‘Expelled’ BJD MLA Prashant Jagadev Sent To Jail Till April 2; Forged Number Plate Adds To His Trouble

Bhubaneswar: Expelled BJD MLA from Chilika Prashant Jagadev, who was arrested after being discharged from hospital for driving his SUV into a crowd, has been sent to judicial till April 2.

After his arrest on Tuesday, the legislator was produced before the District and Sessions Judge Court in Bhubaneswar. The police then took him in an ambulance on transit remand and produced him in the Banapur JMFC court, which rejected his bail plea. He has been sent to Banapur sub-jail.

While 22 people, including 10 police personnel, were injured in the March 12 incident, which took place during the block chairman election at Banapur, angry villagers caught and assaulted the legislator and also smashed his SUV. A seriously injured Jagadev along with seven others were then shifted to Bhubaneswar for better treatment.

The incident was a grim reminder of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which four protesting farmers and a journalist were run over.

The Chilika MLA has been booked under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (attempt to murder). He is also accused of obstructing officers from discharging their duty.

However, Jagadev could be in for more trouble as police have found that the SUV he was driving had a forged number plate. The seized Land Rover Discovery had the number plate of a Hyundai Creta registered in the name of Shibani Food Products Pvt Ltd.

Also Read: Odisha: Chilika MLA Prashant Jagadev’s SUV Had Fake Registration, Say Police

Police have sought details from the RTO, Land Rover and Hyundai dealers about the ownership of the seized vehicle. “Since the MLA was driving the Land Rover Discovery, he will be booked for using a forged number plate. We will mention this in the charge sheet,” IG (central range) Narasingha Bhol told TOI.

Notably, the MLA has a history of unruly public behaviour. At least 12 cases related to assault and misconduct with the public have been registered against him in different police stations.

In September last year, Jagadev was suspended from the BJD after a video of his thrashing a BJP leader of his Chilika constituency went viral. He was reportedly expelled from the party three months before the Banapur incident.

In August 2020, a junior engineer had registered a complaint alleging that he had misbehaved with him. In 2016, too, he had landed himself in controversy for allegedly assaulting a lady tehsildar.

Following the Banapur incident, the BJD claimed to have expelled Jagadev from the party three months ago. He was first elected to the assembly from Begunia in 2014 and for a second time from Chilika in 2019.