4 arrested for wielding swords in Sambalpur ahead of Hanuman Jayanti

Sambalpur: In a bid to avoid any possible untoward incident during the Hanuman Jayanti celebration on Wednesday, police on Tuesday arrested four persons, including the Hanuman Jayanti Coordination Committee president Prabhat Panda, on charges of wielding swords during Jhanda rally on April 5.

Besides, the police has also registered cases against eight persons under Sec 188, 144 of IPC and Arms Act for wielding swords during the rally at Dhanupalli square here.

Shiv Kumar Agarwal, member of Hanuman Jayanti Coordination Committee said, “We don’t know why they are arresting us without any warrant. They are arresting us though we had appeared before the court..”

“I have not carried any sword to Dhanupalli. The complaints filed against us are baseless. They are arresting us unnecessarily and they will be responsible for its consequences,” Agarwal warned.

In 2015, former minister and senior BJP leader Jayanarayan Mishra was arrested for allegedly wielding a sword in violation of prohibitory orders imposed by the administration during Hanuman Jayanti celebrations.