BHUBANESWAR: In a re-run of Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri incident last year, in which 4 farmers and a journalist were allegedly ploughed down by an SUV driven by the son of union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra, 24 persons including a police inspector were injured when a suspended MLA of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) allegedly rammed his SUV into a procession of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Odisha’s Khurda district on Saturday morning, police said.
The MLA, Prashant Jagdev, elected from Chilika assembly segment, was badly beaten up minutes after his vehicle ran over the crowd.
Police officials said that nearly 200 BJP workers were taking out a procession outside the office of Banpur panchayat samiti near Chilika lake Saturday morning for the election of the panchayat samiti chairperson when MLA Prashant Jagdev’s SUV reached there.
As Jagdev, who was suspended from BJD last year over beating a Dalit BJP leader, sped his SUV towards the office, he was initially stopped by the police inspector as well as the other policemen and BJP workers.
“However, the MLA stepped on the accelerator and ploughed down people assembled around him leaving at least 24 injured. Five of the injured including inspector of Banpur police station have been critically wounded,” said inspector general of police (central range) Narasingha Bhol. “The assembled crowd then beat up the MLA injuring him. We are keeping a close eye on the situation,” he said.
Police officials present on the spot said Banpur police station inspector Rashmi Ranjan Sahoo initially reasoned with the MLA, known for his high-handedness, not to take his vehicle any further as they apprehended an untoward incident. “Instead of listening to the inspector, Jagdev ran the car over him, an old man and a woman. The old man has been fatally injured,” said a police official.
{{/usCountry}}Police officials present on the spot said Banpur police station inspector Rashmi Ranjan Sahoo initially reasoned with the MLA, known for his high-handedness, not to take his vehicle any further as they apprehended an untoward incident. “Instead of listening to the inspector, Jagdev ran the car over him, an old man and a woman. The old man has been fatally injured,” said a police official.
{{/usCountry}}Arun Kumar Nayak, a local, alleged that the 52-year-old MLA was drunk when he ploughed the vehicle into the crowd. “He definitely was intoxicated when the incident happened,” said Nayak.
After the incident, the enraged locals dragged out Jagdev from his vehicle and thrashed him while setting his vehicle on fire. The injured MLA has been shifted to a hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Demanding arrest of Jagdev, BJP leader Prthwiraj Harichandan said politicians like him should be put behind bars for a long time. “He is a perpetual offender and has been using strong arm tactics as he was with the BJD,” said Harichandan. Congress MLA Narasingha Mishra said the incident showed the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. “Before and after panchayat polls, there have been series of violence in Odisha, mostly by goons of the ruling BJD. Today’s incident is only a part of the growing trend of lawlessness,” he said. However, BJD MLA from Khurda, Jitu Mitra, defended Jagdev saying the BJP workers should not have stopped his vehicle. “He tried to steer his vehicle out of the crowd when the incident happened. It could be a case of accident,” said Mitra.
The two-time MLA has been involved in a series of incidents over high-handed behaviour. In August 2020, Jagdev allegedly misbehaved with a junior engineer working with the Chilika Development Authority. In December 2018, he threatened a former sarpanch at the panchayat samiti office in presence district officials. In November 2016, he allegedly flung a kerosene lantern at the woman tehsildar of Bolgad when the latter was mapping a land. In July 2016, Jagdev and his supporters thrashed BJP activists over showing black flags to food supply minister and Youth BJD president Sanjay Dasburma in Boudh district.