SAFFRON PARTY WORKERS GOT INTO SCUFFLES WITH POLICE PERSONNEL RESULTING IN STONE-PELTING AND LATHI-CHARGE
Bhubaneswar: A day after the suicide of Kunduli ‘gangrape’ victim, Opposition Congress and BJP Tuesday hit the streets and demanded a CBI probe into the issue.
Both the parties held the BJD government and the police responsible for the suicide of the minor Dalit girl who had been allegedly gangraped by four men who were in uniform and carrying guns in October last year.
Congress workers led by its state unit president Prasad Harichandan staged a road block at Kunduli in Koraput district. Harichandan and the party’s senior leaders Pradeep Majhi and Taraprasad Bahinipati staged protests with the body of the girl.
Similarly, the Congress’s women wing tried to ghero Naveen Niwas here over the issue. However, their bid was foiled as police arrested them mid way to Naveen Niwas. Later, they were released.
BJP activists staged protests demanding a CBI probe and resignation of the Chief Minister over the issue. The saffron party workers took out a rally from the party office to Naveen Niwas.
They broke the police cordon at Master Canteen Square and got into a scuffle with a posse of police personnel resulting in stone-pelting and lathicharge. The situation got aggravated when the BJP workers reached the Sishu Bhawan square.
Police resorted to lathicharge on BJP workers when they tried to proceed to Naveen Niwas. A few BJP workers and police personnel were injured in the clash. Several BJP activists along with police personnel were seen profusely bleeding due to the fracas.
Later, the BJP leaders sat on a dharna on the road condemning the police action on them. The police later arrested them and cleared the traffic.
“As we are moving for a peaceful demonstration, the police resorted to lathi-charge and hooliganism to disperse us. We were not allowed to go to Naveen Niwas. This protest will intensify in the coming days,” said state BJP vice president Sameer Mohanty.
BJP general secretary Bhrugu Bauxipatra said it was most unfortunate that when we were peacefully proceeding to Naveen Niwas to demand a CBI probe into the Kunduli gang rape incident, the police resorted to lathicharge on the party workers.
BJP leader Jairam Pangi said the girl was forced to commit suicide as the government failed to give her justice. Pangi wanted to know why the government got her admitted to a hospital where she was kept for several days if she was not gang raped.
Meanwhile, Union social justice and empowerment minister Thaawar Chand Ghelot, who was in the state to attend a function, reacted to the incident, saying it was most unfortunate that the gang rape victim committed suicide as she did not get justice from the police. Ghelot said he would take up the matter with Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Reacting to the issue, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “My deepest condolence for the very tragic incident. My condolences to the bereft family. We’ll see what can be done.”
BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb said, “The incident is extremely mournful and we feel sad for it. The CM has already expressed it. A judicial probe is on. When the opposition and media had raised objections to police probe into it, the Chief Minister had ordered a judicial probe.”
“The way BJP and Congress are politicising the incident, I would like to advise them not to do this as it may create a wrong precedent. They should desist from politicising the issue,” Deb added.
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