JAGATSINGHPUR: Residents of Sailo village within Tirtol police limits on Thursday detained police personnel and staged a dharna protesting arrest of innocent persons for their alleged involvement in a group clash. 

Sources said a family from the village has allegedly occupied Government land, belonging to a women’s body, Sailo Nari Sangh.

The members of the sangh alleged a woman member of the family had been peddling brown sugar and stealing coal from goods trains plying on Cuttack-Paradip route.

Recently, a clash erupted between the villagers and the supporters of the family in which the woman was injured and admitted to Manijanga hospital. 

The villagers alleged police arrested five innocent persons in this connection. SDPO, Tirtol Deepak Kumar Jena said the villagers relented after the tehsildar assured them that action will be taken against the family within a month.

Police personnel have been deployed in the village to avert any untoward situation.