Odisha: A government land encroachment dispute turns ugly and alarming. Following a series of bombings in Nathapur village under Puri’s Brahmagiri area on Sunday, the SP of Police, Puri, Kanwar Viishal Singh said stern legal action has been initiated by the Police against the perpetrators. “As of now, our primary focus is to maintain law and order in the area. We are trying to extract a long term solution to this chaos and we are hopeful that both parties will come to a consensus,” he added.
Speaking about the situation on the ground, Collector Samarth Verma said that the ADM is trying to hold discussions with the locals and though the situation is under control still the area is under strict watch.
An eerie silence prevailed at the Nathapur village which saw multiple bombings on Sunday culminating into torching of the houses of the displaced. Many crude-unexploded bombs were seen lying on the ground bearing the signs of what transpired on Saturday night. As per reports, around 20 houses were gutted in back-to-back bombings at Nathapur village over a government land encroachment dispute.
Sources said a group of people allegedly encroached upon a patch of land in 35 Mouza area. However, a local rival faction protested the move leading to disagreements between the two groups. A victim of the arson said, “Around 500 people of 35 Mouza met at a nearby temple on Sunday and passed a resolution to evict us from our homes. Once they started bombing our homes, we decided to flee this area.”
Similarly, another woman said, “They burnt our homes down to ashes. We want to stay here and the government should make sure that nobody threatens our life or livelihood.”
