Raurkela: Intensifying the probe into Raurkela Circuit House gun arms, Odisha Police have reportedly moved court seeking a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) to arrest youth leader Prakash Paswan, who is stated to be absconding.
According to information, the police have approached the court for NBW as arrest of Paswan his considered crucial for gathering key information in connection with the Raurkela Circuit House incident.
This apart, his office operating from a quarter located in Sector-21 of the steel city has also been sealed over alleged unauthorised construction.
Sources said four teams of Raurkela Police are conducting raids outside Odisha to trace him, while the name of Khushbu Yadav has emerged in the case. Some teams are also carrying out searches at different locations within Odisha to trace Paswan.
As part of the probe, police have reportedly seized a car allegedly used by Paswan and kept it at the police station. Police have also called his family members to the station and questioned them about the case, sources said.
Investigators are now looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident and the alleged links of those involved.
After his name was linked to the incident, Union Tribal Affairs Minister and Sundargarh MP Jual Oram has acknowledged that suspended BJP youth leader Prakash Paswan was his aide and must face legal consequences if found guilty in the Circuit House arms seizure case.
In a post on X, Oram said: “If there are any allegations against him regarding the Circuit House incident, they should be examined through a fair and transparent inquiry. If he is found guilty, he should be punished according to the law. The law must apply equally to everyone.”
Paswan, a 35-year-old Yuva Morcha leader and state executive member of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, was suspended by the Odisha BJP unit on Thursday on the instructions of state president Manmohan Samal for alleged indiscipline, misconduct and violation of party norms. He was Jual’s representative in Raurkela Municipal Corporation.
The action followed after police investigation found that he had booked rooms at the Panposh Circuit House in Raurkela for individuals, who were later arrested. Police raided the facility on the night of August 14, seizing four firearms, 11 live rounds and magazines, and arresting seven men with prior records involving assault, illegal weapons and criminal intimidation. The accused, including Bikash Dungri and Narayan Sahu, had reportedly stayed at the high-security government guest house for more than 20 days since around July 21, using it as a hideout. Three of the arrested were later remanded to police custody for further interrogation to trace the weapons’ sources and any wider network.
Police are searching for Paswan for allegedly turning government facilities into a sanctuary for armed suspects.