Sambalpur: Office bearers of the Akhil Bharatiya Poorva Sainik Seva Parishad (ABPSSP) and Odisha State Ex-Servicemen League (OSESL), outfits of retired defence persons, who visited VIMSAR and its director Dr Ashwini Pujahary Thursday night, suspected the hand of outside forces in the attack on Dr Pujahary.
Speaking to media here Friday, Brig (retd) Abhimanyu Rout, president of ABPSSP’s state unit and its vice president Col (retd) Pravat Kumar Panda said their associations are probing different angles including the possibility of terror funding in the attack.
Their doubts were based on the pattern of attack on Dr Pujahary which included stone pelting and spitting on his face. Similar attacks had been made on authorities at other premier educational institutions like JNU, Osmania University and Jadavpur University.
They said at all these institutions, where similar attacks had been made in recent years, the protesters had humiliated and misbehaved with defence personnel. The hand of anti-national forces behind the incidents at these educational institutions has been proved, they said, adding, going by the nature of the attack by VIMSAR doctors on Dr Pujahary, there is a possibility that anti-national forces may have played a part at VIMSAR too. Complaints have been lodged at Burla police station in this regard.
“We will prepare a report and seek a probe into the terror funding angle in the attack on VIMSAR director Dr Ashwini Pujahary. We would submit the report to our head office which in turn will forward it to the ministry of defence,” Brig (retd) Abhimanyu Rout said.
He stated that efforts would be made to track the antecedents of these students, their past records and activities and whether they visited JNU and other places in these years where similar problems had cropped up. PNN
