Rourkela: Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram Friday said he had no objection to legal action being taken against his aide Rakesh Paswan, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in an organised crime case in Odisha’s Rourkela.
Paswan, an active BJP worker and Oram’s representative in the Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC), was arrested on the charge of allegedly sheltering criminals at a state-run guest house in the steel city.
Police had seized firearms and arrested two alleged miscreants from a room at the state-run guesthouse August 15.
Paswan was subsequently suspended from the ruling BJP after a preliminary investigation indicated that the circuit house room from where the firearms were seized and the two alleged miscreants were arrested had been booked in his name.
However, Paswan has denied the charges and demanded that CCTV footage and the circuit house register be made available for public inspection.
Paswan (35), who had been absconding since August 15, was arrested in Begusarai in Bihar with the help of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Bihar Special Task Force (STF) Thursday and brought to Rourkela, a police officer said.
Amid reports of his alleged support for Paswan, Oram clarified his stand in a social media post.
Paswan is an active worker of mine and a representative of RMC. If there is any allegation against him regarding the Circuit House incident, then it should be investigated impartially and transparently. If found guilty, punishment should be given as per the law — I have no objection to this. The law should be applied equally to everyone, he said.
Stating that he had been in electoral politics for the last 35 years and received the blessings of people from all religions and communities, including tribals, Bengalis, Biharis and Marwaris, Oram said, I have been elected to serve everyone, and it is my responsibility to work in the interest of the people.
The Union minister also alleged that an attempt was being made to create confusion among the public by obtaining certain information through the Right to Information (RTI) Act using his name, which he claimed was incorrect or misleading.
If any person or organisation is deliberately spreading misinformation against me, then I will take appropriate action as per the law. In politics, there will be Opposition; there will also be criticism. But lies, oppression and conspiracy will not be tolerated, the minister said.
According to police, Paswan travelled to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand before being caught in Bihar.
Paswan has been alleged to be the mastermind behind sheltering criminals along with firearms and ammunition at the government circuit house in Rourkela.
Following the incident, Paswan remained absconding and was suspended by the BJP.
Tuesday, the Panposh SDJM court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.