BHUBANESWAR: A police team from Kalahandi district on Sunday visited the official residence of Narla BJD MLA Manorama Mohanty here in connection with a case registered against her husband, who is accused of threatening a local tehsildar.
According to police sources, a case was registered in Narla police station on March 15, basing on a written complaint filed by tehsildar Bibhu Prasad Singh. The complaint alleged that the MLA’s husband Durga Prasad Mohanty, who serves as the BJD’s Narla block president, had threatened the revenue official over a land-related issue.
Police said the accused has been absconding since the case was registered. A police team reached the MLA’s quarter early Sunday morning to serve a notice and locate him. However, he was not found at the residence.
The police action, however, triggered a sharp political reaction from the Opposition BJD, which termed the move an act of “political vendetta” by the ruling BJP.
Addressing a press conference at Sankha Bhawan, senior BJD leaders, including former minister Dibya Shankar Mishra, MLA Manorama Mohanty, youth wing president Chinmaya Sahu and student leader Ipsita Sahu, alleged that the police were being used to target Opposition leaders.
Mishra criticised the police for entering the residence of a sitting MLA without prior permission from the Speaker while the Assembly session is underway, calling it a violation of protocol and an affront to the dignity of an elected representative. The BJD MLA expressed anguish over the incident, alleging that in her absence, police personnel behaved inappropriately with her daughter and a woman staff member.
She also questioned the timing of the case, claiming it was registered just ahead of the recent Rajya Sabha elections. She urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Speaker Surama Padhy to ensure justice, particularly highlighting the absence of women police during the visit.