Post News Network
Ranpur, April 9: Fifteen people belonging to upper caste and tribal communities were injured in a clash as they hurled bombs and attacked each other with traditional weapons over possession of a cashew forest at Mayurajharia under Ranpur police limits in Nayagarh district Thursday.
After the incident, the upper caste people wielding lathis and weapons blocked all roads leading to the village while armed tribals kept guard at entry points to the village. Seven people belonging to upper caste are being treated at the local hospital, while a critically injured person was shifted to a Bhubaneswar-based hospital.
However, the tribals could not come out of their village for treatment as the rival group had blocked the roads. The rival group did not even allow an ambulance called by the tribals to shift the injured. The tribals were allowed to take their injured ones to hospital following police intervention after 4 pm.
According to the tribals, around 50 tribal families of Boraborajhara have possessed the cashew forest since 1987. However, some upper caste people of Shyamsundarpur and Hariharpur managed to get lease of several parts of the forest. Later, they even managed to obtain pattas for the land.
However, when the upper caste people went to take possession of the land, the tribals did not allow them to enter the forest. Both the communities have indulged in frequent fights over possession of the land over the last 10 years. The administration had tried to resolve the issue several times, but in vain.
According to the tehsildar, a meeting was called up at the tehsil office March 31 to resolve the issue, but the tribals did not turn up.
Infuriated over non-cooperation of the tribals in resolving the dispute, over 200 armed people belonging to the two villages entered the cashew forest Thursday morning. Soon, around 150 tribals armed with bows and arrows and other traditional weapons confronted their rivals at the forest.
As both the communities hurled bombs at each other, eight people belonging to upper caste got injured. Condition of Duhkhishyam Pradhan (40) turned critical as he was attacked by machetes. He was admitted to a hospital at Bhubaneswar. Later, the upper caste people again attacked the tribals at 1 pm making the situation worse.
Nayagarh sub-collector Nrusingha Charan Swain, SDPO Abhimanyu Nayak, Sadar IIC Rashmiranjan Patnaik along with two platoons of police reached the village. However, no complaint was lodged with the police till this report was filed.
