Dhenkanal, April 23: Police have arrested three persons, including a man and his two sons, for allegedly assaulting four census officials who had gone to collect data. The accused—Nikunj Raman Satpathy, Uditswapna Satpathy and Bhanu Prakash Satpathy—have been booked under multiple serious charges. A local court rejected their bail pleas and remanded them to Kamakshyanagar jail.
According to sources, the incident occurred on Wednesday morning when four census officials visited the accused’s residence. The family members allegedly became aggressive on seeing the officials and, without provocation, abused them in foul language before launching a physical attack. Two women staffers were among the injured.
The accused reportedly chased the officials with stones, forcing them to flee. They also vandalised the scooter and motorcycle used by the officials. Supervisor Madhusmita sustained facial injuries, while in-charge Raghunath suffered multiple injuries.
On being informed, Kamakshyanagar Sub-Collector Dinamani Naik, SDPO Rajinikanth Samal, Tahsildar Shubhankar Mohanty and IIC Jitendra Mallik reached the spot.
A video of the accused allegedly abusing and misbehaving with officials has gone viral. Police said a scuffle broke out during efforts to apprehend the accused, but all three were eventually taken into custody.
Cases have been registered under sections related to assault on public servants and obstruction of government duty.
Dhenkanal SP Abhinav Sonkar said prompt action has been taken and urged people to remain alert during the ongoing census exercise. He advised reporting any suspicious activity to the police helpline 112.
