India News | .BHUBANESWAR/SAMBALPUR CAL36 OD-TEACHER-DEMONSTRATIONS BJD, Opposition Fight on Streets During Patnaik's Visit
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Bhubaneswar/ Ruling BJD activists Tuesday allegedly attacked members of the opposition parties in Odisha and seriously injured a Youth Congress leader for protesting against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his silence in the Kalahandi woman teacher's kidnap and murder case during his visit to Sambalpur.
Bhubaneswar/Sambalpur, Nov 2 (PTI) Ruling BJD activists Tuesday allegedly attacked members of the opposition parties in Odisha and seriously injured a Youth Congress leader for protesting against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his silence in the Kalahandi woman teacher's kidnap and murder case during his visit to Sambalpur.
The opposition parties' workers waved black flags at Patnaik demanding answers from the government for delaying action against minister D S Mishra for his alleged links with the prime accused in the case.
The BJP took out a protest rally against the Odisha government when Patnaik was distributing smart health cards to beneficiaries at a function at Kuchinda on Tuesday, the police said.
Kuchinda Youth Congress (YC) president Jayant Kissan was seriously injured when he was thrashed by alleged BJD workers during the day and was hospitalized, a party leader said.
The opposition BJP and Congress have claimed that their activists were attacked by BJD workers in the presence of the police.
Senior Congress leader Akhil Pratap Singh termed the incident as an "attempt to throttle democracy".
“The goons of BJD attacked Jayanta Kissan when Youth Congress workers were taking out a rally protesting against the silence of the chief minister in the Kalahandi lady teacher murder case,” he said.
The YC leader has sustained severe injuries and undergoing treatment at Kuchinda hospital. However, since his condition is critical, the doctors have advised to shift him to the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at Burla, he said.
BJP tribal leader Rabi Naik alleged that the BJD workers also attacked the saffron party activists at Kuchinda.
“We have given a call for 12-hour Kuchinda bandh on Wednesday in protest against the assault by the BJD goons. They thrashed a tribal youth here. I have never seen such a heinous incident in Kuchinda in my 30 year-old political career, he said.
Rejecting the allegation as "absolutely baseless", Kuchinda BJD MLA Kishore Naik claimed “I have watched the video of the incident. No BJD workers were present where the scuffle took place. We don't know who thrashed whom".
The opposition BJP and the Congress are demanding the sacking of the Minister of State for Home D S Mishra accusing him of patronizing the prime accused in the Kalahandi teacher's murder. The prime accused is the president of the managing committee of the private school at Mahaling in Kalahandi where the teacher was employed. He had fled the police barrack where he was detained and was later arrested as the prime accused in the murder case.
The opposition demand was intensified after a video went viral where the minister was shown praising the prime accused.
Several BJP and JMM supporters were injured by alleged BJD workers in a similar incident at Baripada, the headquarter town of Mayurbhanj district during Patnaik's visit there last month.
The chief minister visits different districts to launch distribution of health cards under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana.
Meanwhile, Mishra after a three-week silence and came out of his residence escorted by his personal security men at Bhawanipatna, the headquarter town of Kalahandi district. He faced a tough time Tuesday when the opposition parties held a black flag demonstration agaist him and an unidentified youth, suspected to be a BJP supporter, asked him when he would resign.
“I want to know when you will resign. The entire state is the on boil over the Kalahandi teacher murder case and you have patronaged the prime accused,” the youth was seen asking the minister in a viral video.
The ruling BJD has defended the minister and organized his visit to Kalahandi and Junagarh, his home constituency, in a bid to counter the opposition allegations.
Mishra after his initial silence issued a statement claiming his innocence in the murder case.
After attending an official meeting in Bhubaneswar on October 26, the minister went to Kalahandi on October 30 and oversaw arrangements made for the chief minister's proposed visit to the district in second week of November.
Mishra also took part in the BJD's ‘Mo Paribara, Odisha Paribara' programme at Karanjakote in Kalahandi district,
He criticised the opposition for pulling him into a controversy and claimed that he had never visited the school where the teacher was employed.
“It is a private school up to Class VIII. I have never been to this school. It's unfortunate that people who have never seen Mahaling, are pointing fingers at me,” Mishra said the meeting at Golamunda.
Meanwhile, Congress told a press conference in Bhubaneswar that the minister cannot escape by making "frivolous statements" in the media.
“He should confess candidly about his involvement with the main accused in the murder case. If the minister is an ex-IAF fauji as he says, he should tender his resignation and face inquiry,” OPCC spokesman S P Nayak said.
Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi said, "Who is he (Mishra) to claim himself innocent? Only CBI can find out the real accused."
Sarangi asked Patnaik to break his silence on the matter and hand over the investigation of the murder case to CBI to bring the real culprits to book.
BJD leader Pramila Mallick said, “No one can escape in the Naveen Patnaik regime. If the minister is found guilty, he will be punished. But, there is no point in making it a political issue.”
(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)