Bhubaneswar, Jan 29: A violent clash arising from a dispute during paddy harvesting claimed the life of a man in Shyamsundarpur village under Pirhata police station limits in Bhadrak district on Wednesday evening, triggering tension in the area. The incident took place when Bijay Behera and his family were harvesting paddy in their field with the help of a harvesting machine.

According to sources, a herd of buffaloes belonging to another villager was grazing nearby when dust and chaff from the harvesting process began drifting towards the animals. The buffalo owner reportedly objected to this, leading to a heated verbal altercation between him and Bijay Behera. The situation initially appeared to subside after the argument.

However, family members of the deceased alleged that later in the evening, the buffalo owner, identified as Kalyan Behera, returned to the spot along with his family members. They allegedly forcefully stopped the harvesting machine and confronted Bijay again. When Bijay protested, the accused and his relatives reportedly launched a sudden and brutal assault on him.

Bijay Behera collapsed after the attack and was rushed to the Tihidi Community Health Centre, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. The victim’s family has alleged long-standing personal enmity behind the attack and demanded strict legal action against all those involved.

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