Tension continued to simmer on Saturday in Balipatna’s Athantara Chhak as hundreds of local residents, supported by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists, blocked the busy road demanding an end to the illegal drug trade.
The protest follows the brutal murder of a 45-year-old man beaten to death with iron rods in broad daylight over an alleged drug debt.
The victim, Rakesh Das of Athantar Mohanty Sahi, was attacked on Friday afternoon near the local medical square. The main accused, Salman Khan alias Pintu, and his associate, Zakir Saha, allegedly dragged him and mercilessly assaulted him with iron rods. Rakesh succumbed to severe head and body injuries at Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar. Police have arrested Pintu, a known anti-social element involved in the drug powder racket, while Zakir Saha remains absconding.
Today’s protest saw active participation from VHP activists. Protesters raised slogans demanding severe punishment for the two youths accused of the murder, demolition of their houses, and adequate compensation for the victim’s grieving family.
Heavy security has been deployed to maintain law and order. DCP Vishnu Charan Pati, ASP Anup Kanungo, along with IICs of Badagad, Pahala, Balianta, and Balipatana police stations, and one platoon of force have been stationed at the spot. The local MLA is also present at the protest site.
Residents blocked the Balipatana-Athantara road for several hours, with some setting fire to the shop of the accused drug trader earlier in the protest. Thick smoke and burning debris disrupted traffic as angry locals voiced their frustration over the growing narcotics menace in the once-peaceful Jayadev Assembly constituency.
Police have registered a case and assured strict action against the entire narcotics network. However, the community insists on visible and immediate results, including house demolition of the accused and financial support for the victim’s family.
As the standoff continued into the day, the message from Niali was loud and clear: the people will no longer tolerate the deadly grip of drug syndicates on their streets.
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