Sand mining row triggers late-night violence in Balasore village; miscreants resort to blank firing

Tension gripped Gilajodi village under Singla police station limits in Balasore district late on Friday night following a violent clash allegedly triggered by past enmity and disputes related to the sand mining.

According to villagers, around eight miscreants arrived in two cars late at night and allegedly opened blank rounds to intimidate local residents, creating panic in the area. The sudden firing led to a tense situation, prompting villagers to come out of their houses and confront the attackers.

As villagers gathered and chased the miscreants, the accused reportedly abandoned their vehicles and attempted to flee on foot. During the pursuit, villagers managed to overpower three of them and later handed them over to the police. The remaining accused are said to have escaped under the cover of darkness.

Police reached the spot soon after receiving information and brought the situation under control. Security has been tightened in the area to prevent any further escalation.

Villagers claimed that the incident is linked to an ongoing dispute over sand extraction from the Subarnarekha river. A similar clash had occurred earlier on November 28, when two rival groups reportedly attacked each other with deadly weapons over sand mining activities. In that incident, at least one person was critically injured.

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Police said an investigation is underway to identify all those involved in the latest incident and to ascertain whether illegal sand mining activities are at the root of the repeated violence. Further action will be taken based on the findings.