Chilika MLA Prashant Jagdev, who was suspended from the BJD in 2021 for hooliganism, has again landed himself in a soup by inhumanely ploughing his SUV into a crowd injuring many in Banpur of Khordha district on Saturday.
As election to the post of block Chairman was scheduled to be held on the day, there was a huge rush near the Banpur block office.
The crowd and police officials present stopped the MLA from entering the block office in his SUV. But the MLA, who was allegedly in an inebriated condition, ploughed his vehicle into the crowd injuring some BJP workers, several cops, including the Banapur police station IIC, and two journalists.
The injured were admitted to the Banpur hospital and the critically injured were shifted to the AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
Furious over the incident, locals dragged the MLA out of his vehicle and rained blows on him. The mob also overturned and severely damaged his vehicle. As Jagdev suffered a severe head injury in the mob attack, he was shifted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Getting information, Central Range IG of Police Narsingha Bhol, who rushed to the spot, said Jagdev is undergoing treatment under police custody and would be arrested soon after completion of his treatment and forwarded to court.
“On the basis of the report of the police officials, a case has been registered against the legislator at the Banpur police station. The SDPO has been entrusted with the probe into the case,” Bhol told the media.
Bhol said, “Six persons, 10 policemen and two journalists, were injured and all of them have been shifted to hospital. The condition of three of them is stated to be critical. Arrangements have been made to provide them best possible treatment.”
He said Jagdev has been charged with serious offences like attempt to murder, obstructing police personnel from performing their duty, injuring public and using the car as weapon to hurt people.
“There are several cases pending against him. Chargesheets have been filed in seven cases, out of which the court has taken cognisance in four cases and he is facing trials,” Bhol said.
“We have taken serious note of the brutal act by the legislator. A DSP-ranked officer has been given the responsibility of the probe. Many people have recorded the barbaric incident in their cellphones. Those electronic evidence will be brought under the purview of investigation,” said the IG.
Meanwhile, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC were clamped in Banpur town and adequate number of police forces deployed to prevent any further untoward incidents.
The incident, which is said to be first of its type in Odisha and a rerun of the recent Lakshim Keri incident in Uttar Pradesh, has been severely criticised by all political parties and the intelligentsia of the State.
BJD MLA rams vehicle in BJP supporters’ crowd in Odisha – 22 injured. (PNS/BBSR)