BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Wednesday strongly condemned the arrest of former Berhampur MLA and Ganjam district president of the party, Bikram Panda in connection with the murder of senior lawyer and BJP leader Pitabasa Panda, alleging it has been done to influence the Nuapada by-election scheduled on November 11.
Addressing a media conference here, BJD vice-president and Opposition chief whip in the Assembly Pramila Mallik, senior general secretary of the party Bhrugu Baxipatra, and media coordinator Lenin Mohanty claimed the arrest was politically motivated and aimed at protecting a minister from Ganjam district for his alleged involvement in the case.
“Bikram has been falsely implicated in the case to influence the Nuapada by-election,” they added. The BJD leaders said law and order has collapsed ever since the BJP government came to power 16 months back, and Ganjam district tops the chart in murder, rape and other crimes including illegal sand mining. Claiming that several BJP leaders from the district are involved in illegal activities, they added that Panda’s murder had something to do with them.
The party leaders further alleged that a former zilla parishad member of the BJP from the district, N Dambaru Reddy had written a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi suspecting the role of BJP’s Gopalpur MLA and minister for Steel and Mines Bibhuti Jena in the murder. Reddy had demanded that Jena be removed from the cabinet and brought under the purview of investigation in connection with the case.
“Bikram was arrested without any evidence to divert attention. Ganjam SP Saravana Vivek M has not given any evidence against Bikram while announcing his arrest,” they pointed out adding, it is an old habit of the BJP to frame Opposition leaders for political gains.
Dismissing the police’s claim that a deal of Rs 50 lakh was made for Pitabasa Panda’s murder, the BJD leaders questioned how can an election petition against the BJP’s Berhampur MLA Anil Kumar be the cause behind the murder. Alleging that police are working to protect the BJP, they threatened of taking to the streets in the coming days over these issues.
On Wednesday, police arrested 12 persons including Bikram and former mayor of Berhampur Siba Shankar Dash in connection with the Pitabasa Panda murder case.
