Odisha BJP Takes Up Woman’s Case Against Labour Minister With Police Commissioner

Bhubaneswar: Taking up the cause of the woman, who has filed a complaint against Odisha’s Labour Minister Srikant Sahu, BJP on Saturday held a meeting with Twin City Police Commissioner Saumendra Priyadarshi.

Speaking to media persons after the meeting, BJP’s general secretary Lekhashree Samantasinghara said they drew the attention of the Police Commissioner to slow progress in the complaint and lack of action against the minister.

Alleging that the police were dragging their feet on the complaint, she said they were not registering a case under pressure from the ruling party.

She further said the police argument that it was not a congizable offence is not acceptable. Depriving a woman of justice on the plea of loopholes in the legal procedure is highly condemnable, she added.

“The woman, who has been an active member of BJD for over 20 years, had lodged the complaint of sexual abuse by the Labour Minister at the Mahila police station in Bhubaneswar. She had to wait for 14 hours there for the purpose. Will any woman sit in a police station for so long without having a genuine issue?” Lekhashree asked.

It may be noted that the woman activist had gone to file the complaint at 11 am on April 13. The police took her to the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar for examination and brought her back to the police station at around 8.30 pm.

She had told the media that she had filed the complaint against the Labour Minister.