Residents of Ganjampalli in Rourkela staged a protest on Thursday over the delay in arresting the accused involved in the daylight murder of a 27-year-old man, who was hacked to death two days earlier.
Protest Outside Police Station and MLA's Residence
Family members of the deceased, Tofan Bindhani (27), along with local residents, held a sit-in outside the Sector 7 police station, demanding better security in the area. The protesters also gathered outside the residence of Raghunathpali MLA Durga Charan Tanti, urging him to intervene. Some residents reportedly sat in front of the MLA's vehicle as a form of protest. The MLA later contacted Rourkela Superintendent of Police (SP) Nitesh Wadhwani.
Police Response
The SP confirmed that the accused have been identified and four special teams have been formed to trace and arrest them.
Details of the Incident
According to police, Bindhani, a resident of Sector 6, was with three friends near a school when six youths attacked him with an axe around 1:45 PM on Tuesday. He sustained multiple injuries, including on his neck, and was rushed to Ispat General Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. One of his friends suffered a hand injury, while the other two fled. The attackers also escaped.
Possible Motive
Police stated that a preliminary inquiry indicated Bindhani had objected to some youths consuming ganja and liquor in the locality, leading to an earlier altercation. Investigators suspect this could be the motive and that others may also be involved. Tension escalated on Wednesday when local residents demanded arrests before allowing the postmortem. After police assurance, they allowed the procedure, and the body was handed over to the family.
With no arrests made even by Thursday, anger persisted among the residents.
