BHUBANESWAR: The Dhamnagar murder, which the ruling Biju Janata Dal alleged was a political killing, has come as a huge embarrassment for State Police in the midst of unprecedented violence five-phase poll witnessed.
Bhadrak Police, as things stand today, has not been able to arrest a single perpetrator though the victim Pratap Chandra Rout, a BJD worker, was allegedly beaten to death on Monday night. Rout was a native of Jahangir village under Dhamanagar police.
The deceased’s family members named 17 persons in the complaint but the police are yet to make any arrest in connection with the brutal murder so far. Interestingly, the ruling BJD had demanded the arrest of former BJP minister Manmohan Samal and his supporters for their alleged involvement in the murder of Rout. On Wednesday, the BJD submitted memorandum to the State Election Commission (SEC) and staged a dharna too. The ruling outfit alleged that the murder of the worker was committed at the instigation and presence of the former minister.
The ruling party pointing at lack of police action in Bhadrak has only exposed the poor state of law and order in Odisha and left the State Police red-faced because it also listed out all the violent incidents during the polls to the SEC and sought police action.
After violence rocked the first phase of the polls, the State Election Commissioner Aditya Prasad Padhi had convened an urgent meeting with Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, DGP Sunil Kumar Bansal and Additional Chief Secretary of Home Department Sanjeev Chopra and instructed the DGP to beef up measures to ensure incident-free polling.
That the spate of violence did not abate is another thing but the Bhadrak murder has underlined the ruling party’s lack of trust in the police force. Sources in Dhamnagar Police said, initial investigation suggested that Rout was hit with fists and sustained grievous injuries in the attack. The police registered a case in this connection under Sections 294, 302, 506 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
However, police have so far remained tight-lipped on whether Rout was killed over political rivalry or past enmity. “A case has been registered and investigation is on from all angles. It is yet to be ascertained whether Rout was killed over political rivalry or there was any other motive behind the crime,” said Bhadrak SP Charan Singh Meena.