Man held for hurling firecrackers in Odisha court room

A man was arrested for hurling three firecrackers -- locally known as "sutli" bombs, in a court room in Odisha's capital Bhubaneswar Monday, police said.

The incident occurred in the court room of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) during lunch break. As nobody was inside, there were no injuries and also no damage, assistant commissioner of police Dilip Kumar Das told IANS.

Soon after the incident, lawyers present there overpowered the man and handed him over to the police.

Das said the accused, Upendra Mohanty, 63, is a follower of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the founder of the Indian National Army. He lives close to the court.

Mohanty has a record of committing such crimes. He hurled similar bombs at a judge in Bhubaneswar in 1987, Das said.

In the latest incident, he allegedly objected to a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi on the wall of the court room and wanted it to be replaced by that of Bose, Das said. "The man appears to be having some mental problem," he said.

"Sutli" bombs are considered to be the noisiest firecrackers, used especially during Diwali.