A septuagenarian woman Sulochana Mishra, resident of Baradia village under Baramunduli Panchayat in Balikuda block, began indefinite dharana in front of the Collector’s office here on Wednesday.
The widow woman owns about 28 decimal ancestral agricultural land in her native Baradia village, but a local contractor laxmidhar Mohanty forcible began constructing a road in the land. When the victim woman approached Civil Judge, Jagatsinghpur, by filing a suit, the court granted interim stay order and prohibited the road construction.
However, the contractor went ahead with the construction works flouting the order. The victim moved the Balikuda police station seeking help but in vain. On the contrary, the contractor’s goons attacked her including her two sons and other family members and threatened to refrain from complaining or else face dire consequence.
Undeterred and protesting Balikuda cops inaction, on March 13, 2013, the victim woman met the SP and later the district Collector twice on December 24, 2013 and January 3, 2014 seeking help. On January 28 last, the victim woman and her elder son came under wrath of the contractor’s people again and suffered physical attack at Baramunduli bus stop.
The goons did not hesitate to assault her daughter in law and snatched away gold chain, ornaments and Rs 10,000 in cash when they were waiting for bus in a medical case. The Balikuda police, however, did not nab the culprits despite an FIR lodged.
Harassed and not being able to get justice, the old woman has finally held the indefinite stir and appraised about the matter to the State Woman Commission, the Human Rights Commission and the Director General of Police seeking their intervention in her case. On Wednesday evening, Collector SK Mallick invited the hapless woman to his official chamber and held a discussion with her. He also assured her of action within seven days.