Dhenkanal, July 15: Ten Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans from Bhubaneswar was detained by the Dhenkanal police for allegedly assaulting one person and his niece today.

The group also manhandled the district sub-collector, who had tried to intervene in the matter to resolve the dispute. The jawans were on their way to Bhubaneswar from Chhattisgarh.

Eyewitnesses said one Suvendu Das was going to drop his niece, Rasmita, to her school. On their way, Das was hit by a police van carrying the jawans. They fell down on road. The jawans were travelling in two vans.

When Das went to the driver and confronted him for reckless driving, some of the jawans got down from the vehicle and assaulted him. They also allegedly showed their guns to Das.

Many people gathered on the spot. Sub-collector Biswantha Acharya, who was passing by, too, stopped his vehicle and tried to intervene. However, he was manhandled. Following this, Acharya called the police and the jawans and their vehicles were taken to police station.

“We have detained all the 10 CRPF jawans travelling in two vehicles from Chhattisgarh to Bhubaneswar. After verification, the culprits among them would be arrested and forwarded to court. We are waiting for the sub-collector to return, who had gone to Bhubaneswar. The guilty will be punished,” said Dhenkanal superintendent of police Satish Gajviye.

In another development, medical examination of the assaulted had been done and necessary action would follow, said P.K. Pradhan, investigating officer of town police station. S.B. Singh, the driver of the CRPF vehicle, pleaded innocence, saying that it was Das who had provoked the jawans.