Three held for assault on pilgrims

BALASORE: Three persons were arrested on Monday on charges of ransacking a bus and assaulting pilgrims in Balasore town. The trio, identified as Bijay Kumar Kanongo (24), Abhisek Patra (18) and Rajesh Kumar Das (20) of Makalpur area under Town police station limits, have been forwarded to court.Police sources said nearly 60 pilgrims from Bhadrak had stopped at Baba Bhujakhia Pir shrine here on way to Ajmer. A group of youths waylaid their bus soon after they left the shrine.  “They demanded ` 500 from the driver and attacked him when he refused.  The youths went berserk and damaged  windows, front and back glasses of the bus and assaulted the pilgrims injuring three,” said Town IIC Pravat Chandra Panigrahi.The police later rounded up three youths and seized  a car from their possession.While a case has been  registered on the complaint of bus driver Sk Lala, police are raiding different places to arrest the other offenders.  Meanwhile, the three injured pilgrims were administered first aid in a hospital here.