Bhubaneswar, Oct. 11: Kandhamal police today arrested secretary of the Kui Samaj Co-ordination Committee Lambodar Kanhar, who on Tuesday led a mob attack on candidates for the post of shikshya sahayaks (para teacher) from other parts of Odisha.

The attack on the candidates at Phulbani, the district headquarters town of Kandhamal, triggered a statewide debate and condemnation.

The committee has been spearheading a movement against non-tribals, who have managed government jobs by allegedly producing fake certificates that showed them as tribals.

Kandhamal superintendent of police J.N. Panakj told The Telegraph: “We have arrested and forwarded him to sub-divisional judicial magistrate court under various sections of the rioting act. We will take action against those, who have taken law into their hands.”

Kandhamal police took time to arrest the leader as Pankaj had been on leave. After joining duty today, he ordered immediate action against Kanhar. On Monday, the Odisha government had asked the Kandhamal district administration to take tough action against the accused in the case.

Kanhar, however, said the police had been misled into arresting him. “It is not their fault. They arrested me on the basis of a complaint, which was motivated and misleading. We did not beat up anyone. Local people only chased the candidates from other districts. Our supporters had persuaded candidates coming from other districts to go back, so that local candidates got their due.”

The mob, led by Kanhar, beat up many of the candidates and tore their certificates.

Two candidates, Sabita Nayak and Vilas Behera, who were hurt in the attack, lodged FIRs. “We have lodged a complaint at Phulbani police station against Lambodar Kanhar and his supporters. Kanhar and his supporters asked us to show the certificates. Later, they snatched and tore them,” said Behera, who had gone to Phulbani for the interview and certificate verification.

As many as 2,259 candidates from Kendrapada, Nayagarh, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Kandhamal and Boudh were called for certificate verification to fill up vacancies for 753 shikshya sahayaks posts yesterday. The certificates were verified at the District Sarva Shikshya Abhiyan office and Government Girls’ High School when the trouble erupted.

In another development, the Kandhamal district administration said none should panic. District project co-ordinator of the Sarva Shikshya Abhiyan, Kandhamal, said the candidates from other district, who had fled without verification of their certificates at Phulbani, could do it at the office of the Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority, Bhubaneswar.