Kendrapara: A court in Odisha’s Kendrapara district has granted bail to Chameli Ojha, a woman sarpanch who has been in judicial custody since June 13 in connection with a case relating to the alleged assault of police personnel.
Ojha, the sarpanch of Tikhiri Gram Panchayat under Mahakalapada block, was arrested in two cases, of which she secured bail in one case Tuesday.
The 33-year-old woman is undergoing treatment in a hospital following her arrest while being in judicial custody in the other case, verbally abusing a block development officer (BDO) and obstructing him from discharging his official duties
Granting her bail Tuesday, the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) of Kendrapara directed Ojha to furnish a bail bond of Rs 30,000 along with two sureties as conditions for her release, said prosecution counsel Ramakanta Kanungo.
The police arrested her June 13 on charges of assaulting police personnel and creating a disturbance at the Mahakalapada BDO office.
However, Ojha and her supporters have alleged that she was assaulted by a group of individuals as well as police personnel during the incident.
The incident has since triggered a political controversy in the state, with opposition parties demanding action against the police officials and local administrators allegedly involved in the episode.
Ojha herself demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter as she accused the police of working in a partisan manner.
Meanwhile, State Commission for Women (SCW) member Kalpana Mallick met Ojha at the hospital.
The SCW will make some recommendations to the government in this regard. I will also meet the Mahakalpada police station IIC and the BDO who have lodged the complaint against Ojha, Mallick told reporters.
Kendrapara District Collector Raghuram R Iyer Wednesday said that the district administration has ordered an investigation into the allegations made by the sarpanch.
Our additional district magistrate will investigate, and the report will be submitted to the state government. This inquiry is apart from the investigation being conducted by the police, the collector said.
