Student Congress members on Friday clashed with police during a demonstration they held here alleging links of ruling BJD leaders with arrested fraudster Jyoti Ranjan Beura alias ‘Golden Baba’.
Alleging links between Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena and other leaders with Beura, several activists of the State Student Congress staged the demonstration and tried to gherao the Niwas Niwas, the residence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
However, trouble erupted after the agitators tried to break the barricades put up by police near Sishu Bhawan Square leading to a scuffle with cops. The protestors also hurled eggs and tomatoes at the police personnel.
Demanding investigation into the alleged links of the Mayor with Beura and the latter’s arrest, the activists also burnt effigies and posters of several BJD leaders including CM Patnaik, Debi Prasad Mishra, Minister Ashok Panda and the Mayor.
“We want arrest of Mayor Ananta Jena, Chinmay Sahu and other political leaders who have nexus with Golden Baba. If our demands are not met, we will launch a State-wide agitation,” said Student Congress leader Itish Pradhan.
Later, nearly a 100 students Congress activists and leaders were taken to preventive custody by police. City DCP Anup Sahu said action would be taken against the agitators as per law for hurling eggs and tomatoes at police.
Notably, Beura was arrested by the Commissionerate police on December 31 in connection with fraud cases. Later, the State Crime Branch’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on January 4 took up the cases related to several financial transactions and fraud registered against Golden Baba in various police stations in the city.