Police officers inspect the site where seven persons were burnt alive. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Bhubaneswar/Berhampur, April 30: The state government today asked the deputy inspector general (southern range) to inquire into the killing of seven persons, including three stone crusher owners, who were burnt alive in Ganjam late last night.

“The DIG (southern range) has been directed to visit the spot and conduct a thorough probe into the circumstances that led to the gruesome incident. Action will be taken on the basis of the DIG’s inquiry report,” home secretary U.N. Behera told reporters in Bhubaneswar. Security has been beefed up to maintain law and order in the area.

The irate villagers of Badagada under Shergada block of Ganjam district had burnt alive seven persons, including a woman, by setting fire to the tin shed where they were taking shelter on the premises of a stone crusher unit at Sindhiguntha under Badagada police station.

Sources said the villagers had been opposing the crusher since its inception as it was causing noise and air pollution affecting the paddy crop in the area. Huge stone boulders rolling down from the hill top quarry following blasts had also damaged the village temple and the villagers were demanding Rs 25,000 as compensation for the same.

The unit had been lying closed for a week, but it had functioned for two hours last morning. The villagers had even forcibly taken away the drilling compressor of the crusher unit a fortnight ago.

Revenue secretary Raj Kumar Sharma said the state government had sought details from the district collectors about the lease granted to stone quarries across the state.

The leaseholders had been asked to put up boards at the quarry sites as well as respective panchayat offices mentioning details of the quarry lease, said Sharma.

Tehsildars have been instructed to conduct surprise inspection to inquire as to whether the guidelines were being violated by the leaseholders and take appropriate actions. They have also been advised to be vigilant where there is a law and order problem and take precautionary measures, he said.

According to sources in the police, about 200 villagers of Badagada armed with lathi, weapons and bombs came to the crusher unit and had arguments with the three partners who ran it. When the situation turned volatile and the villagers attempted to attack them, all the three partners, younger brother of a partner, a clerk and driver of the crusher unit ran for cover. They entered into a tin shed on the crusher premises and bolted the door from inside.

“The irate villagers locked the room from outside. They climbed up to the roof of the room and poured petrol and threw burning tyres inside after opening up a tin sheet. The mob also burnt three motorcycles and one bicycle parked outside the room,” said Ramahari Padhi, father of deceased Tushar Padhi, who was a partner of the crusher unit.

Ramahari has lodged a complaint in Badagada police station today. Ramahari and Harihar Tripathy (brother of another deceased Siba Prasad Tripathy) sustained injuries on their heads and hands after the mob attacked them when they rushed to the spot.

“About 200 people were there at the crusher unit and the rest room was burning. We somehow managed to return from the spot and informed officers at the Seragada police station immediately,” Harihar said.

“There had been a tussle between the owners of the ABG Stone Crusher and the villagers of Badagada from the beginning. When the crusher unit started on February 4 this year, the villagers were furious. An irate mob had attacked the unit and burnt six persons who took shelter inside a restroom. They also burnt alive a woman outside the room,” said Ganjam’s superintendent of police Nitinjit Singh.

The deceased persons have been identified as Prasanna Patnaik, Siba Prasad Tripathy and Tushar Padhi (32) (all three partners of the stone crusher unit), Kalia Padhi (brother of Tushar Padhi), Jagannath Gauda (a clerk), Krushna Nayak (driver of the crusher) and his wife.

Inspector-in-charge of Badagada police station, L.S. Achari said: “We reached the spot at 11.30pm as the irate villagers did not allow us to go to the spot earlier.”

The inspector, however, said they were not aware of the ongoing tussle between the stone crusher owners and the villagers.