Seven persons including a woman were burnt alive by an angry mob in a village of coastal Ganjam district on Friday night after they clashed with the villagers over operation of a stone crusher in the area. Though the village is close to a Maoist-infested area, police have ruled out the hand of Maoists in the incident.

The seven, all working with a stone crushing unit on a hill near Badagada village under Seragada block of Ganjam, were charred to death as the diesel stored in cans in the tin shed they had taken shelter caught fire. "Minutes before an angry and armed mob from Badagada had chased them following which they locked themselves in the tin shed. The shed had cans full of diesel which caught fire once the assailants set fire to the shed. They had no chances of escape. The bodies were so badly burnt that it is difficult for us to recognize them," said Ganjam SP Nitinjeet Singh.

Police said last evening a group of people from Badagada village clashed with the henchmen of a stone crusher over damages to the local temple. Though the crusher unit was closed for some days following local protest, its owners started operating it last morning through some local labourers. "The local people had problems with the crusher unit and they had minor clash recently. A few days ago, the temple had developed cracks after a chunk of stone from a crusher nearby hit its wall. The villagers had complained to the crusher owner and demanded money for repair of the crack. However, the crusher owner did not pay heed. Yesterday's re-opening triggered a public fury," said sub-divisional police officer Binod Kamila.

On Friday evening, at around 9 pm the villagers went to the crusher site after learning that its owner was sending some goons to teach them a lesson. "The crusher owner's henchmen were drinking liquor when the villagers gheraoed and overpowered them room," said the SDPO.

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