Bhubaneswar, Aug. 19: Tension gripped Damana on the city outskirts this morning following a scuffle between local residents and the henchmen of a real estate developer who is trying to construct a boundary wall on a controversial plot of land near the local Government High School. Three persons suffered minor injuries in the scuffle.

While the people alleged that the builder, Prabir Parida, was forcibly constructing a boundary wall with the help of armed goons, Parida said his men were attacked by the local residents. He also claimed that the land belonged to him.

Police brought the situation under control and they are deployed at the spot.

The bone of contention is a 200-decimal plot that was once inside the high school boundary wall. This wall has been demolished by the builder. Refuting the builder’s claim, local residents said the land was the property of the school but some brokers had sold it illegally.

Jajati Keshari Sahu, a local resident, said three government schools including the high school were functioning on a common campus of which land was a part. While an upper primary school was started here in 1982, a middle English school was set up in 1991. The high school came up in 1993.

“Some people sold this land to two women last August using fake sale deeds. The builder has been trying hard to get this plot but we are against it,” said Sahu adding that the local residents had opposed the builder’s moves in the past as well.

Another resident, Mita Behera, said when they saw the builder constructing the wall this morning with a group of armed goons, all the women of the area gathered at the spot and protested. “Since the school was closed today, he came to occupy the land. We will not allow it,” she said.

Legal documents show that the land has been sold to two women, Sanjukta Jena and Pramila Parida. But after the local residents opposed their attempt to occupy the land, a case was registered in the civil court senior division, Bhubaneswar, which ruled in favour of the two women.

The builder concerned is the son of one of the landowners. He said that following the court’s order, he had come to fence the plot. “The land is legally ours. Even the court had ordered in our favour, but I do not know why these people are opposing us. They are demanding money,” he said adding that his men were attacked by the local residents.

Chandrasekharpur police said they had received a complaint from Parida and were looking into the matter. “Everything is under control now. We are trying to resolve the issue through dialogue between the two sides,” said a senior police officer of Chandrasekharpur police station.