Bhubaneswar: Tension gripped Odisha’s Dharmasala following an alleged violent confrontation between supporters of legislator Himanshu Sekhar Sahoo and former MLA Pranab Kumar Balabantaray near the latter’s farmhouse at Panturi village.
Balabantaray claimed that more than 15 motorcycles were vandalised. Four of his supporters sustained serious injuries and were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, while 15 others were admitted to a local hospital.
The incident allegedly took place when his supporters had gathered at his farmhouse for a social get-together.
The injured were rescued by police, who have also begun an investigation into the brazen assault, which is being linked to political rivalry in Dharamsala.
Sahoo’s office, however, countered that BJD workers intercepted and assaulted his supporters as they were passing through the area. They have also lodged a complaint at Jenapur police station. However, no arrests have so far been made in connection with the alleged clash.
The Dharmasala Assembly segment in Odisha’s Jajpur district has been a hotspot for political rivalry since the 2024 elections, when the independent candidate narrowly defeated two-time sitting MLA Balabantaray, son of late BJD strongman Kalpataru Das, by a margin of 4,150 votes. Sahoo later returned to the ruling BJP, intensifying post-poll friction in this former BJD stronghold.
This rivalry has manifested in repeated incidents in past 2 years:
October 2024 — Eggs were hurled at Balabantaray’s vehicle at Kurikana village within Dharmasala Assembly constituency in the district when he was on way to visit various Laxmi Puja pandals; He suspected involvement of Sahoo’s supporters in the incident.
November 2024 — Sahoo was allegedly attacked and his car vandalised by miscreants near Budha bridge while he was returning from a meeting with the deputy director of mines in Jajpur town. He accused senior BJD member Pranab Prakash Das of orchestrating the attack, which the latter denied.
April 2025 — The former legislator was attacked and his SUV vandalised by some club-wielding youths at Aruha village in Jajpur district while he was on his way to attend the Hingula Yajna at the village. Police arrested several individuals, but tensions persisted.