Opposition Political Activists Lock up Minister Tukuni Sahu in Guest House

Bureau,Odishabarta

Sambalpur: Opposition Congress and BJP workers gheraoed State Women and Child Development Minister Tukuni Sahu and kept her confined for hours in a government bungalow at Kuchinda township here on Wednesday during 12-hour shutdown by the two parties against the attack on their workers by alleged ruling BJD activists during a visit by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Tukuni Sahu was in Kuchinda to distribute smart health cards under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, which was launched in the district by the Chief Minister on Tuesday.

The Opposition parties’ workers rushed to the bungalow when the Minister was chairing a meeting of officers there before attending a programme to distribute smart health cards and locked the main gate forcing her to be confined there, the police said. They raised slogans against the Government for Tuesday’s attack by BJD workers on Congress and BJP activists who were demonstrating during the Chief Minister’s visit to press their demand for the removal of Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra in the Kalahandi lady teacher Mamita Meher kidnap and murder case. As Tukuni Sahu was forced to stay in the bungalow for hours, police rushed to the spot and rounded up the protesters. “We picked up the protesters to maintain law and order situation as the ruling BJD activists had also reached the place,” he said.

Ravi Naik, BJP State general secretary, was among those picked up by the police. The BJP and Congress had separately called 12-hour Kuchinda bandh after the president of Kuchinda Youth Congress unit, Jayant Kishan, was beaten up by a group of people, allegedly members of BJD, on Tuesday.

Kishan is still in the hospital.

The bandh evoked partial response in the township as the business community of the area did not extend support because of Dhanteras and Diwali festivals.

Naik told reporters before being picked up by the police that the BJP workers were holding a demonstration when the BJD goons attacked them during the Chief Minister’s visit on Tuesday. “This is Goonda raj by the BJD and the police administration had turned a mute spectator to the attack on the Opposition party activists. We have therefore called for the bandh from 6 am on Wednesday”.

Congress leader Rajendra Kumar Chhatra echoed him and said the party gave the bandh call to protest against BJD’s “Goonda raj”. D S Mishra is being accused by the Opposition parties of being close to the prime accused in Mamita Meher murder case Gobinda Sahu. The Minister has denied the allegations and has claimed that he had no role in the crime.
Meanwhile, a report from Ganjam said Odisha Speaker Surya Narayan Patro and BJD Berhampur MP Chandrasekhar Sahu were also gheraoed by locals at Tikarpada village in Digapahandi when they went there to inaugurate the smart classroom of the village school and a new building of Mission Shakti.
The villagers gheraoed their convoy for about two hours alleging negligence of the development of the area by the State Government. The villagers said that Tikarpada lacks a motor able road and the Government welfare schemes had failed to help the beneficiaries.

A scuffle took place between them and the police who were deployed there when the police personnel tried to come to the rescue of the two dignitaries. Patro and Sahu were, however, later allowed to go by the villagers after they assured them that they will look into their grievances..

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