Cops’ Fingers Bitten Off As Locals Protest Land Demarcation In Odisha Village

Cuttack: Tension prevailed at a village in Athagarh area of Odisha’s Cuttack district on Tuesday following a scuffle between police personnel and locals during a land demarcation exercise by the authorities.

The incident reportedly took place at Kolathpangi when several locals strongly opposed the land measurement move and came face to face with the police personnel present at the site.

Sources said two police officials sustained serious injuries after allegedly being attacked by the protestors, including women.

The scuffle erupted when the local tehsildar and Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) along with a team of police personnel visited the village to carry out land demarcation.

The officials reportedly faced the wrath of the protesters as some women allegedly bit off the fingers of Inspector In-Charge (IIC) of Gurudijhatia police station Ranjan Kumar Pradhan and assistant sub-inspector Sakuntala Pradhan of Athagarh police station.

The team had been to the village to demarcate 41 acre land of a villager and a company, but several locals claimed that the land belongs to them, said an official.

However, the villagers failed to furnish any document supporting their claim, he said.

A case will be registered and necessary action will be taken in connection with the attack on the officials, police said.

Police personnel in strength have been deployed in the area to prevent any further untoward incident.