Though the communally sensitive and crime prone district of Kendrapada witnessed several crimes in 2015, but among them those that hogged the limelight across the State were the Namatara firing and fake godman Sarathi’s issue.
On March 8 last, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, hundreds of anti-liquor protestors of Namatara village, having failed to get justice from the district administration despite their persistent demand before the administration to shift an IMFl off shop from the locality, organized an anti-liquor agitation and ransacked Namatara-based licenced IMFl off shop and also torched a police vehicle and damaged a fire tender vehicle.
After a couple of hours, police force led by the then SP of Kendrapada Satish Kumar Gajbhiye rushed to the spot and started opening fire at the villagers. As many as nine persons, including school students, sustained injuries as bullets pierced into their body. It was taken up as a major issue for the Opposition which attacked the Government over police excess and barbarism on women protestors who had been fighting for shutting down a liquor shop. The opposition parties alleged that the firing made by the police was illegal as the Executive Magistrate was not present nor did the magistrate had given any direction for firing.
Though later the State Government directed an RDC-level inquiry on police firing to the anti liquor protestors at Namatara , but the RDC inquiry in this incident is yet to be started.
A rights activist later brought the alleged matter before the NHRC alleging that the police fired bullets upon some women, who were fighting for a good cause. The NHRC, after registering a case in this regard, directed the SP of Kendrapada to take appropriate action and submit a report.
Similarly, in the first week of August last, self proclaimed godman Srimad Sarathi alias Santosh Roul embroiled into a controversy following a regional TV channel showed footages of Sarathi living in a hotel with a girl and taking non-veg food in Hyderabad. He was also found wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
later, chaos and lawlessness broke out in Kendrapada township and also near the Sarathi Ashram over the issue. On August 7, the Tinimuhani chowk turned out to be a battleground between the police and the irate mob as the Bajrang Dal with the help of local youths in several places, including Tinimuhani chowk , the township and also at NH-5(a), staged road blockades and also demonstrated by burning tyres and effigy of Sarathi, demanding the arrest of the fake godman.
While the agitators led by the former secretary of District Bar Association –cum – BJP district president Duryodhan Sahu were organizing demonstration in front of Tinimuhani chowk, more than six platoons of police force led by the then SP of Kendrapada Satish Kumar Gajbhiye suddenly resorted to lathi charge on the agitators and applied tear gas to disperse the mob. As a result, the irate mob went on brick batting and pelting of glass bottles towards the police. 10 police personnel were injured in the face-off whereas several innocent locals and college youths sustained injuries. BJP district president Sahu was nabbed by police and assaulted publicly. The police personnel forced him to kneel down on the Tinimuhani road. later, the district administration had clamped Section 144 CrPC at several places from 10 am to 10 pm in the township area, including Barimula road, Duhuria square to DPO, Tinimuhani to Bazar area, and also 500 meters from all the district level Government offices to bring the situation under control.
The police action was beyond any legal limits and invited large scale condemnation from all corners. later, the State Government was forced to transfer the then SP Gajbhiye and also assigned the inquiry on Sarathi controversy to Crime Branch. The Crime Branch team led by IG Aruna Bothra started an inquiry by visiting Sarathi Ashram and arrested Sarathi from his ashram on August 8 along with seizing 54.1 gram of gold, 15kg silver, 51 kg metal coins with denomination of Sarathi, a cash amount of Rs 2.28 lakh, several property documents, personal bank accounts in the name of Sarathi and also the bank accounts of Satyam Charitable Trust. The Crime Branch team also seized couple of swords from the ashram, stated IG Aruna Bothra.
In yet another nerve-stirring incident a child was sacrificed in the district on April 13. Eight-year-old boy, Rajesh Kumar Nayak of Gokhapada village, who went on missing on April 13 night, was found dead and his body was traced on April 14 evening while it was found floating on luna river. Marshaghai police later unearthed his throat was sliced with sharp edged weapon.
As per the inquiry of the police, it was revealed from that Rajesh had gone to see a yagna on April 13 night. Sorcerer Muna alias Choudhury Abhinas Das taking the help of Antarjyami Das and his brother Bairagi Das kidnapped Rajesh from the yagna place and later the trio killed him to appease an evil spirit with his blood. later, they threw the body in luna river. Police arrested Bairagi alias Baikuntha Das (45) and Muna alias Choudhury Abhinas Das (46), the occultist , who was a retired army personnel.
The occultist worked under Mahar regiment, an Infantry Regiment of the Indian Army.