Bhubaneswar: The Opposition BJD and the Congress on Saturday turned the heat on the Mohan Majhi government in Odisha over alleged assault of an officer, Baikunthanath Pradhan, posted at Raj Bhavan by Governor Raghubar Das’ son. Speaking at a presser, BJD leader Pratap Deb described it as an ‘unfortunate’ and ‘disgraceful’ incident. “Despite an FIR, no action has been taken by police till today though the incident took place on July 7.
We fail to understand the reason behind this delay. The BJP government has been talking about giving justice to people of the state since assuming office. If the government fails to act in this case in which an official was assaulted by the Governor’s son then how can people repose faith in it?” he asked.
The BJD leader further said that since Home and General Administration department are under the CM, he would like to request him to ensure justice for the victim. Earlier in the day, several members of the youth and student wings of the Congress were detained by police as they staged a demonstration in front of Raj Bhavan here, demanding action in the matter. They have threatened to gherao the DGP office and intensify the agitation if no action is taken against the assaulters.
Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik also expressed concern over the recent incident involving Lalit Kumar, the son of Governor. “It has been reported that on the night of July 7, he allegedly assaulted Baikuntha Pradhan, an Assistant Section Officer and the Raj Bhawan in charge at Puri. Despite a formal complaint being filed, no action has been taken yet.
I urge the Odisha Chief Minister to order a thorough investigation and ensure that justice is served for the victim,” he posted on X. Meanwhile, Odisha Secretariat Service Association has written to the CM to intervene in the matter personally and ensure justice to the Assistant Section Officer of OSS cadre deployed at the Governor’s Secretariat at the earliest. Activist Jayanta Das has also moved NHRC, seeking immediate action and police protection for Pradhan.
He has also sought a compensation of 2 lakh for him. Pradhan (47), who is posted as the Assistant Section Officer, Household Section, Governor’s Secretariat, Raj Bhavan, has accused the Governor’s son of assaulting him for not sending luxury cars to pick him up from the Puri railway station. He submitted a written complaint to the principal secretary to the Governor, Saswat Mishra, on July 10, alleging that Das’ son Lalit Kumar and five others slapped, punched, and kicked him on the night of July 7 on the Raj Bhavan premises in Puri, where he was posted to supervise the preparation for President Droupadi Murmu’s visit.
“Security personnel and others present there witnessed this incident. They again slapped me, threw punches on my face, kicked every part of my body, and twisted my left ankle. Kumar kept on saying that if they murder me, nobody can save me.
..,” he alleged.
The ex-serviceman also met the Governor on Thursday and described the whole incident. Since no action was taken thereafter, he filed a complaint with the police seeking justice. Pradhan’s wife Sayoj told the media on Friday that they went to the Sea Beach police station on July 11 to file a complaint, which was not accepted.
“Hence, we have mailed the complaint to the police. There is threat to life of her husband and other family members. We are scared after the incident.
We want immediate action in this matter,” she added. While BJP asserted that a case registered and an investigation is underway, no statement has been issued by the Governor’s son on these allegations. Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
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