Four persons who attacked the sarpanch of the Kalamba panchayat in Polasara block of Odisha’s Ganjam district were arrested on Monday. They were allegedly smuggling illicit liquor into the Temporary Medical Centre (TMC) for institutional quarantine of returned migrant workers at Kalamba village. This centre has over 110 inmates.
On Sunday, Kalamba sarpanch, Prashant Kumar Pradhan, who is looking after this TMC, reprimanded these persons involved in the smuggling of liquor into the centre. The angered miscreants allegedly attacked the sarpanch. Later some youths of Kalamba unearthed a gunny bag full of illicit liquor pouches hidden by the miscreants at a secluded spot near the village.
Villagers of Kalamba became angry as since 1991 they have not allowed sale of liquor at the village. They blocked the Kalamba-Polasara road for several hours till late night on Sunday. The Polasara tahsildar, the Block Development Officer, the police inspector in-charge and local MLA Srikant Sahu reached the spot to pacify the villagers. They demanded the immediate arrest of miscreants involved in liquor smuggling.
Based on the FIR filed by the sarpanch, the Polasara police arrested the four accused on Monday.
On May 18, a person involved in throwing polythene pouches containing illicit liquor into a quarantine centre at Bandhaguda village of Ganjam district had been arrested. The Badagada police also seized 40 litres of liquor from his possession.