Bombs hurled at BJP MLA Mohan Majhi’s vehicle in Odisha: Police

BJP MLA Mohan Majhi was returning from a labour union meeting around 1 pm in Odisha when the incident occurred

Published on: Oct 11, 2021, 24:02:01 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Letters@hindustantimes.com

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Bhubaneswar Senior BJP leader and Opposition chief whip in the Odisha assembly Mohan Majhi on Sunday escaped unhurt after two bike-borne miscreants allegedly hurled country-made bombs at his car near Mandua in Koenjhar district. A case has been registered with the Town police station, said the police.

BJP MLA Mohan Majhi said miscreants allegedly hurled country-made bombs at his vehicle in Odisha. (Odisha State Legislative Assembly via Wikimedia Commons)

The Keonjhar MLA was returning from a labour union meeting at around 1 pm when the incident occurred. The front panel of the vehicle was partially damaged in the attack, but Majhi and his driver sustained no injuries.

“I had gone to the office of the Utkal Sambad of the Siksha Vikash Samiti near Mandua to attend the executive meeting of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh. After attending the meeting, I was on the way to my house at Mandua when two youths intercepted my vehicle. One of them in a black shirt got off the bike and hurled two bombs at my vehicle. He also tried to take out a pistol but was chased away by my PSO. They then fled towards the railway station,” he said.

Majhi alleged local Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Raja Chakra was behind the attack, as three weeks ago, he had issued a threat to him while addressing a party meeting in the Keonjhar Sadar block. However, Chakra termed Majhi’s allegations ‘false and baseless’.

Following the incident, tension ran high in Keonjhar town as hundreds of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists staged a road blockade and burned tyres on National Highway-49 at Gandhi Chhak.

“During my 20 years of career in politics, I might have developed political enmity. But I don’t have any enemy at a personal level,” said Majhi after the incident.

Later, Union education minister and senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted that the attack on Majhi showed how the law and order in the state were deteriorating. “There would always be a difference of opinion in a democracy, but attacking a public representative is a matter of concern. As the minister for the home department, the chief minister should take strong action,” tweeted Pradhan.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
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.Read More

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