Bhubaneswar: The police have slapped cases against 11 senior Odisha Congress leaders, including state unit president Bhakta Charan Das, and 5,000 other unnamed party members for the violence that occurred during a protest in Bhubaneswar last month.
The Congress had organised the ‘Vidhan Sabha Gherao’ programme in Bhubaneswar on March 27 in protest against alleged rise in atrocities against women and girls. Several people including police personnel were injured in the clash during the protest.
The case was registered on March 28 at the Capital Police Station on the basis of a report of inspector-in-charge (IIC) Dayanidhi Nayak. However, the details of the case were shared with the media on Wednesday.
Apart from Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Das, the other senior Congress leaders whose names have been mentioned in the FIR, are Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam, MLAs Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Ramesh Chandra Jena, Pabitra Saunta, Sagar Charan Das, Prafulla Chandra Pradhan, Mangu Khila, and C S Raazen Ekka, Md Moquim, and Suresh Chandra Routray.
Charges like unlawful assembly, rioting, wrongful restraint, use of criminal force against a public servant, and criminal intimidation have been framed against the leaders and 5,000 other unnamed members of the Congress party.
So far, at least three persons have been arrested in connection to the case and further investigation is under progress, said a police officer of Capital Police station.
As per the FIR, members of Congress from various parts of the state came to Mahatma Gandhi Marg in procession from different sides of Bhubaneswar. A meeting was held where the Congress leaders reportedly gave anti-government speeches and made inflammatory speeches. Instigated by such inflammatory speeches, the workers gathered there turned violent and tried to break the police cordon and move towards the state Assembly building, police said.
Around 50 people, including police personnel, sustained injuries during the face-off between the supporters of the Congress and security forces during the protest rally, police added.
