Ex-panchayat man prime suspect: Cops

The eight,including owners and operators of a stone crushing unit on a hill near Badagada village under Dharakote block of Ganjam,were charred to death around 8 pm on Friday.

It has emerged now that the three owners and five others of the stone crusher unit,when chased by the murderous mob,had locked themselves in the tin shed little knowing that the huge amount of diesel and ammonium nitrate explosives stored inside for stone quarrying would end up killing them. The shed caught fire as the mob threw crackers and burning tyres through a window.

As police officials tried to identify the bodies after midnight,all that remained in the shed was the nauseating smell of burnt flesh,blackened fans,an electric heater,a few cold drink bottles,burnt tyres and three mangled motorcycles. It was a ghastly sight. The lone woman,who was among those dead,was badly charred. We could only see her torso and broken bangles lying near the body. But we have managed to identify all the bodies with the help of their relatives, said Ganjam SP Nitinjeet Singh.

The police,who initially doubted the role of Maoists in the incident,have ruled out their role.

A police official,who helped in clearing the debris,said at least five of the victims tried to hold each other closer as they desperately tried to get out. Their skulls and bones were lumped together in a corner, the constable said.

Locals said the woman,who worked with her crusher operator husband,was married recently.

All the deceased were in the age group of 25-35 and married,barring one. The SP said the bodies were handed over to the relatives after autopsy.

While the police are zeroing on 50 suspects for the murder,they are examining the roles of a former member of the local panchayat samiti,who was interested in getting the quarrying licence,as well as that of two other influential villagers.

Local people say that the ex-member,a resident of Badagada village,had organised a community feast for the villagers on Friday and got several of them drunk before egging them on to the burn the crusher owner alive. Incidentally,the crusher owners had secured their quarrying licence 3-4 days ago though they were operating it for the past four months.

In Badagada village,however,there was little nervousness on the faces of the people as they whiled away time playing cards. Yudhisthir Pradhan,a villager,claimed that the crusher was a nuisance as it continued to operate throughout the night. The owners would even threaten us and abuse our people. But why would we kill the crusher owners? Last night all of us were attending a community feast and had heard some noises. But we did not pay much heed, he said.

The police believe the stone quarrying licence was the main reason behind the murder. We would get to the bottom of the case and arrest all accused, said the SP.