Thousands of protesters, who are sitting on a dharna since September 14, on Thursday burnt the effigy of Champua MLA Meenakshi Mahanta who is alleged to have joined hands with local mines owners to work against the interest of local dumper owners by cutting the transporting rate.
They charged that previously there was one organisation, the Mining Area Truck Owners’ Association (MATOA), formed in 1993 to look after the interest of the local dumper owners, but after Meenakshi Mahanta was elected MLA, Bhakta Mahanta, her husband formed another parallel association to weaken the MATOA and started monopolising the mining trading and transporting business. It is further alleged that there is trading licence in the name of Bhakta’s father, brother and other family members to deal with iron transporting business but other genuine licence holders are denied job by the companies.
If anyone tries to protest against this, then he is attacked by the goons allegedly engaged by Bhakta because of his money power and political affiliation. If an FIR is lodged against Bhakta, police are remaining silent, the protestors alleged.
They demanded transfer of Barbil SDPO Himanshu Bhusan Behera alleging that he is in nexus with local mines owners and working as per direction of Bhakta.
Their specific allegation was that an FIR had been lodged against Bhakta and his goons for attacking the protesters but the police were silent; on the contrary, they are targeting the protesters.
The agitators before burning the effigy of the MLA took out a rally in Joda shouting slogan against Meenakshi and her husband and threatened to go for total Joda- Barbil mining area bandh if they were not given justice