5 die in clash over land dispute

Five members of a family were killed and four others seriously injured in a clash between two tribal families over land dispute in Odisha's Bolangir district today, police said.
The clash broke out between family members of Ramel Thappa and Sankheswar Majhi at Thapapalli near here under Bolangir Sadar police station area this morning, they said.
Ramel Thappa and his four sons - Jagdish, Kapil, Purna and Madras - died in the clash in which sticks and sharp weapons besides agriculture implements were used, Inspector In-Charge (IIC), Bolangir Sadar police station, Pradeep Jena said.
Four persons belonging to Majhi family were injured in the incident and three of them later referred to the VSS Medical College Hospital at Burla while one was being treated at the district headquarters hospital here.

Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Bolangir Sadar, Narayan Nayak said four persons - Sankheswar Majhi, his brother Sadashiv Majhi and two sons Biswanath Majhi and Kandha Majhi - were arrested before being referred to the hospital.
Five women members of the family were also detained for interrogation, he said. Cases were registered under various sections of IPC including murder and rioting.

Animosity between the two families was continuing for long over ownership and cultivation on a grazing land. The dispute had taken its toll last year when one Ekadasi Majhi of Majhi family was killed after being attacked by Thappa family.

However, it turned ugly today when the Thappa family reached the disputed land for cultivation which was opposed to by their rivals and the area turned in a virtual battle field.
Senior police officials went to the spot and a probe was in progress, IIC Jena said, adding, the bodies were sent for post-mortem.