Man sets tahsil office on fire in Odisha

A man set a tahsil office on fire in Odisha’s Sambalpur district on Friday, angry that his many years-old land dispute has remained unresolved despite repeated visits to the office.

Rajib Kisan was arrested after he confessed to his crime through a social media platform.

Many important documents of Rengali Tahsil officer were destroyed in the fire. The computer section also suffered extensive damage. Only a couple of employees were present in the office when the incident took place.

Kisan (30), hailing from Gumkarma under the Thelkuli police limits, alleged that his property was fraudulently sold by some unscrupulous elements. The matter, he said, was brought to the notice of the administration several times, to no avail.

The accused said he acted out of frustration as the delay in resolution of the dispute was causing a crisis in his family.

“I have no idea why he took the extreme step,” said Sunil Meher, Rengali Tahsildar. “I heard from the staff that there was a land dispute pending since 2004. He, however, did not bring the issue before me.”