Puri: At least 10 persons were injured, two critically, and 20 houses were gutted in a group clash that saw two factions hurling bombs at each other over encroachment of a patch of land at Nathapur village in Satapada under Brahmagiri police limits here Sunday.
Sources said around 30 Dalit families driven out from Brahmapada village under Krushnaprasad block in Chilika have allegedly encroached upon a patch of grazing land near Nathapur village in Satapada for about six months now.
This, however, did not go well with the Nathapur villagers, leading to discord between the two groups. Nathapur villagers had even approached the local tehsildar, but to no avail, as the officer was attacked by the encroachers when he visited the place, it was learnt.
After much hue and cry, the encroachers had agreed to vacate the grazing land. “However, instead of leaving the place, they were planning to build permanent structures on the land. In order to resolve the issue, a meeting between the two groups was called Sunday. Accordingly, a group of Nathapur villagers approached the encroachers Sunday. They (encroachers) attacked the villagers before hurling bombs at them,” said a source quoting the villagers.
With no solution in sight, the villagers fled the spot. Later, Nathapur residents too hurled bombs at the other faction. Around 20 houses were gutted and at least 10 persons from both the groups suffered critical injuries, till the last report came in.
A fire tender from Brahmagiri station reached the place but it was precious little as by that time the houses were reduced to cinders. The encroachers, on the other hand, staged a sit-in on Puri-Satapada Road demanding justice. Hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on either side of the road.
The road blockade was, however, removed by the police. At least two platoons of police force have been deployed to maintain the law and order situation. The injured were sent to a Puri healthcare facility, while two who critically injured were admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
Puri superintendent of police (SP) KV Singh along with additional SP Mihar Kumar Panda and the local police inspector in-charge reached the spot and took stock of the situation there.
PNN