BJD flays detention of elected representatives

BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Friday condemned the detention of Bishal Das, son of former minister Naba Kishore Das and elected representatives of Kirmira panchayat samiti of Jharsuguda district, alleging that it has violated their democratic rights.

A delegation of BJD leaders including former ministers Debi Prasad Mishra and Sanjay Das Burma, opposition chief Pramila Mallik and party spokesperson Lekhasri Samantsinghar submitted a memorandum addressed to DGP YB Khurania to ADG (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar demanding that he determine the real reason behind such illegal detention.

Opposition leader and BJD president Naveen Patnaik had also written to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, asking him to intervene and release them immediately.

Stating that the no-confidence motion against the post of Kirmira block president scheduled for that day could not be held due to the arrest, BJD leaders alleged that trumped-up and fabricated cases had been filed against them. They allege that when Das and his followers were released by the Chhattisgarh police, the elections had been cancelled.

The no-confidence motion and election of the new bloc president were scheduled for Friday as per the directions of the Orissa High Court, BJD leaders said.

“The panchayat samiti members and sarpanchs of Kirmira block were on their way to participate in the elections when they were detained near Mahasamund in Chhattisgarh. When Das rushed to the spot along with other supporters, they too were detained by the police,” the BJD leaders alleged, alleging that this was done to prevent them from participating in the elections.