local Biju Janata Dal (BJD) unit here held a protest meeting and gheraoed the Paradip police station on Monday to vent their ire against police apathy to arrest the criminals who had seriously injured a BJD worker on Saturday night at Madhuban CHA Colony.
The meeting was presided over by Paradip BJD president Sumanta Kumar Biswal. Among others, Paradip Municipality chairperson Manjulata Jena, vice chairman Basant Kumar Biswal, former Paradip Municipality chairman Gobinda Chandra Tarai, Ramesh Chandra Samantaray, noted trade union leader and Paradip Port Trust trustee Sudhakar Mantry and office bearers and members of the Paradip Slum Dweller Association were present.
The speakers alleged that Paradip police were assisting the criminals as a result of which they got a safe passage to flee from Paradip after committing the crime. Instead of arresting them, the police were sitting silent. In the last elections, the police too had assisted the local Congress goons, they alleged. They submitted a memorandum to IIC Shiba Shankar Mohapatra and ASP Madhabananda Biswal, demanding immediate arrest of the miscreants and threatened to intensify their stir if the police did not swing into action.