12 injured in clash over ‘obscene’ dance in jatra | Bhubaneswar News
Kendrapada: Around 12 persons were injured in a clash that broke out between two groups over an alleged obscene dance shown at a jatra in Kudanagari village under Kudanagari police station in Kendrapada district on Sunday evening. Both groups have lodged complaints against each other. Nobody has been arrested so far. “We are investigating the case,” the inspector in-charge of Kudanagari police station, Ambika Das, said.
All the injured persons were taken to the district headquarters hospital in Kendrapada. Later, two persons, who were stabbed, were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
According to reports, some people opposed the obscene dance of the girls in the jatra, but the organisers of the performance and many locals supported the programme, which led to a dispute that ultimately escalated into the violent clash. However, Banabihari Patra, secretary of the jatra committee, said, “Some miscreants entered the jatra without tickets and when we objected to their entry, they abused us and stabbed two persons.”
“Security has been tightened in the area to check any law-and-order situation,” Das added.
Ranjan Behera, one of the witnesses, said, “An argument started when the dance performance was going on and the two groups resorted to a physical fight and attacked each other with sticks and sharp weapons. Many people were seen throwing chairs at each other in the jatra, which was stopped abruptly after the clash.”
Samarendra Jena, another witness, said, “Some of the performers, wearing skimpy clothes, had started dancing in the jatra pandal when some people entered the premises and tried to stop the performance, leading to the clash.”
All the injured persons were taken to the district headquarters hospital in Kendrapada. Later, two persons, who were stabbed, were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
According to reports, some people opposed the obscene dance of the girls in the jatra, but the organisers of the performance and many locals supported the programme, which led to a dispute that ultimately escalated into the violent clash. However, Banabihari Patra, secretary of the jatra committee, said, “Some miscreants entered the jatra without tickets and when we objected to their entry, they abused us and stabbed two persons.”
“Security has been tightened in the area to check any law-and-order situation,” Das added.
Ranjan Behera, one of the witnesses, said, “An argument started when the dance performance was going on and the two groups resorted to a physical fight and attacked each other with sticks and sharp weapons. Many people were seen throwing chairs at each other in the jatra, which was stopped abruptly after the clash.”
Samarendra Jena, another witness, said, “Some of the performers, wearing skimpy clothes, had started dancing in the jatra pandal when some people entered the premises and tried to stop the performance, leading to the clash.”
