Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Rishikesh Khilari Dnyandeo and five other police personnel were injured when violence broke out during the Durga Puja idol immersion procession in Cuttack late on Friday night.
The incident occurred around 2am when the Jhanjhirmangala Puja Committee’s procession reached Hatipohari. Locals objected to the loud music and certain songs and slogans, sparking a heated argument that soon escalated into stone-pelting and bottle-throwing. The DCP sustained an injury below his right eye after being struck by a stone.
Police resorted to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the mob. Following the clash, members of other puja committees staged a dharna, blocking the road and
halting the immersion procession for nearly six hours. The stalemate ended only after senior officials and the local peace committee intervened.
Six people were arrested after police examined drone and CCTV footage from the site. “The situation is under control,” said Cuttack-Bhubaneswar police commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh.