BHUBANESWAR: A gang of hooligans, who were armed with swords and daggers, laid siege to the busy Master Canteen Railway Station Road here for about 20 minutes, terrorised people, chased three men and attacked them in full public view around 2pm on Monday.
The three men have been hospitalised with serious injuries while the police have arrested one of the attackers.
The police said the clash was the fallout of previous enmity between the two gangs. “We have arrested the main accused Raja. His associates would also be caught soon,” assistant commissioner of police Manas Garnaik said.
Panic gripped the city following the brazen attack in broad daylight. “I was going towards the station on my bike when a group of armed men brandished weapons and assaulted three youths. I had to abandon my bike and scurry to a safe place,” said Akhaya Behera, a local resident. Street vendors along the station road from Master Canteen shut their shops out of fear.
Ironically, the incident occurred barely 50 metres from a police aid post of the local Kharavel Nagar police station at Master Canteen Square. Though the Kharavel Nagar and Capital police stations are located barely 300 metres from the station, their personnel allegedly reached the crime spot late.
Some local vendors said the two gangs have been at loggerheads for quite some time over vending rights near the station. They were also promoting gambling, peddling of drugs and sale of illicit liquor near the station. Neither the police nor the railway police acted tough against them, a vendor said requesting anonymity.
Citizens questioned the efficacy of the commissionerate police after the goons exhibited sheer audacity at Master Canteen. “In January last year, criminals vandalized the Unit-2 market. Snatchers are on the prowl and attacking people,” Harekrushna Mahapatra, a retired banker said.
