Baripada: A disturbing video showing two young men being chased and brutally beaten by a group of assailants in broad daylight at Udala in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district went viral on Friday.
According to sources, three to four men pursued the victims, punching, kicking, and thrashing them mercilessly as locals watched in shock. One of the youths was left bleeding from the assault, which is being attributed to a dispute over alleged poor-quality construction work in the area. The incident took place at Ward number 5, barely 500 metres from the Udala police station.
The two local youths had reportedly raised objections and tried to halt substandard construction activities, which angered members of the contractor’s team involved in the project. The assault appeared planned and coordinated.
Police sources confirmed that the incident took place on April 8. Both parties were summoned to the Udala police station following the clash, where an understanding was reached and they were subsequently released. The identities of the victims and attackers remain unconfirmed.
The incident raises concern against the backdrop of the lynching of a railway constable at Balianta, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, earlier this month.
