Patrapur: As many as 10 excise officials had to face the wrath of tribals when they were attacked during a raid at a liquor den over alleged misbehaviour with three tribal women. The officials were reportedly stripped off their uniforms, caps and belts, which were set afire by tribals. The tribals let the officials go later, only after the tehsildar assured them of no police complaint in this regard. The incident occurred at Masanibad village under tribal-dominated Ankuli panchayat of Patrapur block in Ganjam district Saturday.
The village witnessed a fierce face-off between the officials and the tribals. The 10 officials sustained injuries and were admitted to Patrapur community health centre for treatment while this report came in.
Among the injured were constable Susant Kumar Padhi, excise inspector Balram Sahu, SI Srikant Sarangi, SI Biswanath Sabar, excise constables Kamna Kumari Behera, Sishir Nayak, Santosh Pradhan, Basant Kumar Behera, Satyajit Khatua and Rabindra Nath Padhi.
Acting on a tip-off, a team lead by Susant Kumar Padhi set off to conduct a raid on the village. The team arrived at the village in the morning and raided house of three tribal women Sebati Behera, Radha Bisoyi and Kuri Bisoyi.
Even as the women denied their involvement in liquor smuggling, the officials allegedly stormed into their houses and carried out raids. This infuriated the tribals who accused them of misbehaving with the three women and attacked them.
On hearing the screams of the women, tribals working in their farmlands rushed to the village and gheraoed the officials. Fearing for their lives, five of the officials managed to escape through a forest, while the 10 were assaulted and detained in the village.
Later, a village meeting was called where the tribals accused the officials of misbehaving with the women and touching them inappropriately. The tribals then beat up the officials and removed their uniforms, belt, caps and set them on fire.
In the meanwhile, the officials who had managed to flee, reached the town and alerted their seniors, following which Patrapur tehsildar Pranati Priyadarshini Rout along with Jarda IIC Bhabani Shankar Khuntia, Ganjam district tribal association president Laxminarayan Bisoyi, Lalita Pradhan, Khariaguda outpost officer K Dandapani Dora and other excise officials went to the village and brought the situation under control.
The tribals the let the officials go after the tehsildar assured them of no police complaint in this connection.
The officials then returned without uniforms and had to buy clothes from a local store. The incident spread tension in the area at the time of filing this report. PNN
