Congress agitation turns violent in Kabisuryanagar

Berhampur, Jun 23 (UNI) A civil disobedient movement by opposition Congress today turned violent in Kabisuryanagar leading to clash between the demonstrators and the police in which over fifty people including an Additional Superintendent of Police and a Sub-Collector were injured.

Police said the Congress agitators led by former Finance Minister R K Pattnaik and his wife Kumudini Pattnaik, a former Parliament member, staged a demonstration before the Kabisuryanagar Block office as part of party's statewide protest against the ruling BJD-BJP government.

The demonstrators turned violent when they were not allowed to submit a memorandum to the BDO and started pelting stones at the police force deployed in the office.

Additional SP P Dayal Singh, Sub-Collector Ajit Kumar Mishra and Purishattampur officer-in-charge S Padhi besides 30 other policemen were injured in the heavy stone pelting.

The police chased the demonstrators and resorted to lathicharge in which some Congress workers were also injured. The agitators then sat on a protest demonstration before the block office insisting that the BDO should receive their memorandum.

The authority agreed to call the BDO to receive the memorandum copy after the demonstrators promised not to create any law and order problem.

As soon as the BDO received the memorandum copy from the demonstrators, some one hurled a bomb at the Block office in which a journalist and three police personnel were injured. The police again resorted to lathicharge and damaged several motor cycles and a party vehicle.

At least 22 congress workers were injured in the police action.

The authority soon imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC in the area. Tension prevailed in the area forcing the administration to mobilise more force to contain further law and order problem.

UNI