Bhubaneswar: The BJD on Wednesday came down heavily on the Mohan Majhi government and demanded an apology from the DGP after the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) declared a controversial Arms Act case against three of its party leaders as false.
In September 2024, Malgodam Police had registered an Arms Act case against BJD legislator Byomakesh Ray, party spokesperson Lenin Mohanty and a student leader over their alleged involvement in a group clash during a torch rally against the renaming of Ravenshaw University in Cuttack.
Speaking at a presser at Shankha Bhawan, Mohanty, who approached the OHRC challenging the case, said the police station later submitted a report admitting there was no factual basis for the charges, confirming it was false. “Following which, the Commission ruled the case invalid and iss
ued directives to the DGP to prevent similar incidents in the future. The rights panel also ordered for preliminary inquiries before registering FIRs in such matters. It noted that such cases should only proceed with credible evidence. All police stations across the state have also been instructed to avoid harassing innocent individuals through baseless cases,” he said.
Referring to the Ravenshaw incident, the BJD spokesperson said that the BJP government has focused more on renaming institutions and altering symbols rather than on development since coming to power in the state. “The Ravenshaw University renaming proposal faced widespread opposition from various sections of society, leading to the protest,” he noted.
Mohanty emphasised that the Commission’s findings expose how the state police are allegedly acting at the behest of ruling party leaders and ministers. “Police stations across the state are now effectively under the control of petty BJP leaders. False cases are being filed on their instructions and ordinary people are afraid to approach police stations for justice,” he claimed.
Since the case has been officially deemed false, Mohanty reiterated the BJD’s demand for a public apology from the DGP.