BJP MLA held in Odisha for allegedly assaulting BDO
Subash Panigrahi and two of his associates were arrested by police in Deogarh district over allegations that he thrashed Tileibani block development officer Krushnachandra Dalapati on Saturday.
Bhubaneswar: A BJP MLA in the western Odisha district of Deogarh was arrested on Sunday along with two of his associates a day after he allegedly misbehaved with a block development officer.
The BJP MLA was arrested from his residential quarters in Bhubaneswar on Sunday along with two of his aides. (HT FILE PHOTO.)
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Subash Panigrahi and two of his associates were arrested by police in Deogarh district over allegations that he thrashed Tileibani block development officer Krushnachandra Dalapati on Saturday. Panigrahi was arrested from his residential quarters in Bhubaneswar. The BDO had lodged a complaint against Panigrahi with the police.
Deogarh SDPO Pratyusha Mohapatra said, the MLA had reportedly asked the BDO to meet him over a certain issue. However, as the latter was away at a village for an inspection, he expressed his inability to attend the meeting. Angry over the BDO’s refusal, Panigrahi along with a few supporters visited Chhepalipali village where he reportedly thrashed the BDO.
The BJP, however, said the arrest of Panigrahi was a pre-meditated conspiracy. “Panigrahi had initially lodged an FIR against the BDO over the official misbehaving with him. The BDO must have lodged a complaint against the MLA later on. How come the police took note of the second FIR and arrested the MLA?” asked Golak Mohapatra, BJP spokesperson.
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.
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