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Tension grips Kandhamal district

Photo: PTI

Paying tributes: Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik creates a sand image of Swami Lakshmanananda, who died in a Naxal attack, at Puri beach on Sunday. —

BERHAMPUR: Kandhamal district simmered and shivered under tension and panic on Sunday following the murder of five persons, including VHP leader Swami Lakshmanananda Sarswati, at a residential ashram school for girls at Jalaspata near Tumudibandh on Saturday night.

The administration imposed restrictions under Section 144 of the IPC throughout the communally volatile district. A bandh was observed by the Sangh Parivar throughout the district. Road communication remained snapped throughout the district. Vehicles remained off road. Trees were cut down at many places to block the roads.

The personnel of the Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) are being deployed to clear the roads. Two vehicles were reported to be burnt down by a mob at Barakhama. Effect of the bandh was more evident at places like Baliguda, Raikia and Phulbani.

The police had to resort to lathicharge to control an unruly mob at Baliguda while the body of Lakshmananda, Bhakti Mata and Kishor Pradhan were taken in a procession. The bodies would be taken to Chakapada for their funeral to be held on Monday.

When contacted Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), southern division, Satyabrata Sahu, who is camping in Kandhamal to monitor the law and order situation, said the situation was volatile but under control. He said there were reports of attack on houses of an NGO at K.Nuagaon. At K. Nuagaon two suspicious persons were nabbed by local inhabitants who alleged they were related to the murders at Jalaspata. The two persons were arrested. They were being interrogated at the K.Nuagaon police station while a large mob gheraoed the police station.

Kandhamal district Collector Kishan Kumar also had to face the wrath of the angry girl students of the Jalaspata Ashram School on Saturday morning. The girls chased away the officer-in-charge of the Tumudibandh police station Madhusudan Jena Samant.

They alleged that the Tumudibandh police station had failed to provide security to Laxmananda despite filing of an FIR related to a threat received by him. Kandhamal SP Nikhil Kumar Kanodia has suspended Jena Samant on charge of negligence in duty.

Mr Sahu said apart from ample police deployment, including six platoons of CRPF near Tumudibandh, efforts are on to upkeep peace through peace committees in all areas.

The block officials have been ordered to hold meetings of peace committees formed in their respective areas after the communal violence in December last.

A media team including photographer of The Hindu Lingaraj Panda and reporter of the ETV Rangadhar Panda had to face the rage of tense situation in the Kandhamal district.

While returning from Jalaspata they had to take a detour near Raikia to escape a group of inebriated persons holding petrol in hand. But when they entered the forest road, their vehicle was stopped near Adaspanka by miscreants, who cut down trees on both sides to block their vehicle.

Both of them could manage to walk across the forest to reach the G. Udaygiri police station. By then administration and police had started a search to track down the missing media men. ODRAF team has been sent to salvage their vehicle.

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