Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly witnessed noisy scenes on Wednesday as members of the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) traded sharp accusations over the law and order situation in the state, forcing a brief adjournment of the House.
The issue surfaced during Zero Hour when BJD chief whip Pramila Mallik criticised the state government, alleging a deterioration in law and order. She referred to an alleged attack on Shergarh block chairman Krushna Chandra Nayak, which reportedly took place at his office premises on Tuesday evening.
According to Mallik, some miscreants attacked Nayak and left him seriously injured. She informed the House that the block chairman is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bhubaneswar. The BJD leader further alleged that criminal activities have been on the rise in Ganjam district.
Echoing her concerns, BJD MLA Sarada Prasanna Jena claimed that even elected representatives were not safe in the state. He alleged that individuals with links to the BJP were behind the attack on Nayak.
Another BJD member, Dhruba Charan Sahoo, raised a separate incident involving an alleged attack on a woman Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer at Rajnagar in Kendrapara district. He alleged that instead of taking action against the accused, the government transferred the officer, which he claimed had emboldened the miscreants.
Members of the treasury benches strongly refuted the allegations. BJP legislators Tankadhar Tripathy and Babu Singh countered by citing incidents that occurred during the previous BJD government, including the killing of a cabinet minister and an instance in which an MLA allegedly attacked police personnel at a police station.
The heated exchange between members of the ruling party and the opposition soon led to uproar in the House. Amid the din, Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the proceedings for 10 minutes during the pre-lunch session.
