Sore over inaction on land issue grievance, Odisha youth sets tehsil office afire

In his Facebook live video, the youth kept on ranting about the injustice done to him by the Tehsil officials over a person encroaching his land.

Frustrated over his attempts of removing encroachment over his land, a youth in Sambalpur district of Odisha on Friday torched a Tehsil office gutting valuable land documents.

File photo: Image for representation. (HT photo)

Officials said a man named Rajiv Kisan of Tileimal village on Friday morning reached the tehsil office of Rengali in autorickshaw carrying diesel in plastic cans. “The watchman was sweeping the office when the youth sprinkled diesel inside the office and set fire to it before anyone could react. In no time several files were up in smoke,” said Rengali tehsildar Sunil Meher.

The man then went live on Facebook showing the tehsil office in fire which soon attracted the attention of other officials. In his Facebook live video, the youth kept on ranting about the injustice done to him by the Tehsil officials over a person encroaching his land.

“When I came to the office, several rooms were burning and files were already gutted. I informed the fire brigade,” said Tehsildar Sunil Kumar Meher. “Our staff caught hold the youth. He has been arrested by the police,” he added.

The tehsildar said the quantum of loss is yet to be ascertained but the record room containing the digitised land documents is safe.

Sources said the youth was upset over his land being encroached by another man and he had lodged a complaint in the tehsil office several times.