Joda: Tension prevailed at Kalimati, Dubuna and Handibhanga area under Joda block in Keonjhar district Thursday evening after a clash erupted between students of the area and security guards and officials of Essar Steel over a pending demand for restoration of local roads.
Several students were allegedly assaulted in the clash while police arrested five guardians of the students.
According to reports, scores of students from Kalimati, Dubuna and Handibhanga were staging a protest Thursday evening demanding Essar Steel authorities to restore village roads and provide bus service.
Following the protest, a clash broke out between the students and the security guards of the company. The students of Gupteswar High school and Indirasmruti Bidyapeetha depend on Kalimati-Dubuna road. The school authorities had submitted a memorandum to the company management for restoration of the e road and bus service on the route, about four months ago. The locals said that due to transport of minerals, the road was in a bad shape.
Locals alleged that authorities of the company paid no heed to their repeated reminders.
Thursday, over a hundred students staged a sit-in protest on the road for fulfillment of their demands. The protest disrupted transportation of minerals to the company.
The company authorities held a discussion with the students in the presence of police to sort out the issue. It was learnt that the company officials had assured the students of providing bus service to the students, but on the condition that the company will not be held responsible for any mishap. The company wanted the guardians of the students to sign an undertaking in this regard.
However, students and company officials failed to reach a consensus over repairs of the road. This led to tension at the place. Some of the students, identified as Somnath Barik, Ramakant Barik and Goutam Barik, alleged that the security guards acting on instructions from company officer JK Sharma attacked them and pushed the students out of the company’s premises.
Another student Sudarshan Behera told mediapersons that Bamebari IIC Banita Majhi has arrested some guardians from their house in the wee hours of Friday and sent them to jail, following a complaint lodged by a security officer of the company.
Students accused the police of highhandedness and taking sides in the case by arresting their guardians without investigating the matter.
Among the arrested persons are four guardians—Krushnachandra Mahakud, Ananda Sadangi, Rabi Khamania and Sanatan Barik and teacher Binod Bihari Patra.
When contacted, inspector in-charge Banita Majhi said police registered a case and
arrested five persons on the basis of a complaint lodged by chief security officer Bijay Singh under various sections of IPC. They were produced in court.
Talking to mediapersons, chief security officer Bijay Singh denied allegations of assault or torture on the schoolchildren.
Singh refused to respond to questions on whether CCTV cameras were fixed on the gate or not. PNN