Bhubaneswar, July 8: The severed hands of Khirod Mishra, a youth from Balangir who faced a murderous attack yesterday, could not be joined for fear of endangering his life.

Doctors, who had attended Mishra at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, said the chopped-off hands had not been scientifically preserved and Mishra's life could be at risk had they tried to join the hands back with the body.

Rival villagers had chopped off Mishra's hands at Raghavpalli in Balangir. Yesterday, Mishra, 25, was going to a pond near his village, Raghavpalli, in the Sadar police limits, when the rival group attacked him with sharp weapons and chopped off his hands. After preliminary investigation, police found that around 20 villagers, who had past rivalry with the victim, committed the crime.

In another development, Balangir police today arrested three persons for their alleged involvement in the crime and seized their blood-soaked clothes and the weapons used by them in committing the crime. The arrested persons have been identified as Gopinath Bhoi, Ajit Biswal and Lingaraj Gidela. All are in the age group between 22 and 26. The police are looking for the other accused.

Mishra, who was initially admitted to district headquarters hospital and then shifted to VSS Institute of Medical Science and Research at Burla, was later rushed to SCB as his condition deteriorated.

Arun Choudhury, head of the SCB's plastic and reconstructive surgery department, said that since the chopped-off hands of Mishra had not been scientifically preserved, an effort to rejoin them to the body could have risk the patient's life. "The patient came here around 16 hours after the incident, and they had not preserved the hands properly. A team of doctors, including cardiovascular experts and hand and orthopaedics experts, were consulted. But in view of the risk factor, it was decided not to attempt surgery to rejoin the hands," said Choudhury.

Tension has gripped Mishra's village following the incident and with repeated raids by the police.

Balangir sub-divisional police officer Narayan Nayak said three accused were arrested from nearby areas.

"A stick, which the criminals had used to beat up the victim, was also seized from them. They have been booked under Sections 326 (causing grievous injury with weapons), 307 (attempt to murder) and 120 (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. "We are trying to arrest other accused persons involved in the crime," said Nayak.

Radhakant Mishra, the father of the victim, blamed the police for the hand-chopping incident. He alleged that though complaints had been lodged, police did not take any action against the accused persons and that is why they attacked his son.