Bhubaneswar: The counsel of BJP state vice president Sameer Mohanty appeared before the Kharavela Nagar police on Thursday in connection with the circulation of a fake ‘Intel report’, which purportedly suggested declining support for Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Hinjili Assembly seat.
The Commissionerate Police had issued notice to Mohanty, BJP spokesperson Golak Mohapatra and Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha president Tankadhar Tripathy on Wednesday. These leaders had called a press conference on Monday and use the ‘Intel’ report to claim that fear of losing in his traditional seat had made Naveen announce his candidature from a second seat, Bijepur in western Odisha.
According to sources, Mohanty’s counsel Parthasarathi Nayak arrived at the Kharavela Nagar Police Station at 10 am as per the notice.
Talking to mediapersons after coming out of the police station, he said that he had submitted the documents sought by the police on this matter and gave in writing about the source of the document.
Golak Mohapatra and Tankadhar Tripathy have been asked to appear before the Kharavela Nagar police for interrogation on March 23 and 24 respectively.
The Commissionerate Police had earlier denied the report and dubbed it as ‘false’ and ‘fabricated’. An FIR was also lodged at the police station, stating that there was no section in the Intelligence Directorate called “SIB Political Desk” and no such letter was issued. Even the insignia on the report was found to be fake. An Intel report is categorised as either top secret, secret or confidential. This report had none, the FIR said.