‘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 after inaugurating the two-day collectors’ conference at Lok Seva Bhawan 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 residents of Raisuan and Gopinathpur panchayats in Keonjhar constituency had blocked NH 20 over drinking water issues on May 2, when the simultaneous polls in Odisha were underway.“The inspector questioned my presence at the police station, stating the Model Code of Conduct was in effect. The IIC shouted at me and said ‘get out’. Who had pressurised him to do so? Can’t an MLA, who is also a candidate, visit the police station with people’s problems?” he asked.

Feeling humiliated, Majhi staged a sit-in outside the police station demanding accountability for the inspector’s actions.

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 then. I forgave him as I believed that he had acted 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 CM also cited an incident, involving President Droupadi Murmu when she was disrespected by a district collector while serving as a minister in BJP-BJD coalition government two decades ago during a meeting in Keonjhar. “While visiting a place with a central minister, the district collector greeted only the Union minister. The officer also did not even apologise for not greeting her,” Majhi noted.

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.