Udala: A police team that visited Dewanbahali village in Udula area of Mayurbhanj district Saturday night to stop Chaiti Parva celebrations was severely roughed up by the revelers leading to several injuries.
According to a source, at least three policemen including an assistant sub-inspector were injured in the attack.
According to a source, Chaiti Parva was being celebrated at Dewanbahali village with scant regard for COVID-19 guidelines. After getting information, a team from Sarat police station had gone to the village to enforce COVID-19 guidelines. There were around 5,000 people participating in the celebration.
Upon reaching the spot, the cops asked the people to stop the celebration. At this, a group of people got incensed and started hurling expletives at the policemen.
Some more people joined the group and started beating the cops black and blue after the men in khaki tried to oppose them. While some others climbed atop the police van and damaged it, some others smashed the windshield.
ASI Biswajit Das Mohapatra was injured critically and two other cops sustained injuries in the assault.
The policemen somehow managed to escape from the spot and rushed Biswajit to Udala sub-divisional hospital. Later he was shifted to a hospital in Baripada for treatment. No arrests had been made in this regard at the time of filing this report.
PNN