Dhenkanal: Tension prevailed in Dhenkanal’s Kandhapal village following the murder of a 56-year-old man over a local dispute. The deceased, Dalai Nayak was attacked by a petty contractor and his men over digging a pond. The contractor, Nrupati Nayak fled from the village following the death of Dalai due to bullet injuries. Following this, when Nrupati’s wife and minor son were trying to escape, the deceased’s family members attacked the mother-son duo. They have been hospitalised.
There was a dispute between Dalai and Nrupati’s family over a piece of land on which a pond was to be dug. Dalai was a former Ward Member. His daughter-in-law was elected as Ward Member from the village recently, reports stated. “Nrupati was trying to lift soil from the nearby pond using tractors while Dalai was opposing it as the vehicles were damaging the village road. Today, when Dalai offered resistance, he was attacked and fired at with a country-made gun,” the police said,
Dalai’s son Dipak said, “My father had asked them to take earth moving machines through another route. But he was attacke all of a sudden by four to five people. They fired several rounds at him, following which my father died.” Following Dalai’s death, Nrupati’s wife and his three-year-old son were attacked in a bid to avenge the killing. Dhenkanal police have stationed one platoon force to avert further escalation of the situation. While law and order situation is under control, men have fled Kandhal village fearing arrest.
