Nayagarh: A local resident was hacked to death in a brutal attack allegedly carried out by stone quarry mafia after he and others protested against illegal mining operations in the Odagaon police station area of Nayagarh district.
The deceased has been identified as Ajit Sahu, a resident of Bijay Mandap Sahi in Odagaon.
According to reports, illegal stone quarries have been operating at various locations in the region, prompting repeated opposition from local residents. On the day of the incident, protesters stopped stone-laden vehicles at Kadali Bandh and informed the Police Control Room, but police reportedly did not arrive at the spot. When quarry operators made a counter-attack, two protesters managed to escape. However, Ajit Sahu, a resident of Bijay Mandap Sahi in Odagaon, was caught and mercilessly murdered.
Eyewitness accounts and initial information suggest the attackers inflicted extreme violence on Ajit Sahu. His left hand was completely severed, the thumb of his right hand was chopped off from the base, and his body bore multiple injury marks.In response to the killing, locals blocked the Odagaon-Nayagarh road, demanding immediate justice for Ajit Sahu. Traffic came to a standstill with over a hundred vehicles stranded on the highway.
Odagaon police have reached the spot and launched an investigation into the murder. Further details are awaited as the probe continues.
