Odisha: 10 injured in ‘lathicharge’ in Keonjhar
KEONJHAR: Ten people on Thursday were injured in an alleged police lathicharge near the Gohaldihi railway siding under Sadar police station limits on Thursday.
Sources said all of them were admitted to hospital. The incident took place when villagers of Guhaldihi under Nuagaon gram panchayat (Sadar block) staged a demonstration and detained mineral-laden trucks demanding employment. The villagers alleged they have lost their land to the project.
However, police have denied the allegations. “The villagers were illegally blocking the road. We have cleared the area to resume the movement of trucks,” Jayanarayan Khandei, inspector in-charge of the Sadar police station, said.
Sources said the villagers have been staging dharnas since last few months seeking employment as promised by the administration.Villager Babuli Murmu alleged, “We are the land losers of the railway siding project. Despite making several requests seeking employment in the siding, the administration has turned a blind eye to us.”
Murmu added, “We were protesting peacefully by obeying social distancing. But police lathicharged and left several injured. We demand an inquiry into the matter.”