Raurkela: 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.
Addressing what he termed a coordinated smear campaign, the Union Minister reflected on his 35-year electoral career, attributing his long-standing public service to the support of diverse regional and religious communities, including Odias, Bengalis, Biharis, Marwaris, and tribal groups. Oram warned that while healthy political criticism and opposition are natural elements of public life, he will not tolerate malicious conspiracies, false rumours, or misdirected propaganda. He specifically called for a thorough investigation into the spread of misleading information and fake Right to Information (RTI) claims made in his name, cautioning that legal proceedings will be initiated against any individuals or organisations actively indulging in defamation.
In a separate post headlined as a clear and strict warning, Oram clarified that Khusbu Yadav is his district representative who has long assisted him with public affairs and constituency-related matters, attending government meetings and programmes in that capacity. She is neither his assistant private secretary nor a member of his official staff. He noted that he had wished to appoint her as additional private secretary but the move could not materialise for certain reasons, though this does not affect her current role.
Describing her as a public figure with her own identity and support base, Oram warned that those attempting to tarnish her reputation by distorting facts or falsely projecting her as “fake” would face legal action for defamatory propaganda.