BHUBANESWAR: The Crime Branch (CB) on Sunday took over investigation of three separate cases including the alleged attack on Dharmasala MLA Himanshu Sekhar Sahoo, alleged involvement of senior BJD leader Pranab Prakash Das’ brother, Bhaba in assaulting a vegetable vendor, and a group of locals staging a road blockade against some vendors for doing business at the old location of Biraja Haat in Jajpur town.
Sahoo was allegedly assaulted on November 20 when he was on his way to Jajpur town to attend a meeting at the office of the deputy director of mines. His vehicle had to stop as a few locals were staging a road blockade by burning tyres near a bridge on Kuakhia-Jajpur Town road opposing vendors over setting up business at Biraja Haat. A few miscreants rushed to Himanshu’s vehicle and vandalised it. They also allegedly attacked him and his security officer with an iron rod and snatched his gold chain. The haat near Biraja temple was recently shifted to Santhmadhab area under Biraja Parikrama project.
On November 21, Bhaba Prasad and his associates allegedly assaulted a vegetable vendor there. He and his associates then staged a blockade on Jajpur-Singhpur against the vendors who were not shifting to the haat in Santhmadhab area.