Two killed in clash

Puri: Two persons, said to be Congress supporters, were killed and as many injured in a clash between two rival groups at a village in Puri district on Friday, police said.

The clash took place at Gambhari village, located inside the Chilika lake under Brahmagiri police station area, following heated argument between members of the two groups over some trivial matter, they said.

Both the groups fought a pitched battle in which sticks and sharp weapons were used and stones were hurled before somebody opened fire, causing the death of two persons, Puri Superintendent of Police Anup Kumar Sahu said.

The deceased were identified as Sudhakar Dalei (40) and Basudev Jena (43) of Gambhari village, while the injured persons were shifted to the district headquarter hospital here, police said.

Brahmagiri area has been witnessing tension due to frequent clashes between supporters of ruling BJD and opposition Congress for quite sometime.

Police personnel in strength were deployed in the area after the incident to prevent any further flare up. "The situation is tense but under control in the area," the SP said.