Police Complaint Accusing Odisha MLA Pratap Jena Of ‘Masterminding’ Murderous Attack

Cuttack: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA and former Odisha Minister Pratap Jena seems to be facing a fresh problem with a local outfit lodging a police complaint accusing him of being the mastermind in an ‘murderous’ attack on its leader in Mahanga in Cuttack district.

In a complaint filed at Mahanga police station, president of Nyaya Pain Ladhei Parivar (NPLP) Subrat Das alleged that Jena was the mastermind of a murderous attack on NPLP secretary Dilip Sahu on September 26.

Giving this information, Das told media that the NPLP would launch an agitation if the police fails to take any action against the Mahanga MLA and the miscreants involved in the attack.

He alleged that some miscreants mounted a murderous attack on NPLP secretary Dillip Sahu at the behest of Jena, but action has so far been taken against the attackers. Therefore, the NPLP lodged a written complaint with the police seeking action, he said.

Legislator Jena was not immediately available for comment.

It may be noted here that a day after the Salepur JMFC court took cognisance of the case filed against the former Minister in the Mahanga double murder case, Dilip Sahu and the members of the NPLP had staged a demonstration in front of the Mahanga block office on September 26.

It was alleged that when the demonstrators were planning to burn the effigy of Jena, some miscreants stated to be the supporters of the MLA reached the spot and attacked Sahu.

Notably, Salepur JMFC court has issued summons, pertaining to Mahanga double murder case, to the MLA. After taking cognisance of the case against Jena as an accused in the murder case, the court on has summoned him to appear before it on October 31.

“After going through the statements of the complainant, witnesses, and other available materials on record, we found that a prima facie case punishable for the offences under Section 302, 506, 120 B of the Indian Penal Code is made against the accused namely Pratap Kumar Jena,” the court had said in its September 25 order.

On January 2, 2021, Kulamani Baral, 75, who was the block chairman of Mahanga, and his associate Dibyasingh Baral, 80, were hacked to death by unidentified miscreants near Jankoti village in Odisha’s Mahanga tehsil while returning home by a motorbike.