BHUBANESWAR: As the BJD MLA from Patnagarh Saroj Meher moved Orissa High Court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with a case registered against him for forcing a Government employee to do sit-ups, the State BJP on Thursday stepped up demand for the immediate arrest of the legislator.
Accusing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of shielding the lawmaker, State BJP secretary Lekhashri Samantsinghar said police not taking action against the MLA even after two weeks of the incident smacks of political interference. This is despite the fact that Meher has publicly admitted his crime of asking Jayakant Sabar, a junior engineer in the Works Department, to do 100 sit-ups, she added.
“It is unfortunate that a Government servant was tortured mentally and physically by a lawmaker who has scant regard for the law and the MLA is given protection just because the Home Department is being headed by the Chief Minister,” the BJP leader said. Calling the Chief Minister anti-tribal, Samantsinghar said atrocities against Adivasis, Dalits and women are on the rise even as the State Government turned a blind eye to such incidents, mostly inflicted by the ruling party members.
“It is baffling that the BJD chief and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has maintained a stoic silence on the issue which received strong public denunciation,” she said. The BJP leader urged the Chief Minister to direct police to arrest Meher before the start of monsoon session of the Assembly.
Anticipatory bail hearing date posted to July 9
The Orissa High Court on Thursday did not grant interim bail to BJD MLA Saroj Meher, who has sought anticipatory bail in connection with a case registered against him at Patnagarh police station. While posting Meher’s bail hearing to July 9, the Single Judge Bench of Justice S Pujahari directed for production of updated case diary and status report on the investigation. The anticipatory bail application has taken the plea that the alleged victim had not filed any complaint before the police so far.