Khurda: Some businessmen have allegedly encroached upon a piece of land of a Dalit family alongside the National Highway 16 at Pariorad village under Tangi police limits here.
The encroachers are now constructing shops on the said land by threatening victim Malli Naik and her family.
Naik and her family Tuesday met the District Collector and sought his intervention in the issue. The victim claimed that local police and tehsil officials have failed to provide justice to her.
As per the complaint, Naik has a plot measuring around two acre alongside the NH 16 at Pariorad. Naik’s two sons, Devendra and Babuli, used to earn a livelihood by growing cashew on the land.
Several shops at Pariorad were demolished a few days ago to facilitate expansion of NH 16.
Subsequently, 18 businessmen, all from upper caste communities, encroached upon Naik’s land and started constructing shops.
The encroachers tried to attack Naik’s two sons when they protested the land grab.
The victim had informed the incident to Tangi tehsildar and Tangi police but to no avail. She had also lodged a complaint in this regard during a grievance hearing programme by the Collector at Tangi. Subsequently, the Collector had written to the Tangi tehsil office and police to look into the issue. However, the officials did not take any action on the encroachers, said the complaint.
“As per the Collector’s advice, we have lodged fresh complaints with Tangi tehsil office and Tangi police with regard to the land encroachment,” Naik said.