Cuttack, Nov 10: Police authorities in Odisha’s historic city of Cuttack have arrested four persons for allegedly assaulting and manhandling an on-duty woman Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who was actively enforcing environmental noise restrictions on bursting firecrackers during Diwali night.
The confrontation occurred in the Nayasadak locality of the city late Sunday evening. Under regulations notified by the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), the bursting of firecrackers was restricted to a designated two-hour window between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM. However, several youths continued setting off heavy pyrotechnics along busy transit corridors well past 10:30 PM, causing severe inconvenience and hazard to passing motorists and pedestrians.
A police enforcement team headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ananya Awasthi—a 2022-batch IPS officer—arrived on the scene to disperse the gathering and stop the unlawful activity. An altercation broke out as the crowd resisted police instructions, quickly escalating into an aggressive physical confrontation during which youths shoved and misbehaved with the officer.
Following the incident, Lalbagh Police Station launched immediate investigative proceedings, reviewing multiple CCTV recordings and mobile video clips that circulated across social platforms. Ten suspects were initially detained for questioning, leading to the formal arrest of four primary instigators.
Cuttack Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rishikesh Dnyandeo Khilari confirmed that the arrested individuals have been booked under pertinent sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) covering assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of duty, rioting, wrongful restraint, negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible substances, and criminal intimidation. Khilari asserted that additional suspects visible in surveillance footage are being tracked down, warning that unlawful hostility against law enforcement personnel will be dealt with under the strictest legal provisions.
Published by True Roots Media