‘I Was Asked To Get Out Of Police Station’, Odisha CM Recalls Keonjhar IIC’s Behaviour At Collector’s Conference

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday recalled the behaviour he was meted out with by the IIC of Keonjhar police station, a couple of months before 2024 elections when he was an MLA.

The CM, during his speech at the Collectors’ Conference in Bhubaneswar, cited the incident as an example and said situation has improved significantly with the BJP government in power.

Recalling the incident, Majhi said that he had to rush to the spot after getting information that locals had blocked NH 20 over drinking water issues.“The IIC shouted at me and said ‘get out’. I had faced such a situation. Who had pressurised the IIC for which he said get out? Do candidates lack the right to visit a police station? The IIC said that I did not have the right to come to police station,” he said.

The CM further said that subsequently he became the Chief Minister and also headed the Home department.

“I can imagine what would have been the condition of the IIC. I forgave him as I believed that he had done it under pressure. Whenever a common man is visiting a police station, he/she should be treated properly by the staff at the help desk. When a person says that he has come to lodge an FIR, they should be taken to senior official for appropriate action,” Majhi added.

The chief minister went on to say that many of the practices during the previous government will not work under the current regime. He stated that since officials now have sufficient authority, they ought to support lower-level employees and take tough measures against individuals who smuggle small minerals illegally around the state.