Women agitators thrashed by goons in Odisha's Angalei

KENDRAPARA: Around 10 women agitators were beaten up by goons of a licensed foreign liquor shop at Angalei village under Kendrapara Sadar police station in Kendrapara district. Around 200 women were trying to ransack the liquor shop and torched two motorcycles of the owner and damaged the shop’s iron grill along with several bottles of alcohol. The miscreants also attacked Madabananda Pradhan, the husband of  Durgabati Pradhan, the Sarpanch of Angalei gram panchayat.

“We were going to stage a dharna in front of the foreign liquor shop at Angalei when around 20 miscreants, armed with sharp weapons and wooden planks,  attacked us as a result of which 10 villagers sustained injuries”, said Ashalata Pradhan, one of the women who sustained injuries in the attack.
“As per Excise Act, the Government should not open liquor shops near educational institutions, hospitals and religious places. But, in many places, the authorities have granted licences to businessmen to open liquor shops near these places. It is high time the authorities closed all liquor shops in such places,” said Naliniprava Tarei a women leader of Kendrapara.

Meanwhile, Kabuli Barik, the IIC of Kendrapara Sadar police station, said all the injured persons are undergoing treatment at  Kendrapara Government hospital. “We have locked the liquor shop to avoid any further disturbance”, he said.