NABARANGPUR: A 31-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a judicial magistrate, a prosecutor and a court security official with an iron rod inside the Jharigaon JMFC court premises in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district.
The accused, identified as Sanmati Majhi, allegedly attacked senior assistant public prosecutor Pradeep Kumar Pattnaik first, striking him on the head while he was in the Bar room on Saturday. Pattnaik sustained a serious head injury and required multiple stitches.
According to the complaint, Majhi allegedly turned on others who rushed to help the injured prosecutor. Judicial Magistrate First Class Smita Lakra was struck on the forehead and sustained a fracture to her middle finger. Court assistant sub-inspector Minaketan Gantayat also suffered a blunt-force injury to his forehead while attempting to intervene.
Court staff and security personnel eventually overpowered the woman and seized the iron rod. Police sources said she had concealed the weapon inside a yellow plastic bag before entering the court premises.
Police said Majhi was an informant in an ongoing case. Pattnaik alleged in his complaint that she had assaulted with the intention of disrupting judicial proceedings and attacking public servants performing their duties.
Nabarangpur Superintendent of Police Kashyap Parth Jagdish said a case had been registered based on Pattnaik’s complaint and Majhi had been arrested. She was remanded to judicial custody after her bail plea was rejected.
Security arrangements at the Jharigaon JMFC court have been tightened, the police said. Further investigation is underway.
With input from media reports.