Baripada: A local court Monday sent the BJP’s district unit president and three other party leaders to jail on charges of demanding donations from the employees of Jamshola inter-state check gate of the commercial tax department near here in Mayurbhanj district and later ransacking the check-gate after the latter refused to meet their demands.
The party leaders were even accused of threatening the check-gate employees with dire consequences if they failed to meet their demands.
The court of the special district and sessions judge Pramod Kumar Jena remanded the party leaders to judicial custody after rejecting their bail pleas.
The party leaders were identified as BJP’s district president Krushna Chandra Mohapatra, state executive body members Nihar Modi, Chhotelal Mohanta, and party’s district treasurer Prakash Agarwal.
The party leaders were sent to jail after they surrendered in court after a hearing on their bail pleas.
According to the case diary, the party leaders including BJYM vice-president Dinesh Das visited the Jamshola check gate and demanded donations May 23, 2016 claiming that money was needed for the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Balasore in the first week of June 2016.
The check-gate employees however rejected their demands following which the party leaders allegedly picked up a fight with them and ransacked the office.
The BJP leaders were even said to have threatened some of the employees with dire consequences when they rejected their demand to pay money.
Later, sales tax officer (STO) Kulamani Bhoi lodged a complaint at the Jharpokharia police station. Police registered a case and served a notice on the accused party leaders.
The party leaders except for BJYM’s vice president Das had come to the court to to appear for the hearing on their bail applications when the SDSJ Jena rejected their pleas and remanded them to judicial custody.
When contacted, BJP’s district president Mohapatra termed the action as politically motivated and a conspiracy by the ruling BJD to defame the BJP after the ruling party surrendered its majority in the panchayat elections to the saffron party.
Bangiriposi former MLA Purusottam Nayak on behalf of BJP had filed an FIR against STO Bhoi, HK Sahu, BP Nanda, SN Behera, Amarendra Rout, PK Nayar in the check-gate over hurling casteist remarks, misbehaviour and snatching of a gold chain during the incident May 24, 2016. Police registered a case but is yet to arrest anyone in this connection.
BJD district president Lakshman Tudu termed the jail sentence of the BJP leaders as a result of their misdeeds while ruling out political interference in the case.
Public prosecutor Sarat Chandra Samant said that the bail pleas of the accused party leaders were rejected as the opposition leaders might intimidate the complainants if they remain out on bail. PNN