Bargarh: After the decomposed body of four-year-old boy who was missing was found, a mob today set Melchhamunda police station on fire and damaged two vehicles in Bargarh district protesting against police inaction.
A large number of local people blocked Biju Expressway at Melchhamunda holding the body of Pityush Jain demanding immediate arrest of the accused, police said.
Senior police officials including Additional Superintendent of Police, Joshobanta Senapati and Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Padmapur, Laxminarayana Panda were holding talks with the protestors and efforts are on to end the impasse even as vehicles were stranded on either side of the road.
The child was playing outside his home at Melchhamunda on February 8 and went missing. Though family members searched for him, they were unable to trace him and had lodged a missing complaint at Melchhamunda Police Station. His decomposed body was recovered from at Kalangadera near village Para under Bijepur Police station limit in the district yesterday, police said.
Recovery of the body triggered tension and family members and villagers staged dhrana. But they called off the dharna after discussion with Bargarh Superintendent of Police, P Jugal Kishore.
However, when the body reached Melchamunda, angry villagers gheraoed the Police Station and set the building on fire. Two vehicles were also damaged by the protesters who demanded the arrest of the accused. The villagers later staged a road blockade with the child’s body.