Prohibitory orders have been put into effect across all assembly segment areas of Odisha's Bhadrak district until the culmination of polling on Saturday. This measure follows reports of clashes between workers affiliated with the BJP and BJD, according to officials.
The restrictions, invoked under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), were initiated from Thursday night and are scheduled to persist until 6 pm, coinciding with the conclusion of voting in the state's seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
The section includes a ban on unlawful assembly of five or more people. The move comes after Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha’s Odisha unit president Abhilas Panda, and six of his associates were attacked allegedly by workers of the ruling BJD on Thursday evening in Chandbali assembly segment under Bhadrak Lok Sabha constituency, police said.
A police officer mentioned that Panda and six party workers are currently receiving treatment in the hospital. Kamala Sutar, the president of the BJP in Chandbali block, stated that the party has filed a First Information Report (FIR) and is urging the swift arrest of the perpetrators. Bainsada police station officer-in-charge Debaraj Jena said three persons have been detained in connection with the attack, but no case has yet been registered against them.