BHUBANESWAR: Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati on Sunday, December 12, 2021, challenged Twin City Police Commissioner Soumendra Priyadarshi to prove that students’ Congress activists pelted stones at police personnel during their rally on Friday.
“I will quit politics if the Police Commissioner provides evidence of Congress activists pelting stones at the police. Rather, police personnel hurled stones at Congress Bhawan,” Bahinipati told media persons here.
After the incident on Friday, police had claimed they were forced to resort to lathicharge as the party activists hurled stones at them. Stating that the activists had hurled tomatoes and eggs at the police but not stones, Bahinipati asked whether the Police Commissioner will resign from service if he failed to prove the charge.
Coming down heavily on the police for beating the demonstrators mercilessly by entering the Congress Bhawan, Bahinipati demanded stringent action against the Commissioner and a high-level probe into the incident.
The senior party leader announced that Congress activists will gherao the Commissionerate headquarters if no action is taken in this regard. He alleged several activists suffered head injuries and some were critically injured after police chased and beat them up during the protest. “We were raising slogans and beating gongs demanding Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to attend the Assembly. Instead, the State government let loose policemen on us,” he added.
Bahinipati criticised the Chief Minister for not attending the Assembly during the winter session which was marred by disruptions. “The Chief Minister did not attend the Assembly but travelled to Ganjam to distribute smart health cards a day after the winter session ended,” he added.