Former BJD MLA arrested for assaulting and robbing tourists

This is not the first arrest for the former BJD MLA, in October 2018, he was arrested in Andhra Pradesh for misbehaving with a girl and her mother.

Updated on: Feb 24, 2021, 09:17:20 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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A former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Debendra Kanhar and one of his associates were arrested in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Tuesday for allegedly thrashing and looting a group of tourists, said police. Kanhar was MLA from Phulbani between 2009 and 2014.

The former BJD MLA and his associates attacked a group of tourists and looted them.

Kanhar and his associate, an India Reserve Battalion (IRB) jawan named Srinivasan Kanhar, were arrested on charges of assaulting a group of tourists when they were visiting the Katramal waterfalls in Kandhamal district. Kamaksha Behera and his friends from Parjang in Dhenkanal district came to Kandhamal on February 11 for picnic when they were beaten up mercilessly by Kanhar and his associates. The former MLA even snatched away money from the tourists, said Phulbani sub divisional police officer Mahendranath Murmu.

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This is not the first time Kanhar is in trouble. In October 2018, he was arrested in Andhra Pradesh for misbehaving with a girl and her mother. Earlier, a sex tape of the former legislator had surfaced.

A police team apprehended the former MLA from FCI Chhak in the town area. Police said Kanhar and his accomplice have been booked under sections 160/21/1817/34/365 of IPC. However, three other accused in the case are still absconding.

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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