Bhubaneswar/Brahmapur: BJD has alleged that relatives and representatives of Odisha Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena were involved in incidents of “hooliganism and anti-social activities” and accused Brahmapur Police of “acting under his influence”.
The allegations came a day after police arrested ruling BJP youth wing district president B Somanath Patra for allegedly abusing and interfering with police personnel during an incident involving the rescue of child labourers in Gopalpur Friday night.
Addressing a press conference Sunday, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty alleged that relatives and representatives of Jena had repeatedly violated the law, while Brahmapur Police were not allowing the law to take its course.
“The situation has reached such a stage that even when the minister’s representative and district BJP Yuva Morcha president allegedly attacked an inspector on duty, police arrested him by applying relatively lenient sections,” Mohanty alleged.
Jena, however, rejected the allegations and said the law must take its own course and no one was above the law.
Targeting the minister, Mohanty alleged that Jena’s nephew Deepak had attacked an advocate and his family in broad daylight some days ago, but police allegedly removed his name from the chargesheet.
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“Another nephew of the minister, Biswajit Jena, was arrested in the much-discussed case of a student’s suicide, but police did not make the photograph of the accused public and, by not submitting the case diary before the court, allegedly helped him secure bail,” Mohanty said.
The BJD also alleged that although the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had conducted a raid at the residence of another representative of Jena, Sunil Patra, the matter was allegedly suppressed under the minister’s pressure.
Mohanty further alleged that large-scale illegal extraction and transportation of minor minerals such as sand and stone in the minister’s constituency and across the district were causing huge revenue losses to the government exchequer and contributing to an increase in anti-social activities.
“If the protector becomes the predator, to whom will the people turn for justice?” Mohanty asked.
He said if the police did not work free from pressure and give due importance to maintaining law and order in the district, the BJD would take to the streets in the coming days to fight for justice for the common people.
PTI