Father, Two Sons Sent to Judicial Custody for Assaulting Census Officials in Dhenkanal

Dhenkanal: A father and his two sons have been sent to judicial custody for allegedly assaulting census officials, abusing them, and damaging a government vehicle in Anantapur Sahi under Kamakhyanagar police limits in Dhenkanal district, officials said on Thursday.

The accused, identified as Nikunja Ramana Satapathy and his sons Udit Swapna Satapathy and Bhanu Prakash Satapathy, were arrested after a complaint was lodged by census staff. They were later produced before a local court, which remanded them to judicial custody.

According to officials, the incident took place during the ongoing census exercise when the trio allegedly attacked four enumerators, used abusive language, and vandalised a government vehicle. The incident led to tension in the locality, and a video of the episode has also surfaced on social media.

Dhenkanal Sub-Collector Dinamani Naik took cognisance of the matter and directed immediate action. Following this, Kamakhyanagar Police registered a case and carried out the arrests.

Reacting strongly, the state’s Revenue Minister said that strict and exemplary action would be taken against anyone obstructing or attacking census officials. He emphasized that such acts would not be tolerated in a democratic setup and assured that the law would take its course.