BJD Fact-Finding Team Reaches Jharsuguda To Probe Odisha Panchayat Members’ ‘Detention’ In Chhattisgarh

Bhubaneswar: The seven-member fact-finding team of BJD on Sunday reached Jharsuguda to probe the alleged detention of some panchayat members from Odisha and Bishal Das, son of a former cabinet minister Naba Das, in neighbouring Chhattisgarh. 

It is expected to inquire into the circumstances under which the panchayat members went to Chhattisgarh, were detained and later released.

Party president Naveen Patnaik formed the team headed by former minister Niranjan Pujari on Saturday, a day after writing to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, describing the incident as “disturbing” and requesting for their immediate release.

Naveen also met former Jharsuguda MLA and Bishal’s sister Deepali Das. “He asked me to stay strong and face such dirty politics with confidence,” she told reporters after the meeting at Naveen Niwas,

Earlier at a press conference, Deepali had accused the BJP government of violating democratic norms and using Chhattisgarh Police to detain the 12 panchayat members hailing from Jharsuguda district to sabotage the no-confidence motion against the Kirimira block president, which had to be called off.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Sambalpur MLA Jayanarayan Mishra questioned the rationale being constituting the team. “Fact finding will be done by the government. Who is not aware of how elections were conducted during the previous BJD regime, when police was misused as a political tool,” he added.