The police, however, claimed that the rally had been called off after the Jagrut Orissa Kamdar Manch expressed satisfaction with the action taken against the unit-owners who lynched an Oriya youth caught with a stolen bag of weights.

Meanwhile, police bandobast, including mobile vans, has been increased in Pandesara, where angry workers had tried to set fire to a couple of powerloom units on Saturday evening after damaging nearly a dozen vehicles parked in the Jalaram Industrial Society.

All the units in the society and nearby were closed on Monday. Two more workers were arrested in connection with the rioting.