JAJPUR: Hundreds of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) workers, led by former legislator Pranab Kumar Balabantray, staged a mass protest outside the Dharmasala block office on Tuesday, alleging that the block development officer (BDO), Debendra Prasad Bal, is fostering an environment of intimidation and ‘gundaraj’.
The protesters, including members of the youth, student, and women wings of the party, expressed concerns over the safety of panchayati raj institution (PRI) members at the block office.
Senior BJD leaders, including Binjharpur MLA Pramila Malik, Banki MLA Devi Ranjan Tripathy, Jajpur MLA Sujata Sahoo, and Bari MLA Biswa Ranjan Mallick, joined the dharna. They accused the BDO of acting as a ‘henchman’ of the government and engaging in ‘goondaism’.
“The BDO has turned into a henchman of the state government, indulging in massive goondaism and terrorising PRI members. The people of Dharmasala will not tolerate this behaviour. Today marks the beginning of our resistance, and it will intensify in the coming days,” stated the BJD leaders.
The protest follows accusations by Balabantray that BDO Bal terrorised PRI members, including women, who visited his office recently to inquire about the status of stalled developmental projects.
Balabantray alleged, the BDO refused to meet them, claiming to be occupied with a video conference. When the PRI members attempted to meet him an hour later, they were allegedly abused and mistreated by people at the office, purportedly at the BDO’s behest, he added.