Timber mafia dared the police by hurling a number of bombs at a rally in the presence of Puri Sadar police station personnel on Saturday. Four persons sustained injuries and were admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital here.
Hundreds of activists and locals blocked the Puri-Satpara-Chilika road demanding arrest of the culprits and removal of the Inspector of the Sadar police station. According to convenor of the Upakula Jami Jangal Suraksha Samiti Batakrushna Swain, abiut 400 activists were taking out a procession demanding distribution of Government land among landless poor and protection of the coastal forest as erosion along the sea beach land mass has threatened nearby human settlements. Some antisocials at the instance of timber mafia suddenly hurled bombs in the presence of the police and fled.
While the injured persons were rushed to the hospital in critical conditions, others squatted on Puri-Satpara-Chilika road bringing the traffic to a grinding halt. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded for hours on both sides of the road. The Samiti has been fighting against the timber mafia which has been felling trees from the Government land and forest since long. In the wake of the Government taking possession of over 1,800 acres of valuable land at Sipasarubal village located along the Puri coastline from the clutches of the mafia following a court directive, the Samiti has been demanding distribution of the land among the landless local . The Samiti is also opposing the allotment of land for the mega Samuka tourism project of Government. Swain said Saturday’s incident exposed a nexus between the jungle mafia and the police and demanded a thorough probe into the incident.