Post News Network
Kendrapara, Feb 6: Two senior officials and tehsil staff were held captive at the Rajnagar tehsil office for over 20 hours and released Friday morning after locals of Bagapatia, including women and children, Thursday staged a fast-unto-death since last Thursday afternoon by gheraoing the Rajnagar tehsil by not giving opportunity to the officials to come out of the office. The locals demanded release of the village head who was allegedly arrested illegally Wednesday night and
produced in a local court Thursday for obstructing tehsildar of Rajnagar from
performing his government duty while he was going to Bagapatia January 28.
According to Khirod Kumar Behera, tehsildar of Rajnagar, he along with the additional sub-collector, Gagan Sahu, and some staff were detained at the Rajnagar tehsil office for over 20 hours after locals of Bagapatia gheraoed the office by resorting to a fast-unto-death Thursday afternoon to protest the illegal arrest of their village head Manguli Parida and demanding Parida’s release. They also demanded that development work for Biju Nagar Rehabilitation project be carried out after completing their settlement of land records of rights at Bagapatia village. Tehsildar Khiord Behera said that he along with additional sub-collector Gagan Sahu and some tehsil staff had to spend the night in the office as the agitators illegally confined them in the tehsil office. “Later, Friday, Kendrapara SP Satish Kumar Gajbhiye and additional district magistrate (ADM) Sasadhar Nayak rushed to the spot with police force and managed to get us released from illegal detention,” Behera said.
