BJD hits the street demanding removal of Jayanarayan Mishra as Leader of Opposition
The Hindu
A woman police inspector has alleged she was assaulted by the BJP leader
The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha on Thursday mounted pressure demanding the removal of Leader of the Opposition Jayanarayan Mishra from his post, a day after a police inspector alleged, she was assaulted by the BJP leader.
Hundreds of BJD cadres, especially members of the women’s wing, hit the street and burnt the effigy of Mr. Mishra.
“The post of Leader of the Opposition is a dignified post. The way Mr. Mishra attacked an on-duty police inspector should be condemned in the strongest possible words. He is involved in 14 criminal cases, including charges of murder,” said Sulochana Das, Mayor of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and BJD leader, here.
Many BJD workers rushed to the Circuit House, the government guest house, Sambalpur, anticipating the presence of Mr. Mishra. They shouted that Mr. Mishra lost his moral right to continue in the position of Leader of the Opposition.
On Wednesday, he was booked on charges of assaulting a woman inspector. The incident had taken place when Mr. Mishra was leading the party’s agitation on the issue of the deteriorating law and order situation in front of the office of Sambalpur District Collector.
In a video clip that captured the incident, the BJP leader was seen holding the face of Anita Pradhan, Inspector-in-charge of the Dhanupali police station, tightly and giving her a push.
“I received information that our women cadres were manhandled and shoved. When I tried to intervene in the matter, the woman police official stepped on my foot and pushed me angrily. Subsequently, I inquired about the police officer,” said Mr. Mishra after the incident.
Justice G. Jayachandran of the Madras High Court has said that Justice G.R. Swaminathan has exhibited bias against the State police by “showing interest in passing orders hastily without consulting the Bench partner (Justice P.B. Balaji)“ in a habeas corpus petition filed against the preventive detention of YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar alias A. Shankar under the Goondas Act.