Bhubaneswar, Nov 9: The Commissionerate Police arrested four persons for allegedly manhandling Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ananya Awasthi following a dispute over bursting firecrackers during Diwali celebrations in Cuttack.

Lalbag Police arrested them in connection with an incident reported from Nayasadak on Sunday, when a confrontation broke out between police personnel and some local residents over the bursting of firecrackers.

According to reports, tensions escalated after the woman ACP, a 2022-batch IPS officer, intervened and asked people to stop bursting firecrackers. However, some residents allegedly entered into a heated argument with the officer, which subsequently turned into a physical altercation.

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Cuttack DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo confirmed that four people had been arrested in connection with the incident. Police identified the accused with the help of CCTV footage and videos of the confrontation that circulated widely on social media.

Earlier, police had detained at least 10 people for questioning as part of the investigation. Further investigation into the incident is currently underway.