Police, Journalists Assaulted During Raid On Fake Tobacco Unit In Bhadrak

Bhadrak: A police team along with some journalists were attacked by locals during a raid on a spurious tobacco manufacturing unit at Holasahi under Puruna Bazar police limits in the district on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off about the fake tobacco unit, a police team raided the place and seized chemicals, equipment, and packaging material from the spot. Following the seizure, tension erupted in the area and a section of locals reportedly assaulted the police and tried to vandalise their vehicle.

They also attacked a few journalists who were present there to cover the incident. The irate mob allegedly beat the journalists up, broke their cell phones and snatched away their booms.

As the situation went out of control, another team of police reached the spot. However, the cops could not take possession of the seized materials due to the ruckus created by the mob. The situation was still tense at the time of filing the report.

“We were covering the incident when the irate mob attacked us. They beat us, broke our cell phones and snatched away our booms. Somehow we ran away from the spot to save our lives,” said Seikh Abdul Fitar, one of the journalists.

(Edited by Ramakant Biswas)