Bhubaneswar: Durga Prasad Mohanty, husband of Narla BJD MLA Manorama Mohanty and chairman of Narla block in Kalahandi district, has moved Orissa High Court seeking anticipatory bail, even as the Odisha police have intensified their probe into allegations against him by filing a petition in the JMFC court at Madanpur Rampur for an arrest warrant.
This followed raids by Kalahandi police at multiple locations, including Rupra Road, a farmhouse, and the MLA’s residence in Bhubaneswar, for over four days to apprehended Mohanty, who is accused of threatening a local tehsildar.
Sources said he narrowly escaped during a police raid at a hotel on Saturday.
Police attempted to serve a notice to Mohanty by visiting the official residence of the in Bhubaneswar on March 29. However, neither Mohanty nor the MLA was present at the time, prompting further steps in the investigation, according to sources.
In his complaint, Narla Tehsildar Bibhuti Prasad Singh alleged that Mohanty called him on March 15 during a dispute over land issues between Balisinga and Salepada revenue villages. He further claimed the BJD MLA’s husband interfered in official work, used abusive language, and threatened to kill him. A case has been registered against him under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), pertaining to threat of injury to any public servant and criminal intimidation.
The BJD, however, has dismissed the developments as a “political vendetta,” alleging pressure on the Narla MLA to support the BJP in Rajya Sabha elections and retaliation for her refusal. The party also criticised the police for entering the residence of a sitting MLA without prior permission from the Speaker while the Assembly is in session and allegedly behaving inappropriately with her daughter and a woman staff member.
This is not Mohanty’s first brush with the law. He is reportedly facing four cases in total, with charge sheets already filed in three of them. The current case has intensified scrutiny on the elected representative’s family, with the tehsildar highlighting concerns over the safety of government officials when facing interference from influential figures.
