Jajpur: Tension ran high after stone smugglers launched an attack on villagers and injured eight of them. Two of them are in a critical condition.
The attack was following dispute over illegal quarrying of black granite stones from Balarampurgad hill in Balarampurgad village under Dharmasala police limits in this district Thursday.
Villagers Subhash Dhir (56) and Brundaban Dhir (58) sustained critical injuries in the attack and were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital after primary treatment in a local hospital.
Six others, including Chandrakant Dhir, Hemant Kumar Dhir, Basudev Dhir, Smruti Ranjan Dhir, Ranjan Kumar Dhir and Jyotiranjan Dhir also sustained critical injuries in the attack and were admitted to various hospitals in the district for treatment.
Police registered cases against the villagers and held them responsible for the clash instead of the stone smugglers. This has further flared up tension among the villagers. The police action has disappointed the villagers who were protesting against the illegal quarrying of stones from Balarampurgad hill.
Balarampurgad hill is on the outskirts of Balarampurgad village in Talajang panchayat under Dharmasala block and has rich deposits of black granite stones.
The dispute arose after the stone smugglers, in connivance with local public representatives and police started making attempts to extract black granite stones from the hills by blasting explosives.
This resulted in a dispute, as the villagers lodged a complaint with the police. Acting on the complaint, ASI Ramesh Chandra Sahani assured the villagers to take steps to stop illegal mining on the hill while visiting the village for a probe September 9. The move led to halting the quarrying on the hill.
This incensed the stone smugglers who started looking for an opportune moment to settle scores with the villagers.
The incident occurred, when the stone smugglers found two villagers Chandrakant Dhir (45) and Subhash alone and attacked them. The villagers immediately informed the police but ASI Sahani asked them to visit the police station and lodge a complaint.
The villagers were going to the police station when the miscreants, hiding near Nuagad village, attacked them with lathis. Brundaban sustained head injury while five others sustained critical injuries in the attack.
The villagers rushed to the spot but by then the miscreants had already fled. Police, except asking the villagers to admit the injured persons in the hospital, did nothing to assuage their feelings, but registered cases against them over a complaint by the miscreants, the villagers alleged.
When contacted, sub-collector Narayan Chandra Dhal assured stringent action after having a discussion with the forest department as the village comes under the under the reserve forest zone. PNN