Konark: Additional tehsildar Dipak Swain was injured critically after being attacked by timber mafia at Kanpur village here in Puri district.
Swain suffered fractures on his right hand and sustained multiple injuries on his body. He was admitted to Konark health centre and later shifted to Puri district headquarters hospital.
Around 10 timber mafias attacked the officer when he seized some wood piled at the road side near Kanpur.
He noticed the illegal timbers when he was travelling on his two-wheeler on the road. He hired a tractor and seized the timbers while some locals resisted him. As the officer enquired about the timbers, some locals began a verbal duel first and later attacked him with wooden planks. His bike was also ransacked.
"When I tried to shift the timbers to tehsil office, one Bhaskar Rout, a local ward member and Narayan Khatoi of the village attacked me and pushed me. I fell down and suffered fractures on my hand," Swain said.
He lodged a complaint at Ramachandi police station. However, police attempted to compromise the case instead of arresting the accused, Swain alleged.