Sambalpur: Tension ran high after miscreants chased a youth and stabbed him to death over past enmity at Turipada under Dhanupali police limits in Sambalpur, Friday. The victim was identified as Bharat Pradhan, 24, of the area. A gruesome scene ensued after the fatal attack as the victim ran for 500 metre to save himself with the knife pierced to his neck and blood dripping on the road before finally collapsing in front of his house.
Family members rescued them and rushed him in critical condition to the district headquarters hospital where doctors pronounced him brought dead. After the news spread, irate locals staged a road blockade at Dhanupali Square on National Highway-55 demanding capital punishment for the accused persons and compensation to the family members. They burnt tyres and staged a demonstration claiming that the murder took place due to the negligence of police in curbing illegal drug business in the area.
Police rushed to the spot and tried to broker peace with the agitators but they refused to relent and continued with their road blockade. The road blockade which continued from 1pm to 3pm threw traffic out of gear on the route as hundreds of vehicles were left stranded on both sides of the highway. The agitators, however, allowed the school vans, ambulance, and other emergency vehicles to pass.
Meanwhile, state Higher Education Minister Rohit Pujari who was passing by at that time got down from his car and held talks with the agitators. The agitators claimed that criminal activities have increased in the area due to rising drug menace while police have failed to arrest the accused persons involved in the murder in broad daylight. They also alleged that they were forced to take to the streets as police have failed to arrest the accused persons involved in earlier murder cases. The police pleaded with them to have trust and give them at least 24 hours to arrest the accused persons and left the place. Later, police detained a BJP worker for trying to stop the car of the state higher education minister.
Later, BJP’s district president Girish Patel, and party leaders Samir Ranjan Babu and Anil Behera reached the spot and held talks with the demonstrators and police. The agitators relented after the saffron leaders assured that police will arrest the accused and the matter will be taken to its logical end. A heart-wrenching and poignant scene was witnessed at VSS Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Burla when police sent the body for post-mortem. With tears flowing from his eyes, the deceased’s father was seen pleading with everyone not to conduct a post-mortem of his son’s body. Later, the body was taken for autopsy after much persuasion.
