Five arrested for allegedly desecrating Santal place of worship in Odisha's Keonjhar

The arrest came 12 days after the alleged incident was reported and almost three weeks after it occurred.

Odisha Police have arrested five persons for allegedly desecrating a sacred place of worship of the Santal community in Basantpur village of Keonjhar district,

The accused, identified as Chandan Sethy, Dibyajyoti Puhan, Akshay Kumar Sahoo, Suresh Mallick and Srichandan Puhan, were arrested by Ghasipura police on Tuesday. (AI-generated image)

The accused, identified as Chandan Sethy, Dibyajyoti Puhan, Akshay Kumar Sahoo, Suresh Mallick and Srichandan Puhan, were arrested by Ghasipura police on Tuesday.

The arrest came 12 days after the alleged incident was reported and almost three weeks after it occurred.

What allegedly happened

According to the FIR lodged by tribal villagers on October 29, the incident occurred on October 23 when members of the Santal community were worshipping at a sacred grove, locally known as Jaher Than. The complaint alleged that around 15 to 20 people, allegedly armed with knives, iron rods and sticks, barged into the place of worship and abused the worshippers.

When some women tried to resist the intruders, they were allegedly manhandled and subjected to inappropriate behaviour, the FIR stated. The attackers also allegedly dragged two youths along with their motorcycles for around 30 to 40 metres while leaving the spot, leaving them injured.

Rabi Hembrum, one of the villagers, alleged that police had refused to register a separate FIR over the desecration of the Jaher Than and clubbed the matter with the case relating to the assault on villagers.

Anandpur sub-divisional police officer Kamal Lochan Panda said an investigation into the incident was underway.

Political turn

The incident triggered a political controversy, with a BJD delegation led by former minister and the party's Tribal Cell president Sudam Marndi alleging that people associated with the Bajrang Dal were behind the attack and demanding an independent investigation.

"When the chief minister himself belongs to the Santal community, the attack on tribals clearly demonstrates how unsafe the communities have become in the state," the BJD said in a statement.

No reaction from the Bajrang Dal or the ruling BJP is available so far.