Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were clamped in Umarkote town after tension erupted over the burial of a young Christian girl on Saturday evening. Police had to resort to baton-charge to disperse an agitating mob.
Chaos prevailed in the town after the family members of Puspanjali Bagh buried her body in the new burial ground allotted by the Tehsildar. Local residents of Hetaguda and some Hindu organisations objected to the act of the administration alleging that the body was buried in roadside adjacent to houses of several Hindu families and blocked the Umarkote-Nabarangpur highway. They closed shops and business establishments since Saturday and demanded that the body be removed and buried elsewhere.
Getting information, Additional District Magistrate Bhaskar Raito, Additional SP Jaykrishna Behera, SDPO Subendu Sabara, Tehsildar G Jagjiban Choudhury and police personnel rushed to the spot to resolve the issue. However, as the road continued to remain blocked, police had to resort to lathi-charge and prohibitory orders.
Tehsildar Choudhury said the blocked road has been cleared.