Although the Puri police have so far apprehended more than 100 persons in connection with October 3 bandh violence and sent them to jail, but the masterminds are still at large.
None of the conspirators was nabbed even as a month will be completed on Friday to the incident and the police are not able to give a satisfactory answer.
The masterminds had fueled violence to cause immense damages and destructions of public properties in the city. Even more than 500-year-old idol of Patitapaban situated at the entry point of the Jagannath Temple was not spared.
The situation was so serious that police forces had to enter the Lions Gate with shoes in legs breaching a norm of the temple to counter the mobsters.
No answer came from the police relating to question as to what steps taken against half a dozen masterminds who have remained out of the city since October 3.
Inspector General (IG) of police Saumendra Priyadarshi could not be contacted since he was busy in Bhashani festival of Kendrapara.
Puri SP Sarthak Sarangi was too unavailable on phone when contacted. However, ASP Dhiren Nanda said that the masterminds would be nabbed at any cost and processes are underway.
“We will nab them from their hideouts and processes are still on for this.
You will see them arrested,” said Nanda to The Pioneer adding that they are tracking the locations.
However, a narrative is running thick in Puri about political pressure behind inaction of police against the
conspirators. Since the district jail is overloaded with accused for lawyers’ strike, it is said that the police have been instructed not to arrest them at list now.
As most of the conspirators are leaders of political parties, so the police are not pushing them behind the bar, lest they wouldn’t get bail, which is of course a lip service in the city.