Rashmi Ranjan

As many as 21 persons were arrested by Commissionerate Police on Saturday for their alleged involvement in a group clash that broke out at Mancheswar in Bhubaneswar on Friday night bringing traffic on the busy National Highway (No 16) to a halt. At least six persons had been injured in the violent clash.

Police sources said that the accused were identified from the CCTV footage of the incident and more arrests are likely to be made.

“As many as 21 persons including four juveniles have been arrested so far in connection with the case. The manager and staff of a hotel, which is in the vicinity of the place where the incident took place, did not cooperate with the police in the investigation. They allowed the anti-socials to hide inside,” Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Dash said.

“Police had to use force to enter the hotel and arrested three persons. The police also seized swords, daggers and other sharp weapons from the spot. An ACP-level officer is investigating the case,” Dash added.

Meanwhile, palpable tension continued to grip in the area as dozens of residents of Munda slum gathered outside Mancheswar Police Station following the arrests.

“After a trivial fight between two groups, around 40-50 armed miscreants came to our slum and went berserk. They started ransacking houses, vehicles, auto-rickshaws. The assailants also assaulted women,” said Krushna Behera, a resident of Munda slum.

It is worth mentioning here that on late Friday night violent clash broke out between two groups in Mancheswar police area of Bhubaneswar, leaving at least six persons injured. 

As per the preliminary reports, the clash broke out between Munda Sahi and Sriram Sahi over a trivial fight that occurred on Thursday.

The injured were immediately rushed to the Capital Hospital. While two critically injured are undergoing treatment at the hospital, four others have been discharged after preliminary treatment.

The locals of Mundasahi had also blocked the National Highway 16 near Palasuni demanding the immediate arrest of miscreants involved in the attack.

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