KENDRAPARA: Tension gripped Rajnagar area in Kendrapara district after the block development officer (BDO) was allegedly abused and an assault attempt made on her by some BJP workers after she reportedly refused to clear some pending bills on Friday.
Sources said Rajnagar BDO Tilottama Prusti was in her officer chamber when around 30 BJP workers led by their leader Lalit Kumar Behera allegedly stormed inside and pressured her to clear some bills and sanction additional work. However, when she denied, they reportedly abused her and also attempted to assault her. As per the CCTV footage, Behera reportedly attempted to throw a latop at Prusti but was stopped just in time by the other staff present in the office.
Protesting the incident, several BJD workers on Saturday staged blockade on the main road for around four hours and also sat on dharna in front of the panchayat samiti office demanding stringent action against those involved.
Condemning the incident, senior BJD leader and Rajnagar MLA Dhruba Sahoo alleged criminal activities had been on the rise in the district ever since the BJP government came to power. “The ruling BJP is supporting unscrupulous elements and forcing police not to take any action against them. Residents are in panic and always living in fear as crime rate has suddenly shot up in the area,” he claimed.
When contacted, BJP leader Behera said it was the duty of the BDO to sanction any development work worth less than `20 lakh without seeking approval of the block chairperson. “But the BDO waits for the block chairperson’s approval for all sorts of work owing to which many projects are moving at a snail’s pace. Hence, we had gone to her office on Friday, urging her to expedite those works but she did not pay heed to our requests. As a result, I just picked up the laptop in rage but did not assault her,” he said.
BDO Tilottama Prusti and Kendrapara collector Raghuram R Iyer, however, refused to comment on the incident.
Meanwhile, speaking to mediapersons on the day, additional SP of Kendrapara Sudhakar Sahoo said they are reviewing the CCTV footage of the area and further investigation is on. “All the accused will be arrested soon,” he added.
Speaking on the incident, BJP leader and Mahakalapada MLA Durga Prasan Nayak asserted the party was not shielding any miscreant. On the other hand, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty criticised the BJP government for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.