

BARGARH: A booth level officer (BLO) engaged in voter list revision work was allegedly assaulted by a youth at Badanki village under Jharbandh block here on Sunday.
The injured BLO is Krupasindhu Bariha, a teacher at Badanki school. According to reports, Bariha was carrying out door-to-door verification as part of his assigned duties when an argument reportedly broke out with a youth over deletion of names from the electoral roll. The altercation turned ugly when the youth allegedly assaulted him with a sharp object, leaving Bariha seriously injured.
While the accused fled the spot soon after the attack, some locals rescued the profusely bleeding BLO. Bariha was subsequently shifted to Padampur sub-divisional hospital in an ambulance for treatment.
After receiving information about the incident, Jharbandh block development officer (BDO) Parsuram Panda visited the hospital and enquired about Bariha’s condition. He said the exact circumstances leading to the assault were yet to be ascertained and would become clear after investigation.
IIC of Jharbandh police station Sanjay Kumar Parida said a formal complaint is yet to be filed in connection with the incident. Investigation will be launched after a complaint is lodged.