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‘Police inaction’ triggers protest

— Photo: Lingaraj Panda

In protest mode: Residents of Kanchudu junction in Ganjam district on Thursday blocking the -NH 217 in protest against police inaction.

BERHAMPUR: Protesting against police inaction villagers blocked the NH-217 at Kanchudu in Ganjam district about 15 kilometers from the city for around seven hours on Thursday morning.

The villagers were irked because the personnel of the Hinjli police station were not ready to come out and arrest a criminal nabbed by the villagers. According to Abhimanyu Gouda, a villager of Kanchudu, when they phoned up the police station, the personnel at the police station asked them to carry the criminal to the police station in an autorickshaw rather than coming to the spot. This prompted the villagers to block the highway in the wee hours of Thursday. They lifted the road blockade at around 11 a.m. only after the Sub-Collector, Ajit Mishra and the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), B.P.Beuria reached the spot and promised regular night patrolling in the area and action against the erring policemen of Hinjli police station.

Since past few months the villagers and traders of Kanchudu were complaining of regular thefts and mischief by a group of criminals at night. But they alleged that the personnel of their police station at Hinjli had not taken any action against the criminals. So, the traders had started keeping a watch on the village market at night in batches. On Wednesday during their patrolling the traders tracked down three miscreants who were trying to break open a shop.

They managed to nab one of them, who also attacked the group with an iron rod before being overpowered. Then they informed the Hinjli police station to come and arrest the criminal. But the callousness of the police personnel and their order to bring the criminal to the police station by an autorickshaw made the villagers angry.

At around 4 a.m. they blocked the road. Hundreds of buses and trucks were stranded on both sides of the village.

The local BDO and Tehsildar could not pacify the mob and the Sub Collector had to rush to the spot. Mr. Mishra said the whole thing could have been avoided if the police could have reacted timely. The thief nabbed by , and injured by the villagers was rescued and sent for treatment.

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