Several slum-dwellers were injured in a clash with the police while trying to foil a bid to remove their jhuggis at Narayani Basti, 1 km from the State Secretariat here, on Saturday.
Resentment has been brewing among inhabitants of Narayani Basti for long with the administration trying to make the land encroachment-free.
Slum-dwellers assembled to impede work by the demolition squad comprising officials from the General Administration, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and police personnel.
When the demolition vehicle came close, the slum-dwellers stood in its way. When the police started taking them into custody, they resorted to stone pelting.
According to Narayani Basti committee, a woman was critically injured when a wall fell on her. Children were seen screaming as their mothers were taken away by the police. About 49 women were kept in the police van till evening.
Kussum Naik, a leader of the Basti, said there were 285 families residing in the slum and the State government was not willing to rehabilitate them.
