Women block roads over arrests

BERHAMPUR: A day after the Wednesday’s incident in which two persons were killed and several injured in a group clash at Marathi Street in Kodala town, youths of around nine nearby villages fled to escape arrest on Thursday. Police have so far arrested 45 persons of Chachina and nearby villages in connection with the violence.Protesting the arrests, women of the nine villages blocked roads at three places at Chachina, Deogaon and Mathasarasing on Thursday.As a result, vehicular traffic from Aska to Bhubaneswar was disrupted. ADG Sanjeev Marik along with Ganjam Collector Kishen Kumar visited Kodala. Four platoons of police personnel have been deployed in the region as a precaution.Sources said the rival groups belonging to Marathi Street area on the outskirts of Kodala town and adjoining J Sachina village had been at loggerheads for a long time over old disputes.The clash took place after some houses in Marathi Street area were allegedly damaged when an armed mob from J Sachina village set them ablaze on Wednesday morning.As both the groups fought a pitched battle using sticks, iron rods, daggers and swords, two persons were hacked to death.