3 New Cases Against Odisha BJD Leader Pranab Prakash Das’ Cousin

Jajpur: Trouble seems to have mounted further for Bhaba Prasad Das, cousin of BJD organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das, who was arrested two days ago on charges of assaulting a vegetable vendor at Biraja Haat in Odisha’s Jajpur town.

Sources said Bhaba, a former Jajpur Municipality chairperson, is now embroiled in further legal issues as three more cases were filed by Jajpur Town Police on Monday.

Bhaba is the son of Utkal Das, younger brother of former BJD leader and Pranab’s father Ashok Das.

These charges involve violent protests, such as gheraoing the Town Police Station and staging roadblockade near Biraja Haat. In addition, a complaint relating an assault on another vendor was filed in the court of the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM). The local authorities have also submitted a formal request to the SDJM court to incorporate these three charges into the ongoing legal proceedings against the accused.

Following the development, Bhaba was produced in the SDJM court for taking cognisance of the three fresh cases slapped against him.

It may be noted that Bhaba was arrested following allegation of assault on vegetable vendor Madan Nayak in Biraja Haat. However, complainant Nayak took a U-turn on Saturday.

Initially, Madan had claimed that Bhaba had assaulted, threatened and extorted money from him. However, Madan subsequently retracted these claims, stating that Bhaba did not commit any such acts and that his original police report was a slip-up from his side. He said he had mistakenly lodged the FIR with the local police.