Ensure Foolproof Security For Kharavela Swain, DGP Tells SPs

Bhubaneswar: In the wake of the attack on Utkal Bharat president Kharavela Swain by two persons at Kasipur in Odisha’s Rayagada district, Director General of Police (DGP) RP Sharma on Monday directed the Superintendents of Police (SPs) to provide foolproof security to him in their respective district.

The DGP also asked the SPs to deploy adequate number of police personnel at meetings to be conducted by Swain to thwart any possibility of an attack on him.

In a press briefing on Sunday, Sharma had said that acting on the directive of the Chief Minister, the Crime Branch will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident to ascertain the reason behind the assault on the former MP and the conspiracy behind it. Besides, the state investigating wing is most likely to bring the previous assaults on him at Ali in Kendrapara and Khaira in Balasore district under the purview of its investigation.

Meanwhile, Kashipur police on Monday arrested one more accused P Govinda Rao in the assault case. Another accused Sumanta Nayak was arrested the previous day and police took him on remand for three days for interrogation. However, the third accused Krushna Nayak is absconding.

Referring to the alleged assault by the Nabarangpur SP Vivekanand Sharma on a cable operator four days ago, the DGP said he has asked the DIG, Southern Range, to probe the matter and submit a report.

It may be mentioned that the senior Congress leader and former MP of Nabarangpur Pradip Majhi on Sunday had told the media that a youth Shravan Kumar, a Christian dalit, had gone to the official residence of the SP four days ago to install TATA Sky connection. But as he did not pay respect by folding hands to the officer, the latter thrashed him mercilessly and handed over to the IIC, who detained the youth on the pretext of interrogation.

Alleging that the SP had done the same thing with five other youths earlier, Majhi had threatened to observe bandh in the district on December 4 if no action against is taken against him.

Refuting Majhi’s allegation as baseless, the SP, in a statement later in the day said the former, who was trying to put pressure for the release of the youth who is an accused in a kidnapping case, has come up with a false charge against him as he refused to do so.