Anandapur/ Ghasipura: Anandapur police in Keonjhar district Friday rushed to the tribal villages of Bankhidi and Sadanga after rival groups from both villages threatened to clash with each other.
The reason: a ‘shivling’ that was shifted to the outskirts of Sadanga village reportedly led to a series of disturbances, with three persons dying in quick succession and several children contracting small pox. The villagers then wanted to shift the shivling back to its original resting place, which was opposed by villagers of Bankhidi.
According to locals, a man had erected a shivling and built a temple at the spot near Anandapur police station sometime back. Around four months back, the man wanted to shift the location of the temple for unknown reasons and decided to shift the shivling back to the place from where he brought it.
After discussions with villagers of Bankhidi, the shivling was shifted to Thakuranishala which is on the outskirts of both Bankhidi and Sadanga villages.
However, 10 days after the shivling was enshrined at the new spot, three persons of Sadanga village —Sam Ho, Sundari Naik, and Kunu Ho – died one after another in quick succession. The deceased people had reportedly told villagers just a day before their deaths that they had seen snakes slithering across the road outside the village. They also had nightmares, villagers said, adding that some children of their village were later afflicted with chicken pox.
Sadanga locals were soon convinced that whatever was happening in the village was due to the shivling. They even approached the local police over this.
The IIC then brokered a settlement and set a three-month deadline to shift the shivling from the village outskirts.
November 9, the shivling was transported from Thakuranishal on a trolley and was dumped in front of the house of Prafula Ghadei in Bankhadi village. However, Bankhadi villagers strongly opposed the move and took it back to Thakuranishala.
Furious over the development, over 200 people from Sankhadi armed with weapons attempted to attack the villagers of Bankhadi. Over 500 people of Bankhadi were also ready to counter the attack.
Alerted, Anandapur IIC, SDPO, BDO and other officials rushed to the place and brought the situation under control.
Friday, the administration asked the villagers to erect the shivling on the outskirts of Bankhidi village.
People carried the shivling in a sling and put it up at a half-built structure. PNN
