Umerkote: In a bizarre incident, two persons were killed and another injured in a group clash over the trivial issue of planting saplings on forest land at Telegan village in Nabarangpur district on Saturday.
The deceased have been identified as Phaganu Bhatra and Baliram Harijan. The injured person, identified as Gurubaru Bhatra, is undergoing treatment at Umorkote health centre.
According to villagers, the forest department had planted the saplings on the forest land with the help of local residents. Baliram Harijan of the same village uprooted the saplings for some reason. When the villagers asked him why he uprooted the sapling, he started a verbal duel and attacked them with a dagger in which Bhatra died.
Irked over the incident, the villagers also lynched Baliram to death and set his house on fire. Umorkote police reached the spot and informed the fire brigade to control the blaze. The bodies have been seized for post-mortem, police said.
As tension gripped the area, four platoons of forces have been deployed in the village, Nabarangpur SP Himansu Mishra said.