Tension grips Odisha after 10 chopped palms recovered in Jajpur area

Jajpur: Tension gripped Odisha’s Jajpur area on Sunday after 10 chopped palms, suspected to be of tribals killed in 2006 police firing, were found in Kalinga Nagar area, police said.

The tribals were killed during a protest against land acquisition for a steel plant in Kalinga Nagar in January 2006.

Police had found five pairs of chopped palms, which were preserved in a medical box in a club near the site, Jajpur Superintendent of Police C S Meena said.

Last night (Saturday), some miscreants broke the club’s window and entered it. They took away the box containing the chopped palms and dumped them in the area, he said.

So far, no formal complaint has been lodged in this regard, Meena said, adding that heavy police force has been deployed in the area to maintain strict vigil.

At least 13 tribals were killed during the police firing.

Doctors conducting post-mortem of the bodies had to cut the palms of five victims to obtain their fingerprints as they could not be identified, the police said.

The chopped palms were given to the deceased tribals’ family members a couple of years ago, but they refused to accept them and demanded a DNA test, they said.

Following this, they were preserved in the medical box and kept in the club, they said.