Balasore (Odisha), February 27 Two officials sent to conduct a special intensive revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal mistakenly entered a village in neighboring Balasore district of Odisha and were assaulted by locals, who suspected them of being members of a child-lifting gang, police said on Friday.
The incident took place on Wednesday when the two officials entered a village in the Raibania police station area of Balasore district, which shares a border with West Bengal, the police said.
According to the police, the two officials were deputed as micro-observers for the SIR work and were supposed to visit a village in the Nayagram block in West Bengal, but had mistakenly entered the bordering village in Odisha because their hired auto-rickshaw could not locate the exact destination village where they were supposed to go.
The local people suspected them of being members of a child-lifting gang and assaulted them, the police said.
Upon receiving information, the local police rushed to the spot, but the mob obstructed them from performing their duty and even manhandled the police team. After some time, the police rescued the two officials from the mob.
Balasore Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Niranjan Behera said to