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40 policemen, officials among 60 hurt at Congress rally

Staff Reporter

Cracker blast triggers stampede; sub-collector, ADM and CI among injured

BERHAMPUR: Around 40 policemen and administrative officials as well as around 20 other persons were injured when violence erupted during the Congress demonstration in front of Kavisuryanagar block office on Saturday.

Most of them were injured during a stampede that followed a blast of a large cracker by some miscreants near the block office while Congress leader, Ramkrushna Patnaik was addressing the demonstrators in front of the block office. The injured included Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Harihar Sahu, Sub-Collector, Ajit Mishra and circle inspector of Purushottampur Santanu Padhi.

According to police sources most of the injured have received minor injuries. Only two had to be admitted at the Kavisuryanagar hospital.

Five platoons of armed police force have been deployed in the area. Ganjam Superintendent of Police (SP) R.K.Sharma has rushed to the spot. Restrictions under section 144 have been imposed around the Kavisuryanagar block office.

The Congress demonstrators reached the block office at around 1.30 pm. They wanted to hand over a memorandum addressed to the Gvernor at the lock office. Anticipating tension administrative officials and police force was already there.

According to Mr Patnaik at around 2 pm some miscreants, who were not their supporters, pelted stones at the block ffice, which initiated lathi charge by police. During this time stones were also pelted at the car of Mr Patnaik and its front windshield was broken. After the lathi charge situation became calm for some time.

A group of demonstrators led by Mr Patnaik then went to the gate of the block office to hand over the memorandum. After that Mr Patnaikdecided to address the supporters at the spot.

At the same time some miscreant made a blast near the spot.

As per police it was a large cracker called ‘Nadia bomb’ locally. This resulted in a stampede in which mostly policemen and administrative officials present at the spot were injured.

Mr Patnaik alleged that all this was part of a planned mischief by the miscreants in the ruling party in which his supporters who were part of a peaceful demonstration were injured.

Zilla Parishad member Rajendra Patra, who was part of the demonstration, blamed the police for the situation saying how could any miscreants pelt stones and blast a bomb while there was heavy police presence.

It may be noted that Mr Patnaik had led similar Congress demonstrations at Khallikote and Beguniapada blocks in Ganjam district during which these block offices were ransacked.

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