Youth killed during ‘Danda Nacha’

Berhampur: ‘Danda Nacha’ took a violent turn when a youth was stabbed to death at Jena Sahi under Bada Bazar police station here late on Sunday. Police arrested Trinath Panigrahi (73), the owner of a Jatra troupe, and his son Pradeep Kumar Panigrahi (40), for killing Jagadish Panigrahi (34), all belonging to Belagaon in Ganjam district.

The accused father-son duo were forwarded to court on Monday.

The incident took place when ‘Danda Nacha’ was going on at 2.30 am. According to police, Jagadish first assaulted Trinath, hitting him with a stone. A few minutes later, Pradeep attacked and killed Jagadish with a knife.

The dispute arose over location of the stage for ‘Danda Nacha.’ Jagadish had taken money from some persons hoping that the father-son duo would agree to put up the stage for those persons.

But when the father-son duo refused that location, Jagadish realised that he would be losing money, said Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M.

The Jatra stage, light and sound system were arranged by the father and son. Jagadish had also come with them.

They knew one another for 30 years. Jagadish sustained bleeding injury in his neck and was shifted to MKCG where the doctor declared him brought dead.

‘Danda Nacha,’ one of the most important traditional dance festivals organised in different parts of Ganjam, is held in the month of Chaitra every year. The participants, called Danduas (also Bhoktas), pray to Kali and Shiva for 13, 18 or 21 days of penance. Only male persons take part in this festival.