ANGUL:Police on Thursday night suo motu registered a case against 52 villagers of Ragudiapada for forcing Dushmanta Sahu to go around beating a gong as punishment for defying the collective will of the village during the panchayat polls.
Angul SDPO Rabindranath Deo said the case has been filed against the village president and secretary besides 50 others.Meanwhile, political blame game has ensued over the incident with the BJP accusing ruling BJD MLA Rajani Kanta Singh behind the incident.
However, the MLA denied the charges. Dushmanta Sahu was not only forced to pay a fine but also made to go around Badakera panchayat beating a gong for not voting for the candidate supported by villagers.
Following the incident, Angul Collector Anil Kumar Samal had asked police to register a case in this regard as Sahu refused to lodge a complaint.
On the day, the local BDO conducted an inquiry into the matter and submitted a report to the Collector.