‘Media Shield’ & ‘Media Trial’, Odisha BJD & Cong Leaders React To Arrests In Sarua Land Scam

Bhubaneswar: Hours after senior BJD leader and Rajya Sabha member Dr Sasmit Patra slammed BJP leader Baijayant Panda for using media as a shield to protect illegalities in his business, senior Congress leader and Balangir MLA Narasingha Mishra spoke against media trial of the case.

In a series of tweets, Patra questioned as to why OTV defended the arrested director of Odisha Infratech Pvt Ltd through a press release while the owners are silent on the issue.

The arrestee, Manoranjan Sarangi, is also the OTV’s Chief Finance Officer.

A Director of Odisha Infratech Pvt Ltd was arrested yesterday for land fraud but #OTV defended him through Press Release. Have all #BaijayantPanda companies amalgamated with #OTV or using OTV as “Media Shield” is convenient to hide illegalities in other Jay Panda companies?

— Dr. Sasmit Patra I ଡ଼ଃ ସସ୍ମିତ ପାତ୍ର (@sasmitpatra) November 2, 2020

Odisha mines owner, businessman, real estate developer, media owner Baijayant Panda’s Odia TV #OTV acting as a “media shield” for defending illegalities in his other businesses. If Odisha Infratech commits fraud, #OTV defends. One should learn how media can be used from Jay Panda

— Dr. Sasmit Patra I ଡ଼ଃ ସସ୍ମିତ ପାତ୍ର (@sasmitpatra) November 2, 2020

Heard #BaijayantPanda has shareholding in 21 companies including #OTV. Convenient that there is #OTV to defend any illegality that takes place in those 21 companies. Like yesterday when Jay Panda owned Odisha Infratech Director got arrested for land scam and #OTV defended him.

— Dr. Sasmit Patra I ଡ଼ଃ ସସ୍ମିତ ପାତ୍ର (@sasmitpatra) November 2, 2020

Mines owners & businessmen should learn from Jay Panda how to use media for protecting their business. If your company like Odisha Infratech commits land fraud & its Director is arrested, get your media #OTV to release press statement & defend. Who said “media shields” dont work?

— Dr. Sasmit Patra I ଡ଼ଃ ସସ୍ମିତ ପାତ୍ର (@sasmitpatra) November 2, 2020

Strategy to use #OTV as “Spokesperson” defending arrest of Jay Panda-owned Odisha Infratech’s Director, is a clever ploy to pressurize Odisha Law enforcement agencies saying, “You dare touch any Jay Panda company, OTV will pull it to itself & cry foul saying “Media Under Attack”.

— Dr. Sasmit Patra I ଡ଼ଃ ସସ୍ମିତ ପାତ୍ର (@sasmitpatra) November 2, 2020

Why are owners of Odisha Infratech silent on arrest of its Director in land fraud case? Why did #OTV defend that arrest with a Press Release and cry foul? Its elementary. Media would question owner Jay Panda on land scam, so deflect it to OTV, a media arm. No questions asked!!

— Dr. Sasmit Patra I ଡ଼ଃ ସସ୍ମିତ ପାତ୍ର (@sasmitpatra) November 2, 2020

Reacting to Sarangi’s arrest by the Crime Branch, Narasingha Mishra said let the law take its own course in the case.

“He was issued notices several times in the past. The Crime Branch arrested him after investigating the matter. The media should not try to influence any case,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch has arrested one more person, Siba Prasad Shrichandan, in connection with the alleged land grabbing at Sarua village in Khurda district.

He is an agent of Odisha Infratech Pvt Ltd.

Sarangi, on the other hand, is in two-day EOW’s custody.

It may be mentioned here that after the resignation of the OTV MD Jagi Mangat Panda as the director of the Odisha Infratech Ltd in 2010, Sarangi and Bibhu Rath were appointed as the directors of the company. During their tenure, the process of purchase of land at Sarua had begun the same year.

The company is accused of purchasing land belonging to Scheduled Caste persons circumventing rules/laws using forgery/cheating/intimidation and other dubious methods with an intention to cause losses to them.

Baijayant Panda, his wife Jagi Mangat Panda and Panda Investments owned by Baijayant have shares in Odisha Infratech Pvt Ltd.