The Committee members have reportedly staged a road blockade on National Highway 53. While vehicular movement has been severely affected, shops in the area have also remained closed.
As per reports, local residents of Bhuban have been demanding appointment of doctors at the hospital since many days. They have alleged that despite repeated requests, no steps have been taken by the administration to resolve the issue.
Meanwhile in Bargarh district, the BJP activists have called for a 12-hr bandh in Paikmal demanding arrest of local Sarpanch for allegedly misbehaving with a woman.
Similarly, members of the District Action Committee staged picketing outside all the government offices in Padmapur demanding district status to the sub-division.
Sources said Chaitanya Murmu, son of Bishnu Murmu of Thoriasanda village was returning from his college at Barua late in the afternoon when he was kidnapped by some unidentified persons. As per statements of Chaitanya, two youths forcibly snatched his cycle and took him to Tangarpada forest where they tied his limbs, poured some eye drops and also injected him.
“They put a handkerchief in my mouth when I tried to shout and took me to the forest and tied my legs and hands,” a terrified Chaitanya told OTV.
When after repeated contacts Chaitanya’s family members failed to get an idea of his whereabouts, they tried to trace him with the help of locals. Police also assisted in searching missing Chaitanya after his parents lodged a complaint at the police. Later at around 1.30 am late in the night, they rescued Chaitanya in a critical condition from the forest.
He was subsequently shifted to Kamakhyanagar hospital where he is reported to have lost his eyesight and his ability to walk.
https://youtu.be/dH-OnFkNcjk
Several parts of the districts have received below average rainfall this year which halted the tilling activities. Less than expected rainfall in July has left the fields completely dry in some places of both the districts.
Areas like Bhuban, Kamakhyanagar, Parjanga and Kankadahad of Dhenkanal district have faced insufficient rainfall this year. Moreover, flow of water in Rengali, Dadaraghati and Ramiala canal has slowed down due to poor quality work which had added to woes of farming community in the district.
"We could have saved the crop if the canals release water. But, poor quality of work in construction of canal has affected the flow of water. So, rain is our only hope," a farmer of Mathakaragola village in Dhenkanal said.
Echoing similar concern, another farmer from Kamakhyanagar said the farmers in the area are in severe mental strain apprehending massive crop loss in the absence of a good shower.
Farmers in Kandhamal district also face a similar situation. Deficit rainfall is giving sleepless nights to farmers who wonder how to repay the loans. If it does not rain in next 15 days, the peasants would be hit hard.
"We had expected a bumper harvest this year. But, the weather played truant and our hopes were dashed. We have no alternative than going for daily wage," a farmer in Kandhamal district said.
However, district agriculture department said the low-lying fields would not be affected by the scanty rain. "We received 209 mm rain against 304 mm in July. It can’t affect the agriculture work in low-lying fields," said Bijay Ketan Sahoo, district assistant agriculture officer.
CCTV cameras were installed at booth no 6 in Mathapatna village under Ambapada panchayat and booth no 6 at Balikera Pachhipala panchayat along with deployment of more police personnel during the repolling.
Notably, on February 13, miscreants had looted ballot box from the two booths under Brahmagiri block prompting the State Election Commission to hold the repoll today.
Repolling is also being held at Pandua and Daradipala booths under Ghasipura block in Keonjhar district after the voting process was cancelled during the second phase rural polls due to error in ballot papers.
Also read: Poll related violence reported across Odisha
At booth no 16 and 17 in Kirtanpur under Bhuban block in Dhenkanal district, repolling is being held for zilla parishad, sarpanch and samiti member posts amid tight security. Notably, on February 15, miscreants had looted ballot box from the booths leading to the repolling today. Total 462 voters are registered under the two booths in Kirtanpur.
Repolling is on at two booths in Basapura under Derabish block following cancellation of the polling process due to booth capturing in the second phase rural polls.
In Rayagada, re-election is being held in presence of heavy security at Radanga booth under Bissamcuttack where voting process was cancelled due to booth capturing in the panchayat polls on February 15.
Talking to media persons here today, IG, Central Range, Soumendra Priyadarshi said acting on a reliable information at about 4.30 PM on Friday a team of Kaliapani Police led by IIC Yubaraj Swain raided Kingola village under Bhuban police station limits and apprehended Pradeep Kumar Pradhan. Police later seized 82 fake currency notes of 100 rupee from his possession.
“The accused was trying to circulate it in the local market finding it to be a safe place for use as the area is denominated by illiterate and innocent tribal people,” the IG said.
