Baripada: Two Odisha ministers faced the wrath of locals during a visit to Mayurbhanj on Sunday to assess the damage caused by recent hailstorm in the district as irate villagers staged protests and attacked their convoy.
The incident took place during the visit of Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mohapatra in the aftermath of the havoc caused by nor’wester.
After the Ministers inspected the affected areas, the convoy dropped them at the helipad and was returning when a group of locals staged a protest. The protesters expressed their anger and sought to know as to why the ministers did not visit their villages earlier to assess the damage.
The situation took a serious turn when some of the protesters started throwing stones at the convoy, damaging the windscreens of a car.
Sources said a police constable sustained a head injury during the attack, as stones pelted by the protesters hit the vehicles. Security personnel immediately took control of the situation, but the intensity of the protest highlighted the growing dissatisfaction among the people.
Stating that the storm had caused them enormous loss, the locals accused the Ministers of visiting the area quite late and said they should have undertaken a tour earlier. The protesters also blocked roads, shouted slogans, and hurled stones at the passing vehicles.
