Dhenkanal: Irate lawyers ransacked the collector’s office here to protest against alleged misbehaviour by him on Friday.
Naba Kishore Giri, a senior lawyer, told the media that the collector had called the lawyers for a meeting at 11 am to discuss cases related to land acquisition and other legal issues. Accordingly, the lawyers arrived at the collector’s office. “But as there was an inordinate delay in the meeting, some lawyers went inside the courtroom of the collector’s office and wanted to know about the delay in the meeting. At this, the collector told them that if they cannot wait, they can go. He even he pushed a lawyer out of the courtroom,” Giri said.
Tension ran high after the lawyers went to the court where the members of the district bar association held a meeting. Later, the lawyers took out a rally and arrived at the collector’s office and found him absent.
The irate lawyers later went inside the office premises and ransacked the properties and damaged chairs and flower vases. Later, they drove out the staffs and even manhandled the additional collector as he tried to pacify them.
Till reports last came in, the lawyers were sitting on a gherao outside the collector’s office.