Bowing down to the pressure of public anger against controversial self-styled godman Sarathi Baba after his alleged escapade in a Hyderabad hotel with a girl last month was exposed in TV channels, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday ordered a Crime Branch probe into the ‘scandal’.
Following the Chief Minister’s announcement, CB ADG Bijay Kumar Sharma told media that a three-member team led by an ASP-rank officer would move to Kendrapada on Friday and initiate a comprehensive investigation basing on both media highlights and written complaints lodged in the local police station.
On the other hand, tension too prevailed on Thursday near the Sarathi Ashram as police personnel, deployed at the Ashram, went berserk by damaging vehicles parked along the road while no riders or mob were seen breaching the peace.
Both the District Magistrate and SP defended that the mob resorted to focusing bike lights on the police force deployed and hurled crackers for which light force had to be applied to restore peace, law and order situation.
Meanwhile, the Kendrapada police detained State Progressive Women’s Forum leader Mamata Samantray for staging dharna in front of the Ashram demanding immediate arrest of the controversial godman.
Reacting sharply to such a bizarre development, Ali MlA Debendra Sharma has demanded the resignation of the Kendrapara SP.
In several parts of the town various organisations like NFIW, Orissa Construction Workers’ Union and students of Kendrapada College students staged demonstration and resorted to road blockade. A district BJP delegation met the District Collector demanding the arrest Sarathi under the National Security Act and demanded that the administration seal the ashram.
When contacted, former Ali MlA Pratap Deb stated that the CB probe would bring the facts into light.
Despite repeated attempts, Sarathi Baba did not come out of his ashram to speak to the media.