Sharmili Mallick

Nabarangpur: Tension that erupted yesterday between two villages of Raighar block over a burial ground continued today after agitators closed down markets, shops and disrupted vehicular traffic by staging road blockade.

Earlier yesterday, tension was reported when a deceased woman of Patrakoti village was being taken to the burial ground and it was opposed by the residents of Dhodrapara village.

The situation worsened when the locals of Patrakoti and the woman's family members staged a road blockade by placing the dead body on Raighar-Kundai road.

Although Umerkote Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Tehsildar and Block Development Officer (BDO) rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the agitating villagers, the deadlock could not be resolved. The villagers left the woman's body on the middle of the road. Later, the woman was buried by police and the officials of the administration, informed sources.

Today, the villagers alleged that the concerned administration and police buried the woman's body at midnight on Thursday forcefully without following proper rituals.

The protestors blocked Raighar-Umerkote-Kumdai road by burning tyres and also shut down various shops and other business establishments of the town today.

On being informed, Nabarangpur SP Bibekananda Sharma rushed to the spot and cleared the road blockade restoring vehicular movement on the route. However, the situation is yet to be brought under control, informed sources.

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