Two murders in three days in public places over gang rivalry in Kendrapara has left people of this coastal town and its adjoining areas panicky. Despite additional deployment of policemen,the people remained scared with a number of people in markets decreasing,besides a drastic drop in the attendance in schools,a senior district official said. Business transaction was affected as buyers from muffusil areas,who depend on the urban market,have stopped venturing into the town out of fear,a prominent businessman said. Two associates of rival gangs have been gunned down in past three days,a person was murdered on Saturday followed by a retaliatory killing on Tuesday night,police said. There has been additional deployment of three platoons of armed police at strategic locations. We are trying to bring normalcy in the situation,so that people regain faith in the force,a police officer said. The CPI(M),however,alleged that gangsters active in Kendrapara and adjacent areas were being patronised by the police and ruling party politicians. Various cases of lawlessness such as murder,throwing of bombs and shootout at public places have been reported in the town since the past one week,virtually throwing normal life out of gear,CPI(M) Kendrapara district secretary Umesh Singh alleged. Claiming that the policemen,barring a few exceptions,were on the pay-roll of gangsters,Singh demanded complete overhauling of the civil and police administrative set up in the district. Our party cadres have information on criminal-police nexus, Singh claimed and alleged that the tender-fixing scandal had brought under sharp focus the unholy alliance of politicians and criminals in the wake of the 2005 murder of contractor Pradip Parida. Probe into the tender fixing business has been shelved to protect the politicians involved,he alleged.
