Basudevpur: Raging over a dispute, hundreds of people including women from Binobanagar village under Bsudevpur block in Bhadrak district ransacked Kasia marine police station Saturday. The angry mob vandalised a police van, VHF machines, computers, chairs and tables. As tension spiraled, five platoons of police force were deployed in the area. Police arrested 35 people in this connection and seized six bikes.
SP Rajesh Pandit, ASP Kailash Chandra Parida, SDPO Jalandhar Jali, BDO Birakishore Panigrahi, tehsildar Prakash Roula, additional tehsildar Santosh Panigrahi, IICs of Basudevpur police station, Nayakanidihi and Chudamani police stations rushed to the spot.
Reports said, public outrage was attributed to alleged inaction of local police on a dispute between two families.
A Bengali youth named Dibash Mandal of Binobanagar had married Pratima Behera of Parapokhari after courtship. It was alleged that Dibash had assaulted Pradip Behera, the brother of his wife, when the latter was at the former’s house.
The assault caused bitter enmity between the two families. Both sides had filed complaints at Kasia police station. About 20 days ago, a woman with a 20-day old baby accompanied by her relative from Binobanagar was on her way to Basudevpur hospital Friday.
Pradip and some other people of his village had attacked the woman and her relative at Parapokhari and threw the baby on the ground. People were angry over alleged delay by police in taking action against the accused involved in the incident.
Later, the situation took an ugly turn with the mob vandalising the police station, destroying several assets, including, computers and a police van. They alleged that the cops are delaying in taking action over the matter.
PNN