He said on the basis of the information provided by Pradeep, police raided Chhachina village under Mangalpur police station limits and arrested Chandramani alias Chandan Bal and seized counterfeit currency notes of 50, 100, 500 & 2000 rupee worth Rs 50,000 from his possession.
Police later arrested Ramesh alias Rameswar Maharana from Nuapada village under K Nuagan police station limits and seized fake counterfeit currency notes worth Rs 26.16 lakh from his possession.
“While Ramesh used to circulate the notes to Pradip, Chandramani was preparing these counterfeit notes. Investigation is on to apprehend other accused who are involved in this racket,” the IG pointed out.
He, however, did not reveal the name of another accused arrested in this case.
Sources said an oil tanker had dashed a motorcycle at Palas Pithia under Bhubana police limits in Dhenkanal district last evening. Bike rider Pinku Mahapatra was critically injured in the accident. Though he was rushed to the Bhuban Hospital, doctors declared him brought dead.
Angry over death of the youth, the locals staged a road blockade on NH-53 and torched the tanker.
The injured have been shifted to Bhuban and Dhenkanal hospitals for treatment. According to information reaching here, eight critically injured were shifted to SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack.
The deceased are identified as Rakabini Nayak (Sukinda), Ramachandra Nayak, Govinda Soren, Bhabani Sahu (Rairakhol), Govinda Sendha and Manas Das (Surapratapur).
The incident took place near Sishumandir Square in Bhuban when the ill-fated ‘Sanyasi’ bus, which was going from Cuttack to Birasal near Kamakhyanagar in the district, took a diversion due to a road blockade by locals following a truck accident on the main road. Eyewitnesses said, luggage carrier of the bus came in contact with the overhead sagging 11KV live wire leaving at least six dead on the spot. The driver of the bus is absconding soon after the incident.
Local tehsildar, sub-collector and police officials rushed to the spot and expedited the rescue operation.
Meanwhile, Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has announced Rs 2 lakh compensation for kin of each of the deceased. Expressing grief over the incident he has prayed for early recovery of the injured. Patnaik also declared that the State government will bear all medical expenses of the injured, who are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.
"It is very tragic," Patnaik said.
Similarly, Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL) declared Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia each to the family of dead.
While Energy minister Pranab Prakash Das has ordered a probe into the matter, Commerce and Transport minister Ramesh Majhi sought a detailed report on the incident.
Behera, who was running the unauthorised country boat, is likely to be produced in court today, police said.
Meanwhile, Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), northern range, NBS Rajput has started an investigation into the boat tragedy. Rajput, along with Dhenkanal collector Rupa Roshan Sahoo and other administrative officials, visited the victims' village Surapratappur yesterday and talked to the rescued persons and neighbors. The RDC advised the villagers to use roads as much as possible for communication.
“There is a bridge few kilometers away from Chandipal ghat. But, people had chosen short cut route through boat to reach their destination. I advised them to utilize the bridge to avoid any such incident in future”, Rajput said.
The incident occurred on March 7 when 30-35 residents of Surapratappur village were crossing the river on the boat to reach Daudeswar Shiva temple in Gondia for Mahashivratri celebrations.
Five dead bodies were recovered from different places on the river bank within three days of the incident while a girl Rubia Rout (19) who had been rescued alive, had died in the hospital on that fateful day.
Persons, whose bodies were covered from the river, are Kalia Mohanty (11), Babina Rout (13) Satyanarayan Swain (9), Sipan Mohanty (9) and Sagarika Mallick (17). All of them belong to Surapratappur village.
Bodies of Kalia Mohanty and Babina Rout were found at Kirtanpur ghat in the morning. Both belong to Surapratappur village under Bhuban block in the district, sources said.
While three bodies were fished out of the river yesterday, a girl Rubia Rout (19) who had been rescued alive, had died in Hospital on the day of the accident.
The deceased whose bodies were recovered yesterday were identified as Satyanarayan Swain (9), Sipan Mohanty (9) and Sagarika Mallick (17), police said.
The incident occurred on Monday when 35-40 residents of Surapatrapur village were crossing the river on the boat to reach Daudeswar Shiva temple in Gondia for Mahashivratri celebrations.
Dhenkanal Collector Rupa Roshan Sahoo said the boat which capsized was not authorised to ferry passengers.
Teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and fire brigade were engaged to search and rescue the missing persons.
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Mohapatra said a detailed report on the circumstances that led to the boat tragedy has been sought from the district administration.
State Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Mallick, Dhenkanal Collector and the SP had gone to the spot on same day.
