Following widespread public criticisms and political spat among ruling BJD leaders, the reluctant Cuttack rural police on Friday arrested six persons for allegedly attacking senior BJD leader and Kendrapada BJD MP Baijayant Panda by hurling eggs at him.
While the MP, ostensibly having a difference with party supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, was attacked on May 30 this year during a programme at Mahanga under his constituency, the police action came more than a hundred days after the incident happened.
Initially, the police were reluctant to take a suo moto cognizance of the matter on the plea that no complaint was filed in this connection. The police however, remained a silent spectator even after an FIR was filed by a local social activist on June 6, just a week after the incident.
But earlier this week when Patnaik as home minister made a statement on the floor of the State Assembly saying that police actions have been initiated in all the 15 egg attacks taken place so far in the State during the past six years, barring the lone case in which Panda was attacked, the double standard of the government was thoroughly exposed and Patnaik came under sharp criticism.
In order to save the government from further embarrassment, a special police team on Friday arrested Sarat Jena, Sarat Moharana, Santanu Mallick, Rajesh Sahoo, Santosh Jena and Shankarshan Mallick under several sections of bailable and non-bailable offences, including 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC.
“All the arrested were produced before the JMFC court of Salipur and the Court after hearing the arguments of the prosecution and the defendants granted bail to all the arrested accused,” informed Cuttack (Rural) SP Madhav Chandra Sahu.