Kamakhyanagar: Four census staff members, including two women, were injured after being allegedly assaulted by a local man and his family members in Kamakhyanagar area of Odisha’s Dhenkanal district on Wednesday.
The attack occurred at Mahimanagar Sahi, where the team was conducting routine house-to-house data collection as part of the census exercise. One of the accused has been identified as Nikunja Raman Satpathy, a retired bank official.
According to sources, a resident allegedly obstructed the officials, verbally abused them, and prevented them from carrying out their duties. The situation quickly escalated when the man, joined by his two sons,
physically assaulted the team. The attackers also vandalised a scooty used by the census staff.
One of the injured women, identified as Madhusmita Behera who was part of the enumeration team, sustained injuries. She was allegedly chased and pelted with stones, which caused injuries to her face. The other staff members also sustained injuries during the confrontation.
“The family had stopped the census staff from numbering the house and collecting data earlier. So, I along with three others arrived here to explain and get the work done. They charged at us when we entered through the main gate and also damaged my vehicle,” said the injured supervisor.
On being informed, Police, accompanied by senior administrative officials including SDM, Tehsildar, and SDPO of Kamakhyanagar, reached the spot. The accused, however, continued to behave aggressively and use abusive language.
Police have detained two individuals in connection with the attack. Further investigation is underway to determine the full sequence of events and identify all those involved.