Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police are on the lookout for some criminals who attacked four policemen and ransacked Saheed Nagar police station late on Sunday night.
Reports say two vehicle owners engaged in a heated exchange after a road accident near GL Colony area of VSS Nagar around 9.30pm in which their vehicles were damaged. Hearing about the clash, local BJD leader Prakash Tripathy, who resides in VSS Nagar, reached the spot and tried to pacify the two. But he suffered injuries when the two vehicle owners assaulted him.
Tripathy then went to Saheed Nagar police station and lodged a complaint. Acting on the complaint, a PCR team picked up three persons from the accident site and took them to the police station.
Trouble began as soon as the PCR van arrived at the police station. Eight to ten youth who were already lying in wait, suddenly launched an assault on the three accused, trying to drag them out of the van. The youths chased the three accused inside the police station and assaulted assistant sub-inspector MCH Murmu when he tried to restrain them.
When inspector-in-charge Biranchi Pati tried to restrain the youths, he too was thrashed. Two other policemen inside the police station were also thrashed.
The youths later ransacked property at the police station. They damaged flower vases, television sets, telephones and CCTV cameras. Some youths standing outside the police station, said to be Tripathy’s supporters, too, pelted stones at the police station. The violence that began around midnight continued for about an hour.
Later, three platoons of police were rushed to the spot. They managed to pick up six youths.
Talking to journalists on Monday, police commissioner Satyajit Mohanty said stern action would be taken against the criminals. “The police have verified CCTV footage and identified the criminals. They will not be spared. Barging inside a police station, ransacking property and assaulting policemen on duty is a serious crime. It can never be tolerated,” he said.
