While last week’s twin firing incidents has had left the city residents in a tizzy, they are now more shocked to know that the city police are allegedly shielding the masterminds behind the incidents due to obvious considerations.
After more than three days of investigation, the police on Monday arrested two persons and forwarded them to court in connection with Friday’s firing at Mangalabag in which a medicine shop owner was injured. While the police are yet to lay their hands on the key accused of the Mangalabag firing, it is alleged that the police are shielding the mastermind of Saturday’s firing incident in which a transporter was killed at Badambadi.
Speaking to reporters, acting city DCP Bidyutlata Nayak informed that one Babuli Kahali and his associate Ramesh Ray were arrested from a hideout in the city and forwarded to court. Nayak said extortion was the motive behind the Mangalabag firing in which chemist Tukuna Bagh was fired at by three unidentified persons on Friday morning.
“The accused had demanded and collected Rs 1,000 from Tukuna’s brother lipuna the day before the incident. The accused, however, turned vindictive when Tukuna made the extortion incident public,” Nayak said, adding that on the day of the firing incident, the accused had come looking for lipuna and not finding him they fired at his brother, who was opening the shop in the morning.
The police have, however, not yet arrested the key accused of the case who is still at large, much to the risk of the victim’s family. Meanwhile, Tukuna, who had sustained gunshot injuries in his right leg, is recuperating in the hospital.
Similarly, in the Badambadi firing incident, the police have arrested two persons allegedly involved in killing transporter Amarendra Rout. “But the police are not arresting the mastermind of the case, Ajay Barik, due to political pressure,” alleges Amarendra’s brother Akshay.
Transport business rivalry arising out of passenger bus route selection and timing is said to be the only cause behind the Badambadi firing. Bus owners, particularly from the Shankarpur area, adjacent to the Badambadi bus terminus, are always at loggerheads with their rivals over the overlapping of the routes and timings of the passenger buses.
According to reports, at least five bus owners of the area have been murdered due to this slugfest during the past ten years. “Although the city police are well aware of the alarming situation, no concrete step has yet been taken by the police administration to settle the imbroglio, and the residents of the area continue to remain in panic,” said a local kiosk owner.