Kendrapara: The district police was in the news last Wednesday for two incidents. The detention of Nava Nirman Krushak Sangathan members for five hours at the district police headquarters, after taking them from the Derabisi police station area was the first incident.
The refusal of landing permission to the chopper of former MP Baijayant Panda at Barkolikhala in Mahakalpara block was the second reason.
Regarding the detention of farmers, Nava Nirman Krushak Sangathan member Manoj Kumar Swain said his organisation held a state-level meet Wednesday at Bhubaneswar under the chairmanship of State Coordinator Akshaya Kumar.
Around 100 farmers of Kendrapara district were travelling in 12 vehicles to Bhubaneswar to participate in the programme. But without any reason the sadar and Derabisi police detained them as well as their vehicles at Panchupandav on NH-5 (A) and at Chandol on Cuttack-Chandbali State Highway (9-A), Kumar said.
The vehicles were detained from 9 am and were released after 1 pm. Not even a drop of water was given to the farmers, he added.
Although the government has been claiming that it had introduced many schemes for farmers, it showed its real face by detaining farmers without any reason, he said.
Similarly, former MP Panda spoke about the district police’s refusal of permission for landing his chopper at Barkolikhala in his tweet. He indicated in his tweet that he had obtained permission for landing from the site owner Ainul Khan. But the police unnecessarily interfered in the matter and prevented his chopper from landing, he said.
Reacting to this, social activist Sunil Gantayat said, “Due to the incompetence of the police recently there was conflict between two groups and curfew was declared. Similarly, the police have failed to probe criminal cases properly. The Mahakalpara custody death and the death of sportswoman Kasturi Samantray and Niharika Mohanty still remain unsolved. The police are showing off power on the defenceless.”
Kendrapara SP Niti Sekhar said the chopper was refused permission as it had not obtained the consent of the land owner.
Regarding detention of farmers, he said traffic was blocked as the farmers collected on the road for around two hours. The farmers created disturbance by arguing with passersby after they were detained, the SP said.
PNN
