A day after the firing incident at Paradip in which two youths were injured seriously, BJD leader and Excise Minister Damodar Rout and his arch Congress rival Bapi Sarkhel on Monday indulged in a war of words blaming each other for the incident.
While Rout made a veiled attack on Sarkhel, the latter lost no time in retaliating again Rout, who is MlA of Paradip and had fought the last elections against Sarkhel as his nearest rival.
“After release from jail, some criminals became Congress party candidates. If they won’t do something like this, what else would they doIJ” asked Rout obviously referring to Sarkhel.
Rout also targeted the Crime Branch police for its “inaction”.
“I have heard that Odisha has promulgated an Economic Offenders Act. But I don’t know where it is used. I don’t know what the Crime Branch is doing either. I have always allowed law to take its own course,” Rout said.
On the other hand, Sarkhel blamed the septuagenarian Rout for instigating criminal activities in the port town.
“He (Rout) takes my name even when a person dies in an accident. He does this to save his political image. He has always tried to dub me as an antisocial. But I will say he does all antisocial activities in Paradip through his followers,” Sarkhel stated.
“His party is in power. If we are doing any such unsocial work then why are the police not arresting usIJ Whatever is happening in Paradip is happening at the instance of Damababu,” said he.
About the incident at Paradip, local police sources said president and secretary of Paradip Industrial Security Council Jyotikanta Parida alias Bapu and Ashutosh Swain alias Baba were talking each other at main roadside at 10:30 pm on Sunday. Two youths came there by a motorcycle, suddenly opened fire at Bapu and Baba and fled from the spot.
Bapu and Baba were rushed to the Biju Memorial Hospital in Paradip but were later shifted to the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack. As per the latest reports, the duo is undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar.
