Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police on Monday arrested four persons for allegedly manhandling ACP Ananya Awasthi following a dispute over bursting firecrackers during Diwali celebration in Kataka city.
The arrests were made by Lalbag Police in connection with the incident at Nayasadak on Sunday, where a confrontation broke out between police personnel and some local residents over the bursting of firecrackers.
According to reports, the situation turned tense after the woman ACP, a 2022-batch IPS officer, intervened and asked people to stop bursting firecrackers. However, some persons allegedly engaged in an argument with the officer, which later escalated into a physical altercation.
Kataka DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo confirmed the arrest of four persons in connection with the incident. Police identified the accused with the help of CCTV footage and videos of the incident that had gone viral on social media.
The cops had earlier detained at least 10 people for questioning in connection with the incident. Further investigation into the incident is underway.
It is worth mentioning here that Awasthi had been appointed as the aide-de-camp (ADC) to then Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati in May this year. She was the first woman officer to hold the post in the state. Later, the woman IPS officer was transferred and posted as the ACP in the Bhubaneswar-Kataka Commissionerate Police.
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