Raurkela: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday suspended its Raurkela functionary Prakash Paswan after police investigation revealed that he had booked a room at Panposh Circuit House for two men later arrested with firearms and ammunition.
Following the initial arrests, police detained five more accused, including the alleged supplier of the weapons. Three among them are currently in police remand as probe continues to trace the source of the firearms and uncover possible links to a wider network.
In a statement, the BJP Odisha media cell said Paswan was suspended on the instructions of state president Manmohan Samal for alleged indiscipline and conduct that violated party norms. Disciplinary committee state convener Sudarshan Nayak confirmed that “Prakash Paswan of Raurkela has been suspended from the party due to indiscipline, misconduct and violation of party discipline.”
A raid by Raghunathpalli police on the government-owned facility in Raurkela on August 14 had led to the arrest of two men, identified as Bikash Dungri and Narayan Sahu, after they were found in possession of firearms, magazines, and live ammunition. The stay came to light after social media posts, allegedly uploaded by the duo, purportedly showed them threatening rivals.
Investigation revealed that the suspects had been utilising the facility as a hideout since July 21 and the room was reserved under the name of the local youth leader. Interrogation of the duo led to the arrest of five associates, including Sagar Sahu—who allegedly supplied the weapons—along with Rajesh Sahu, Kartar Singh, Rajesh Srivastava, and Vicky Sharma. Four firearms and live bullets were seized in total. All seven accused reportedly face previous cases involving assault, firearm possession and criminal intimidation. Three others are absconding.
Meanwhile, police on Wednesday secured a two-day police remand for three of the primary accused to interrogate them regarding the origin of the weapons and map out potential links to a broader criminal syndicate. Official register logs and CCTV records are being examined and the role of private agency outsourced to manage the guest house is also being probed, to determine how the unauthorised guests secured long-term access to the high-security government facility.
