Khurda: In a ghastly incident, a youth was allegedly hacked to death by a group of miscreants in broad daylight in Mukundaprasad area of Odisha’s Khurda district on Sunday.
As per preliminary information, the youth was returning home in the afternoon when miscreants mounted a murderous attack on him. They attacked him with sharp weapons at Chachara Sahi under the jurisdiction of Khurda Town police limits, inflicting critical injuries.
The deceased, identified as Shaikh Sajid, hailed from the area.
The youth, who sustained grievous injuries in the attack, was rescued by locals. A profusely bleeding Sajid was immediately rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) at Khurda where doctor declared him dead, sources informed.
Following the incident, tension prevailed in the area. Locals gathered in large numbers and staged a protest demanding immediate steps to arrest the assailants, who are yet to be identified.
Following which, police imposed Section 163 of BNSS (formerly Section 144 of CrPC) in a few areas of the town to contain the angry mob. At least 15 platoons of force have been deployed to maintain law and order.
Director General of Police Y B Khurania, along with senior officers, also rushed to Khurda in the evening to assess the law and order situation, while Khurda collector Chanchal Rana appealed to the public to maintain peace. “We have launched a manhunt to nab the culprits. Normalcy is gradually returning to the area,” said IG (central range) Sanjay Koushal.
While the exact reason behind the incident is yet to be ascertained, past rivalry was suspected to have led to the attack.
