Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Wednesday strongly condemned the arrest of party’s senior leader and Ganjam district president Bikram Panda in connection with the sensational murder of BJP leader and lawyer Pitabas Panda, terming the police action as completely politically motivated aimed at defaming the regional party ahead of the Nuapada byelection. Addressing a press conference at Sankha Bhawan here, senior BJD leaders Pramila Mallik, Bhrugu Baxipatra and Lenin Mohanty alleged that a conspiracy was hatched to frame Bikram.
Although police made several claims about Bikram’s alleged involvement, no concrete evidence has been presented so far, they said. Mallik said that during the 16 months of BJP rule, law and order in Odisha has collapsed, with Ganjam district topping the crime chart. She pointed out that 152 rape cases and 128 murders have been registered in Ganjam alone. She further alleged that illegal sand mining has peaked in the district, resulting in violent incidents, and claimed that a state minister was involved in the illegal trade. Mallik said that former BJP zilla parishad member N Damburu Reddy had written to the chief minister, accusing the involvement of the BJP minister in Pitabas Panda murder and demanded his dismissal and investigation. Alleging that Bikram’s arrest was carried out in a dramatised manner in order to divert public attention, she said police have failed to produce any credible evidence.
The BJD leader said the party strongly condemns the arrest and will continue to raise its voice against such ‘injustice’. Baxipatra termed the arrest ‘politically driven’, claiming it was part of the BJP’s pattern of targeting Opposition leaders. He alleged that the police, acting under government pressure, has prepared a false narrative to implicate Bikram while the real cause of the murder lies in internal BJP conflicts and illegal sand trade disputes. Mohanty alleged that the police, under BJP influence, have deliberately made the BJD district president an accused. He said the party would launch statewide protests against the action.
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