BHUBANESWAR : The BJD and Congress strongly criticised the state government over the worsening law and order situation following the murder of senior lawyer and BJP leader Pitabasa Panda outside his house in Berhampur on Monday night.
Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik said in a post on X, people have started feeling insecure under the BJP government and an atmosphere of fear prevails in the state amidst the festive season. “The fact that Pitabasa Panda, the senior lawyer of Ganjam, was shot and killed while sitting in front of his own house is extremely heinous and heartbreaking.”
Alleging that the BJP has completely failed in maintaining law and order in Odisha, Naveen pointed to the series of serious crimes in the recent days.
“The rape of a woman in Rourkela, the heinous incident that occurred inside the Lakshmi bus in Kanasa, along with the communal tensions in Cuttack, and night-time restrictions in Balasore, are extremely worrisome,” he added.
Earlier in the day, addressing the media, senior general secretary of BJD Bhrugu Baxipatra slammed the government for remaining indifferent despite a series of crimes taking place in the state.
“Three murders have taken place during the last 24 hours in Berhampur including that of Panda, but the police is yet to apprehend the culprits. The extent to which the law and order situation has failed particularly in Ganjam district can be gauged from the fact that in the last one-and-a-half year, 128 murders have taken place in the district,” he said.
The Congress also came down heavily on the state government for the failure of law and order in the state. “Even the BJP leaders are not safe during the party’s government in the state,” Congress leaders Debasis Nayak and Ashok Swain told a media conference. They demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi as he holds the Home portfolio.
