Public Works Department Junior Engineer (JE) Jaykant Sabar, who was allegedly kidnapped on Thursday, hours after a video showing Patnagarh MLA Saroj Meher forcing him to do sit-ups in public went viral, was rescued by police on Friday.
Patnagarh DSP Suresh Nayak said the PWD JE was rescued from Khariar of Nuapada district.
After his rescue, the JE said, “The Executive Engineer, who was present at the spot when MLA Meher, asked me to do the sit-ups, slapped me on the instruction of the MLA. So, apprehending any further humiliation, I did the sit-ups.”
Earlier, wife of the JE had lodged a complaint with the Patnagarh police alleging that her husband had been kidnapped and it was the handiwork of the MLA. She also demanded arrest of the MLA.
Based on her complaint, police registered a case under Sections 341, 363, 294, 323, 353 and 355 of IPC and Section 3 of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
On the other hand, MLA Meher has now apologised for the incident. He said, “Locals were angry over poor road construction work in their area and demanded action against the official. As the situation was out of my control, I had to ask the official to do sit-ups.”
In a related development, Works Minister Prafulla Mallick on the day ordered for a probe into the incident of the MLA forcing the Government official to do sit-ups as punishment for alleged poor quality of road construction in his constituency.
Mallick also directed to investigate the allegation of substandard road construction work.