KEONJHAR: Odisha Pradesh Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik targetted BJP for the attack he and his personal security officer faced near Kashipur even as Keonjhar Town police on Monday arrested one person in connection with the incident.
IIC Pramodini Sahu said police registered a case under Sections 294, 307, 506, 341, 323, 427 and 34 of IPC and subsequently, arrested Sanjay Mohanty, a native of Madhapur village, from his house. Further investigation is on.
On the other hand, the OPCC chief changed his stance and said he suspected political links behind the attack after the arrest of Mohanty. In a series of tweets, Patnaik said the miscreants were members of BJP’s youth wing.
“This is a clear case of political vendetta and desperation of @BJP4Odisha. Congress is raising relevant issues in the state and speaking out against the policies of BJP, which is desperately trying to get a foothold in Odisha. Congress is the biggest hurdle for them,” he said in one of his tweets.
Launching a direct attack on BJP State president Samir Mohanty and party’s Odisha in-charge D Purandeswari, Patnaik said, “Why is your party behaving like a coward? I can understand the fear @INCOdisha invokes in your hearts, but why send goons? Is your party so intellectually impotent that you can’t find ways to fight us democratically?”
Earlier, the OPCC chief had said that he did not see any political links in the incident. On the day, several Congress leaders met Keonjhar SP demanding immediate arrest of all the accused involved in the incident.
On Sunday night, four to five miscreants reportedly tried to attack Patnaik’s vehicle and assaulted his personal security officer Rakesh Singh.