Meanwhile, the State government yesterday handed over a cheque of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the four whose bodies were retrieved on Tuesday. Compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to four families was disbursed from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund on the orders of chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
The arrested person, identified as Shiba Nanda Pradhan, confessed to her role in the crime. He was forwarded to a local court after medical examination.
Earlier in the day, the police along with forensic team and dog squad reached the minor girl’s house backyard where her body was buried by the family members. The body was later dug out and sent for a postmortem.
Notably, during evening of January 24, the girl had gone to neighbour’s house to watch TV. When she did not return home till late in the night, family members and neighbour searched for her at every possible place. Yet they did not find the girl.
In the morning on January 25, villagers informed the minor girl’s family members after finding her naked body some meters away from her house. The family members brought the body and buried it in the backyard.
However, the Bhuban police got a tip-off and informed the Dhenkanal SP about the incident. An on-the-spot investigation was conducted by the Dhenkanal SP and Kamakhyanagar SDPO after getting the information.
According to reports, locals noticed smoke emanating from the houses at around 1 am and immediately informed the fire brigade.
Soon, fire tenders from Bhuban were pressed into service to douse the flames. But by then, the houses were completely engulfed in the flames, informed locals. The mishap has rendered more than six families homeless.
Though the exact cause the incident has not been ascertained yet, it is being suspected that electric short circuit might be the reason behind the flames.
Meanwhile, the local Tehsildar also rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.
Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of Excise sleuths of Dhenkanal division, mobile squad and Bhuban police conducted raids in Nua Bhuban and busted the liquor factory which was being run from a house in the village.
The officials seized 650 litres of spirit, 800 bottles of liquor and arrested four persons identified as Laxmidhar Sahoo, Kapila Sahoo, Nandan Kumar Sahoo and his brother from the spot. They will be forwarded to the court today, said sources.
“We have seized a total of 650 litres of spirit, 800 liquor bottles. The liquor was being supplied to different dhabas in the area. Similarly, 6 litres of caramel, 2,000 bottle caps, 4,000 seals, 2 machines used for bottling and sealing, empty bottles, cartoons and a car were seized in the raids,” informed Dhenkanal Excise Superintendent Manoj Kumar Sethi.
“The raw materials used for the liquor were being brought from Kolkata,” added Sethi.
Though embarrassed police have started investigation into the slip-up incident, reports suggest the escapee prisoner, who was a rape accused, was brought to the jail around two weeks ago. The undertrial prisoner belongs to Bhuban area in the district. On 13 December evening, in a filmy style, he escaped by climbing the boundary wall with the help of a lungi.
However, the runaway plot from jail was captured in a CCTV camera installed on a residential premises near the jail. The video was captured at around 5 PM in the evening.
This jail-escape brings into glare the severe lacunae in jail security in the State. First, the prisoner made a neat escape. Secondly, authorities have to bank on a private CCTV to detect the escape. All such flip-flops have raised pertinent questions on safety and security of jail premises in the State. Moreover, eyebrows raised as how come a prisoner could climb a plain wall. Furthermore, the timing of escape looks curious as it's the time when inmates enter their cells, and the jail staff maintain vigilance. The circumstances of this jail-escape seeds more suspicion.
The festival that usually sees participation of more than 50 bullocks in the event, was organised in a controlled situation with only two bullocks just to keep the tradition going. The pair of bullocks this year was decorated with colourful quills, beads and ornaments.
Earlier, around 50 oxen used to take rounds across the village and lead the idol immersion procession of Maa Durga. On the day of Vijaya Dasami, the Thoria Samaj (salt merchants) who first started the festival, brings the bullocks together to ‘Maa Banijari’ shrine, the presiding deity of the Thorias. Later, the animals are taken to pandals and paraded around the pandal to the rhythm of drums.
People from nearby villages and elsewhere in the State visit Bhuban to witness the mass event, but due to the Covid-19 restrictions imposed by the Dhenkanal district administration, the festival was celebrated without much pomp and grandeur this year.
Lalit Nayak, a local resident said, “We have deployed only two bullocks this year only for the sake of upholding the tradition. We hope Coronavirus subsides next year, so that we can celebrate it with full vigour.”
Brahmananda Sahu, a member of the local Thoria Society said, “We are saddened that we had to limit the celebration this year. Keeping all the COVID guidelines in view, we have brought only two bullocks.”
The old tradition binds the villagers together with families and their relatives chipping in to make it a grand affair. The festival promotes love for animals and respect for tradition.
(Edited By Devbrat Patnaik)
Also Read:
Dussehra 2020: Durga Idol That Never Got Immersed
Dussehra: Idol Immersion Concludes In Cuttack