Former MLA, others held

Tribal leader Halu Mundari
and two of his associates were arrested on the charge of trespassing into a private land and pulling down a boundary wall, the police said today.
Mundari, former MLA of Raghunathpalli, and Letha Tirky and Bande Ekka were picked up last evening on the basis of an FIR filed against them, Panposh SDPO Tushar Jena said.
The three were stated to be associates of George Tirky, the Independent MLA of Biramitrapur, who is opposing construction of Agricultural Research Center at Bankia near Pradhanpalli, which is close to Rourkela Airport.
The arrest was made on the basis of an FIR filed by one Surendranath Swain who alleged that a mob led by TIrky had forcibly entered the land owned by Swain and pulled down a boundary wall on January 29. Cases were registered against over 40 people including Tirky.

The SDPO said police are searching for Tirky and it is believed he has gone underground to avoid arrest.