BJD calls for arrest of independent candidate for involvement in attack

BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Sunday demanded the arrest of Independent candidate for Dharmasala constituency Himanshu Sekhar Sahoo for his alleged involvement in a series of attacks and violence against BJD candidate for Pranab Kumar Balabantaray constituency.

A delegation of BJD leaders, in a memorandum submitted to the ECI, alleged that Sahoo had used sustained violence in the past few days and had also damaged public property in Dharmasala, including LAccMI buses and a police vehicle.

The memorandum claims that the attacks began on May 27, when Balabantaray was leading a rally through Osara village on NH-53 to Mandira. A complaint has already been filed at the local police station in this regard and the CEO has also been informed about the incident and provided with photographs as evidence, it said. The memorandum further claims that Balabantaray was also attacked on June 1, the last day of polling, when he visited polling stations number 65 and 66 in the Antia Gram Panchayat. On the same night at around 10 pm, the office of Kalpataru Das National Foundation outside the block office at Dharmasala was attacked and the security guard was assaulted. The residence of Balabantaray was attacked by Sahoo and his supporters on the night of June 2, it said.

The BJD urged the CEO to take immediate action in this regard to send a clear message to those who are trying to destroy the democratic process by force.