Paradip: Jagatsinghpur district administration Monday demolished a house built illegally on government land in which some suspected Bangladeshis were staying, an official said.
The action came a day after two police personnel, including a woman constable, were injured in the attack allegedly by the occupants of the house at Beherampur basti under Jagatsinghpur Sadar police limits in the district.
“The house is built on the encroached government land and was suspected of being used to give shelter to Bangladeshis. The occupants of the house have fled after attacking police Sunday,” said a senior magistrate present during the demolition of the building.
Jagatsinghpur District Collector J Sonal, who also inspected the demolition activity, said that actions are being taken in accordance with the law.
“Strict action to be taken against field officials who allowed construction of the house on government land and provided electricity connection to such an illegal structure,” he said.
The collector said that the district administration was in touch with the West Bengal government to verify whether some of the persons hailed from the neighbouring state, as claimed by the people staying in the house, or whether they were Bangladeshis.
He said that an inquiry is being done on how the group arrived here, who provided shelter to them and whether they have any links to organised crime. He said the administration will soon verify other such illegal constructions in the district, if any.
Two platoons of police force (60 personnel) have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.
Jagatsinghpur SP Ankit Kumar Verma said two police personnel were injured on Sunday during a raid on the house. The police have arrested two persons in this case and forwarded them to the court on charge of attacking the police personnel on duty.
The SP said that the police recovered one pistol, some swords and other lethal weapons from the house. “The police have formed a team to nab the persons staying in the house. They have fled the place during the raid,” he said.
However, the police said that preliminary investigation revealed that about thirty suspected Bangladeshis had been staying in the house of one Siku Khan from the same village. While 18 people had earlier shifted to another place, others continued to stay there. The group leader is identified as Sikandar Alam.
PTI
