Reported by Santosh Jagdev

Bhubaneswar, Jan 11:

Angry over the ‘indifference’ of the city police as well as the state government, a large number of women activists, BJP workers, people from Salia Sahi slums and relatives of Kalandi Behera, who was found murdered inside a community hall at Nilachakra Nagar, gheraoed the Nayapalli Police station on Friday evening.

The gherao continued till midnight, reports said.

4 platoons police force have been deployed near the Nayapalli police station to control the angry mob.

Gherao of State Election Commission office by people from Salia Sahi Gherao of State Election Commission office by angry people from Salia Sahi  on Friday

Hundreds of people from Saliasahi slum area also blocked the road connecting Indradhanu Market and NH-5 here by burning tyres on the road and disrupting the traffic.

The road blockade was continuing when the last reports came in. They had earlier tried to block the NH-5 twice but were chased away by the police.

Sources said the agitators were hellbent on continuing their protest in front of the Nayapalli police station until their demands were fulfilled. Most of the protesters are women.

The protestors are demanding immediate action against the culprits they identify as Premananda Jena, Dhanu, Khaga, Tiki, Sudha and Jharia who allegedly stabbed Kalindi to death inside the community hall at Nilachakra Nagar because he was the prime eye-witness in a case of molestation in which the attackers were involved.

The protesters are also demanding a probe against the police officers involved in the case. The fact that Nayapalli police moved Kalanadi’s body to the Capital Hospital for autopsy today without informing his family members has led to suspicion that police officials were trying to hush up a ‘clear case of murder’.

On Thursday, BJD candidate Premananda Jena, who was elected  as the Corporator from Ward -21 defeating BJP candidate Nirmala Senapati, was accused along with his supporters of molesting the daughter of Nirmala’s relative. Local people say Kalindi who was present at the spot had recorded the act of molestation on his mobile phone while the accused were misbehaving with the girl.

Since the mobile phone of the deceased Kalindi was not found from the spot where he was killed, the protesters are demanding that the police trace his phone and find out whether he had got calls from the culprits on Thursday night and today.

Kalandi who hails from Begunia in Khurda district was living with his wife and two children in Ward number-21 and was selling fish in the area for a living.