A youth was brutally beaten and hacked to death over bursting fire crackers at Sundarpada under the Airfield police station in the city during Diwali celebrations on Sunday night.
The deceased was identified as Amaresh Nayak.
Reports said that a group of youths of the area including Amaresh were feasting and bursting crackers in a field near the Ekamra College when around 20 youths with swords and other lethal weapons reached the spot and opposed the celebrations.
The protest triggered an altercation between the two groups which later escalated into a clash as the armed youths attacked Amaresh’s group with sharp weapons.
During the attack, Amaresh, who sustained critical injuries, was immediately rushed to the Capital Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.
The Airfield police rushed to the spot after getting information and launched an investigation with the help of a forensic team.
A complainant, Debi Prasad Sethi, said, “We were partying as well as bursting crackers when some youths came and asked us to stop the merrymaking. A youth named Raghua brandished a gun while two others, Kuna and Babul attacked us with sharp weapons.”
Sources said that earlier, the two groups were often at loggerheads and had frequents fights.
City DCP Anup Sahoo said, “The deceased youth was organsing a feast with some others when a scuffle broke out. Later, some youths of the rival group attacked him. He was shifted to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A case has been registered in this regard. We are identifying the persons involved in the murder and arrests will be made at the earliest.”