86 Arrested For Violence In Puri

Puri: A total of 86 persons have so far been arrested for their alleged involvement in the violent protests in Puri, police said on Sunday.

“We are examining the CCTV footage to identify the other protesters against whom appropriate action would be taken,” Puri SP Sarthak Sarangi told mediapersons here.

Among them, Simhadwara police have arrested 45 persons and the Town police 41 persons, he said.

Watch: Puri Bandh: Police Resort To Lathi Charge, Fire Rubber Bullets

The incident took place on October 3 during Puri bandh by Jagannath Sena and other organizations in protest against dhadi darshan (queue system) introduced by the temple administration.

The bandh had turned violent after the agitators, while protesting against the arrest of Jagannath Sena convener Priyadarshan Patnaik, went on the rampage and damaged the properties of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) office and uprooted the barricades put up outside the temple. Later, they burnt tyres in front of the official residence of the SP and damaged the properties of the local MLA and minister Maheswar Mohanty after barging into his house.

As the situation went out of control, police resorted to lathi-charge and then fired rubber bullets at the protesters.

Tags: jagannath Puri