Mob sets fire to police station in Odisha accusing cops of cannabis smuggling

A police van loaded with cannabis was stopped by villagers on Thursday while the vehicle was on its way to allegedly sell the contraband to a peddler

Updated on: Aug 5, 2023, 20:39:11 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Accusing the police of being hand in glove with cannabis smugglers, hundreds of villagers in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Saturday burnt down a police station and thrashed a senior police official.

The mob went on a rampage and ransacked the police station before setting it on fire. (Representative Image)

Officials said hundreds of people of Phiringia on Saturday blocked the road at Phiringia block chhak demanding action against Phiringia police station inspector Tapan Nahak, home guards Prasant Patra and Rabi Digal and other policemen alleging that the police van was being used for cannabis smuggling. On Thursday, a police van loaded with cannabis was stopped by Phiringia sarpanch Jalandhar Kanhar, former sarpanch and locals while the vehicle was on its way to Budhakambha village to allegedly sell the contraband to a peddler.

“Demanding action against the inspector and other officials, the villagers then went on a rampage and ransacked the police station before setting it on fire. Sub divisional police officer who was trying to defuse the situation got thrashed by the mob. The situation is now under control,” said inspector general of police(southern range) Satyabrata Bhoi. “This year the police have seized 30-tonne of cannabis in Kandhamal. We will investigate whether the police are involved in cannabis smuggling or if it is a reaction of the locals over seizures.” he said.

Local sarpanch Jalandhar Kanhar alleged that police have joined hands with the cannabis smugglers. We have apprehended police officials while they were smuggling ganja by misusing their power. We have videos with us. We will furnish it whenever required. We demand stringent action against the police,” said Kanhar.

Between June 2022 and June 2023, Odisha Police had destroyed record 220 tonnes of cannabis.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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