Four people were arrested after Cuttack ACP Ananya Awasthi was allegedly manhandled during a police drive to enforce the 9 pm deadline for bursting firecrackers in the city, following a confrontation with shopkeepers in the Nayasadak locality on Sunday night.
The incident occurred after police personnel intervened over the bursting of firecrackers beyond the permitted time, according to a report by the Times of India. The confrontation involved local vendors, several of whom traditionally worship Goddess Laxmi on Diwali night before bursting firecrackers, the report said.
The situation escalated after some police personnel allegedly kicked firecrackers that had been kept on the road, according to a video that later circulated on social media. The action angered vendors, who confronted the police, leading to a scuffle. Awasthi, who was present at the location to oversee enforcement, was allegedly manhandled during the confrontation.
Police examined CCTV footage and videos shared online to establish the sequence of events and identify those involved. Cuttack DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo said Vinay Agarwal, 32, Yash Choudhury, 23, Krishna Soni, 20, and Mohit Nangalia, 22, had been arrested. He said the investigation was continuing.
“We have examined CCTV footage and viral videos to establish the sequence of events and identify those involved,” the DCP said, according to the report. He added that obstruction or attacks on police personnel performing their duty would be dealt with firmly.
Awasthi said the police were enforcing restrictions on bursting firecrackers after 9 pm and stated, “Nobody is above the law.” Local shopkeepers, however, alleged that the police response had provoked the confrontation. Sudesh Agrawal, a shopkeeper, said the police could have handled the situation more sensitively and that kicking fireworks lying on the road had angered people.
The incident places enforcement of time-bound firecracker restrictions alongside the practical challenge of managing local traditions and commercial activity in dense urban neighbourhoods. The police action followed the reported breach of the permitted time, while the vendors’ account focused on the manner in which the enforcement was carried out. Both aspects are part of the ongoing inquiry into the confrontation.
Awasthi is an Odisha-cadre IPS officer and a law graduate from National Law Institute University, Bhopal. She previously served in the Indian Railway Traffic Service before joining the IPS and began her policing career as an assistant superintendent of police under training in Sundargarh. She later joined the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissionerate as ACP.
In May 2026, Awasthi became the first woman police officer to be appointed Aide-de-Camp to then Odisha governor Hari Babu Kambhampati. She took charge at Lok Bhavan on May 31 and returned to the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissionerate as ACP in August 2026.
Police said further investigation would continue on the basis of CCTV footage and videos circulated online.
