BJD activists beat up and tortured a minor student of the Choudwar College, who refused to donate blood at a camp organised by local BJD MlA Pravat Biswal as part of his party’s blood donation drive called ‘Jeevan Bindu’.
“We have already registered a case basing on a written complaint filed by the student and are investigating into it,” informed Choudwar police Inspector RR Mohapatra on Saturday, adding that the complainant was sent for medical examination. He said two persons named in the FIR are now being examined at the police station.
Several BJD activists entered into the college campus on Friday and asked the students to go to the local town hall, where the blood donation camp was being held. Hitesh Kumar Prusty (17), a Plus II Commerce student, was also forcibly taken to the venue on a motorcycle.
“When I came to know that I am being taken to donate blood, I pleaded with them to let me go as I am underage and underweight for blood donation. They offloaded me near Gandhi Chowk and thrashed me mercilessly,” the boy has said in his complaint, adding that he was also asked to kneel down on the road.
Further, while returning home, Hitesh was also intercepted on the way by the same group and was threatened of dire consequences if he reveals the incident to anyone.
When contacted, MlA Biswal admitted that the college students were requested to donate blood. “But nobody was forced to donate blood nor was anyone tortured for refusing,” he said.