Bhubaneswar: The Congress Thursday demanded the immediate arrest of the prime accused in the assault of two Dalit men in Odisha’s Ganjam district, calling the incident a grave failure of law enforcement.
The victims, Babula Nayak and Bulu Nayak of Singipur panchayat, were allegedly tonsured, assaulted, and forced to crawl on their knees after being accused of cattle smuggling at Jahada in Kharigumma village under Dharakote police station limits last Sunday.
A fact-finding team of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) led by Rama Chandra Kadam met the assaulted men and held discussions with locals and police about the incident.
Speaking to reporters here Thursday after visiting the spot, Kadam said the victims were transporting cows in an auto from Hariour to their village when they were caught by a group of self-proclaimed ‘cow protectors’ at Kharigumma.
“The mob demanded Rs 30,000 from the duo. When the victims refused, they were assaulted, tonsured and forced to crawl on their knees and consume grass and drain water,” he alleged.
Unfortunately, when the two were assaulted in broad daylight, no policemen came to their rescue, even though the local police station is just 6 km away from the spot, Kadam, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, said.
“The accused used to extort money from the public in the name of ‘cow protectors’ and a senior minister of the BJP government is giving protection to them,” he alleged.
Kadam claimed police were yet to arrest the prime accused, Rajesh Samal, who escaped after the incident.
Notably, police have so far arrested nine people, including a juvenile, for their alleged involvement in the incident.
The Congress has also demanded compensation of Rs 10 lakh for each of the victims.
Meanwhile, the AICC has sent another team comprising the party’s SC wing chief and ex-minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, MPs Manoj Kumar Ram and Vamsi Krishna Gaddam, and former OPCC chief Jayadev Jena for a field-level inquiry.
They will meet the victims and other stakeholders and submit a detailed report to the leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, a party leader said.
PTI
