Three arrested for attacking assistant tehsildar

BARIPADA: Mayurbhanj police on Wednesday arrested three persons for their alleged involvement in assaulting the additional tehsildar of Kaptipada when the officer was on way to prevent illegal sand mining on Suno river bed.

The arrested persons are Akash Nayak, Manas Puhan and Rajat Mohanty, all of Kaptipada. At least 16 other accused involved in attacking additional tehsildar Bhimsen Majhi are absconding.

Police said at around 4.15 am on Tuesday, the additional tehsildar received information about some miscreants illegally lifting sand from Suno river bed with the help of excavator machines and tractors. He immediately rang up his driver to visit the spot. When the driver did not respond to his calls, Majhi got into his car and drove towards the river bed. The officer was some kilometres away from the river bed when a group of miscreants having links with the sand mafia followed him on bikes and intercepted his vehicle at Katas. In a bid to prevent Majhi from going to the sand lifting site, the miscreants started to assault him. To save himself, the tehsildar got into his car and reached Kaptipada police station. However, the miscreants followed him and pelted stones at his vehicle parked in front of the police station. Both the front and rear windshields of his car were smashed in the attack.