At least 17 people were injured, five of them critically, during a group clash over fishing rights between residents of two villages in the banks of the Chilika lake here today.
The clash, where guns and crude bombs were used by both the sides, involved the residents of Alanda and Patana villages, police said.
Both the groups were demanding their rights over fishing in a particular area of the lake.
While the critically injured persons have been shifted to MKCG Medical College Hospital at Brahampur, others have been admitted to the nearby government hospitals.
All the injured persons had gun shot injuries, said Puri sadar SDPO Alekh Chandra Pathi.
Pathi said police been deployed in the area to defuse the tension after the clash.
