Clash during Durga immersion in Cuttack; 6 injured, including DCP
Immersion procession of a puja committee was passing through the Haathi Pokhari stretch when a dispute over songs being played during the procession triggered heated arguments
Bhubaneswar: Six people, including Cuttack deputy commissioner of police (DCP), were injured after a clash broke out between two communities during a Durga idol immersion ceremony in Odisha’s Cuttack on Friday late night, police said.
Police were forced to resort to a lathi charge to disperse the mob and bring the situation under control. Several parked motorcycles and roadside stalls were vandalised. (Representative photo)
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According to police officers, the immersion procession of the Jhanjirimangala Bhagabat Puja Committee was passing through the Haathi Pokhari stretch around 1:30 am when a dispute over songs being played during the procession triggered heated arguments, which quickly escalated into stone-pelting and the hurling of glass bottles between youths of the two communities.
The procession by Rausapatna Durga Kali Medha, another puja committee which was following Jhanjirimangala Bhagabat, was also disrupted.
Police were forced to resort to a lathi charge to disperse the mob and bring the situation under control. Several parked motorcycles and roadside stalls were vandalised.
Cuttack DCP Rishikesh Khilari, who was present at the spot to monitor security arrangements, sustained an eye injury along with other police personnel deployed on duty. One person is reported to be in critical condition.
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Cuttack DCP Rishikesh Khilari, who was present at the spot to monitor security arrangements, sustained an eye injury along with other police personnel deployed on duty. One person is reported to be in critical condition.
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Local residents staged a protest, accusing the authorities of failing to prevent the violence despite heavy police deployment across sensitive pockets of the city.
The immersion activities were suspended until the early hours of Saturday. “Additional forces have been deployed across trouble-prone areas to prevent a flare-up. The situation is under control. The immersion processions resumed peacefully on Saturday morning under tight security,” Khilari said.
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.
