Balangir Collector Confirms Patnagarh ‘Sit-Ups’ Incident, To Send Report To Govt

Balangir: The Patnagarh incident, where a junior engineer was made to do sit-ups in full public glare by MLA Saroj Meher, threatens to blow into a major controversy with the district collector on Sunday confirming the same.

“We have got a factual report confirming the incident..we will also send a report to the State Government about the incident,” Balangir collector Arindam Dakua told mediapersons.

Jayakant Sabar, the junior engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) of Kantabanjhi, was on last Thursday allegedly harassed by newly-elected Patnagarh MLA Saroj Meher after complaints of poor road construction by the locals.

Sabar had complained that he was not only made to do sit-ups but was slapped in public by the executive engineer, PWD, on the orders of the MLA.

The Balangir district Adivasi Kalyan Sangha held a demonstration in Balangir town during the day condemning the incident, while the Balangir diploma engineer association also protested the incident and submitted a memorandum to the district collector.

The police has registered a case against the MLA.