Jajpur, Mar 26 (PTI) Two persons were arrested for allegedly being involved in the murder of a sand mining lessee in Odisha's Jajpur district, police said on Saturday.

Surendra Dash, the lessee of a sand quarry in Manei under the Fatepur panchayat was killed on Thursday after crude bombs were hurled at the mining site when he was supervising works there, Superintendent of Police Rahul P R said.

Also Read | Delhi Budget 2022-23: 'Rozgar Budget' Will Generate Employment for Youth, Says Arvind Kejriwal.

Dash was initially taken to the Binjharpur community health centre and later shifted to the district hospital as his condition deteriorated, the SP said, adding that he succumbed to his injuries.

Notably, Dash was on March 19 attacked by some unidentified miscreants over a sand mining dispute, the police officer said.

Also Read | Maharashtra: Three Arrested With Gutka, Banned Tobacco Products Worth Rs 69 Lakh in Bhiwandi.

The sand quarry in Manei, which was awarded to Dash on lease by the revenue authorities two months ago, was illegally mined earlier by mafia, the SP said.

A sub-inspector of Binjharpur police station was also suspended for dereliction of duty as he did not act upon a complaint about the March 19 attack on the person, the officer said.

The district police swung into action after villagers of Kalyanpur held demonstrations, demanding arrest of culprits and compensation to the next of kin of the deceased.

“A special team was formed, and the main suspect and his aide were arrested on Friday,” the SP added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)