An FIR has been lodged against Kendrapada district Collector Pramod Kumar Das, Superintendent of Police Satish Gajbhiye and Odisha State Housing Board (OSHB) Chairmsn and former Ali MlA Pratap Keshari Deb holding them responsible for the liquor shop mishap that occurred at Namtara village in Kendrapada district. The activists also demanded a judicial probe into the entire incident.
A five-member team of civil society organisations comprising Pradip Pradhan and others which visited the village on Tuesday lodged the FIR at the Kendrapada Town police station seeking legal action against them. “The Government had given licence to Krushan Chandra Panda to open a foreign liquor shop 12 years back. Panda happens to be a police officer posted in Bhubaneswar. He has availed the lincence because of his close proximity to former Ali MlA Pratap Keshari Deb (also a former Minister),” said Pradhan.
He said the liquor shop was running in the middle of the village and also situated just 50 metre from a temple and 100 metre from the village High School. “The licence holder enjoyed a close proximity to Deb and district Collector and SP and Kendrapada MP Baijayant Panda. Villagers and women groups had earlier staged a demonstration demanding shifting of the shop, but to no avail. The administrative inaction enraged the women groups as well as the villagers to take some serious step.” added Pradhan.