Bhadrak: The police have arrested three more persons allegedly involved in the murder of a man in a dispute over the construction of a playground at Gohirani in Betada panchayat in Bhadrak district Tuesday.
Meanwhile, all men of the village have fled fearing arrest. The number of arrests have gone up to four now.
The deceased, Lokanath Sethi, and five others were seriously injured in a clash over the dispute December 13. The police had registered a case of murder against 20 people.
ASP Kailash Chandra Parida said the main accused Debasish Das (son of the sarpanch) was arrested earlier. Three others were arrested Tuesday and produced in a court.
Those arrested Tuesday are Saroj Kumar Mudulli (38), Abhimanyu Barik (40), and Pratap Kumar Jena (29).
Parida said a special team has been set up to arrest 10 more people involved in the case. Raids are on at different places. A platoon of the police has been deployed in the village.
Reports said Rs 3 lakh was sanctioned for developing a playground in the village a year ago, and a work order was issued in the name of local resident Harekrushna Sethi.
A group of people supporting sarpanch Bimbadhar Das opposed the project. As construction started December 13, the sarpanch, his son Chandan alias Debasish Das and his armed supporters rushed to the site, resulting in a confrontation with Loknath Sethi and his friends.
According to the police complaint, the sarpanch, his son and his supporters assaulted Loknath and his friends with sharp-edged weapons and injured them seriously.
Loknath and the others who were injured were rushed to the district headquarters hospital where doctors declared him dead.
The others injured in the clash were Kashinath Sethi, Anil Kumar Sethi, Amulya Sethi and Arun Kumar Sethi.
PNN
