Dhenkanal: A village committee president was shot at by unidentified miscreants at Ranjhagol village under Khajuriakata block in Dhenkanal district Friday.
Lingaraj Sahoo was rescued and rushed to the district headquarters hospital (DHH). After preliminary treatment, he was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
Preliminary police investigation revealed the attack was the fallout of political rivalry.
Sahoo was on his way to Khajuriakata market when a group of miscreants intercepted him in Balimi area and started attacking him with iron rods. Later, they fired at him before fleeing the spot.
A few days back, a clash had erupted between two groups – one that supported a stone crusher unit and one that opposed it. Sahoo was among those who opposed the unit. It is suspected that the supporters of the unit might have attacked him.
The incident spread outrage in the area with Sahoo’s supporters staging a road blockade, demanding immediate arrest of the assailants. A platoon of police was deployed in the village.
Additional SP Harekrushna Pradhan, Hindol SDPO Sudhakar Jena, Motanga IIC Prabhat Tripathy, Kantabania IIC Pradip Pradhan, Balimi IIC Asish Jena, Rasol IIC Santosh Kumar Pradhan, Hindol IIC Jugal Kishore Das and other officials reached the spot and pacified the mob.
The agitators relented after the police assured them of arresting the miscreants and sealing all illegal crusher units in the area. Acting on a complaint by Sahoo’s son, Sipun, police registered a case against four persons and launched a probe.
“All check posts have been sealed and a manhunt has been launched. We will arrest the accused soon,” said ASP Pradhan.
PNN