With pressure mounting on the State Government from the Opposition parties and different women organisations for the arrest of former minister Raghunath Mohanty over dowry torture charges against him, the Biju Janata Dal on Tuesday maintained that he should surrender without delay.
‘’It is better for Raghunath to surrender,” Government Chief Whip Pravat Tripathy told mediapersons here. “I will like the former minister to surrender or immediately secure bail from an appropriate court of law,” he said.
Stating that Raghunath has limited options, Tripathy said the former minister should surrender or the police would have to locate him. Tripathy, however, said it is his individual opinion. “Neither the State Government nor the BJD has anything to do with my opinion,” he said.
The issue of the former minister evading arrest is now becoming an embarrassment for the BJD. Though nobody in the party has demanded his arrest or asked him to surrender immediately, the issue has generated heat in the Assembly. Many BJD leaders said requesting anonymity that Raghunath should now surrender.
Neither the police nor the Assembly has any information on the whereabouts of the former minister. Raghunath had resigned as minister on March 15, a day after his daughter-in-law Barsa Swony Choudhury lodged an FIR against him and his family members at Balasore Town Police station.
Raghunath’s son Raja Shree has been arrested and sent to jail, but four others, including Raghunath, remain untraced.