to withdraw cash but on her way, the youth, by mistake, hit her bicycle with his bike. The incident, however, turned ugly when the girl reported the matter to her family.
Later, parents of the victim filed a complaint against the youth and police registered a case. Police also filed a complaint against the villagers and detained 30 persons from Bahalda area.