The Assembly witnessed heated exchanges between the ruling BJD and the Congress members over the kidnapping and murder of a school student from Pattamundai in Kendrapara district, which rocked the State a week back.
Several BJD members suspected the hand of Congress leaders behind the incident and demanded a thorough investigation into the murder, which they condemned as barbaric.
Responding to the charges, Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan alleged that the incident pointed towards the deteriorating law and order situation in the State during the last couple of years under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Raising the issue during zero hour, BJD MLA from Rajnagar Alekh Kumar Jena alleged the Class VII student was killed in a most heinous manner at the behest of some Congress leaders. Jena said the incident has sent shockwaves among parents of the area and demanded a Crime Branch probe.
Jena alleged that one of the accused was the vice-president of the local Chhatra Congress unit while his father was an office-bearer of the Kendrapara district Congress. The vehicle used in the crime was also being utilised for Congress membership drive, he said.
Several other BJD members, including Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Ved Prakash Agarwal, Pradip Maharathi, Amar Prasad Satpathy and Sipra Mallick also voiced their concern over the incident and demanded that the real culprits should be apprehended. Satpathy demanded that the Chief Minister should give a statement in the House on the incident after a detailed investigation.
Condemning the incident, Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan said the death of the student could have been avoided had the police responded promptly. The police did not respond to the FIR filed by mother of the student properly, Harichandan said and added that this is happening across the State.
Harichandan gave example of another incident at Gurujanga village in which a youth was kidnapped and killed because of the delayed response of the police. The list of adduction and murder is long, Harichandan said and added that he does not want to politicise the issue.
The Congress member donated his one month’s salary and emoluments to the mother of the student.