Baripada: Additional Tehsildar of Kaptipada was injured in an alleged attack by the sand mafia near the Suno riverbed in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.
Bhimakanta Majhi, who sustained injuries on his hand and other parts of his body, was admitted to Kaptipada hospital. His car was also vandalised during the incident, which took place on Monday morning.
Majhi told the media that he received a tip-off at around 4 am about illegal sand mining at the Suno riverbed using an excavator. Unable to contact his driver, he drove to the office himself, where a group of miscreants linked to the sand mafia, gheraoed his vehicle, leading to a heated argument. He then drove toward Kaptipada police station to escape the attack, but was chased by the miscreants, who pelted stones at his car, damaging both windshields. “I was verbally abused. They dragged me by my collar and damaged my vehicle before I could enter the police station,” he added.
Sub-inspector Babita Puhan stated that a case has been registered based on Majhi’s complaint, and efforts are on to identify and apprehend the culprits.