Youth Hacked to Death in Balasore Over Past Enmity; NH-16 Blocked for Four Hours

Balasore: Tension gripped Odisha’s Balasore district after a 24-year-old youth was allegedly hacked to death over previous enmity near Junabalada Chhak under Basta police limits on Wednesday night. The incident triggered massive public outrage, with angry locals blocking National Highway-16 for nearly four hours demanding strict action against the accused.

The deceased has been identified as Sanjit Mallick of Junabalada village. According to police, Sanjit was attacked by a group of four youths armed with sharp weapons while he was engaged in some work near the area.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the attack was linked to a dispute over a mobile phone theft case reported nearly two months ago. Following the earlier incident, both parties had reportedly signed a written settlement at the panchayat level, agreeing not to level allegations against each other.

However, tensions resurfaced on Wednesday evening after an argument broke out between the two groups, which later escalated into violence. Sanjit sustained grievous injuries on his neck, chest and other parts of the body during the assault.

Locals rescued the critically injured youth and rushed him to Remuna Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Following the murder, locals managed to catch one of the accused while others fled from the spot. As police kept the accused inside a police vehicle, irate villagers demanded that he be handed over to them. The protesters later staged a road blockade on NH-16 at Junabalada Chhak by burning tyres.

The agitation continued for around four hours, severely disrupting vehicular movement on both sides of the busy highway and leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded. Traffic movement resumed after 11 pm following prolonged discussions between police officials and protesters.

Police said three persons have been detained in connection with the murder case, while the prime accused, identified as Aniket, is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital. Further investigation is underway.