BHUBANESWAR: The BJD has demanded removal of leader of the opposition Jayanarayan Mishra from his post for allegedly manhandling a lady police officer during a BJP protest against the deteriorating law and order situation at Sambalpur.
BJD organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das condemned the incident and demanded strong action against Mishra.
Party’s Rajya Sabha member Manas Mangaraj said the incident was unacceptable. By assaulting a woman police officer and abusing her, the leader of the opposition has brought disgrace to democracy as well as our state, Mangaraj said.
Addressing a media conference, BJD spokesperson Srimoyee Mishra described Mishra as a habitual offender with 14 cases, including murder, against him. She demanded an apology from Mishra and his removal from the post.
Responding to the BJD demand, BJP MLA Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mahapatra said the incident has exposed the ‘Mo Police’ initiative of the state government. “A police officer killed a minister, another pushed the leader of the opposition,” he said and asked is this how police administration works in the state.