Bhubaneswar: Police on Friday arrested eight persons including a minor boy who had gone on a rampage and attacked a man in Brit Colony of Nayapalli in Bhubaneswar on the day of Holi.
The accused have been identified as Kusa Munda, Rocky Nayak, Raj Kishore Digal, Suman Patra, Sanjay Kumar Sahu and Bibhu Nayak. Criminal cases are pending against some of them, Deputy Commissioner of Police Prateek Singh told media. A Scooty, a car and a weapon have also been seized from their possession.
Of the eight arrested, seven have been sent on judicial remand while the minor has been sent to a juvenile home, Singh said.
According to sources, the violence was sparked by an incident involving Kendu Khuntia of Brit Colony in Nayapalli. Khunti, who had gone to a pond near Baba Balukeswar temple to bath after playing Holi, had an argument with a group of youths and returned home.
In the evening, the youths, armed with weapons including hockey sticks, lathis and iron rods came to Khuntia’s house. After not finding him, they had an argument with his parents.
On their way back, they went on a rampage and damaged cars and two-wheelers in the locality. They attacked another local Durgaprasad Behera, critically injuring him. They also did not spare the passersby.
The youths, who were in inebriated condition, also threatened the residents of the locality by abusing them in abusive language. As they unleashed terror for around half an hour, the locals rushed indoors.
On being informed, a team from Nayapalli police station rushed to the spot. But by the time, the youths had fled. During investigation, the police checked the CCTV footage and enquired the locals. The miscreants were identified during the process and arrested.
