A massive traffic jam choked the NH-26 on Friday as people staged a road blockade in protest against death of two old men due to a container explosion in the Bhagabati rice mill at Junagarh.The stretch between Bhawanipatna and Dharmagarh remained blocked for over five hours.Around 200 people led by Junagarh Mahila Sangh president Monoroma Mahalik, Junagarh NAC Vice-Chairman Durga Sahu and Kalahandi BJP Youth President Mangulu Naik reached the spot along with deceased’s family members to stage a protest. They too kept the victim’s body on the road. They did not let anyone pass through.
The agitators insisted that the rice mill owner be arrested soon and Rs 10 lakh be given to each deceased’s family and Rs 5 lakh to the victim battling for her life in a hospital now.They agreed to send the bodies for cremation only after Junagarh Tehsildar Jayant Kumar Prusti and Dharmagarh SDPO Sunil Kumar Achrya agreed to take a few representatives to the Kalahandi district Collector for a discussion on their demand.Notably, two employees of the rice mill, identified as Kailash Patra and Durbasha Guru both 55 years of age, were killed and a woman was severely due to an explosion occurred in a mill container. The woman is undergoing treatment with 40 per cent injuries.