Bhubaneswar: A vehicle carrying former Dharmasala MLA Pranab Kumar Balabantaray was allegedly attacked by miscreants at Aruha village in Dharmasala Tehsil of Jajpur district, on Sunday.
The incident took place while the former MLA, accompanied by his supporters, was on his way to attend a religious ceremony dedicated to ‘Maa Hingula.’
According to Balabantaray, the attack was orchestrated by goons under the direction of Independent MLA Himanshu Sahoo. The vehicle was reportedly struck with sticks and other deadly weapons.
“Today, I was invited to the Maa Hingula puja at Aruha village. Around 1 pm, I arrived in the village, where I was ambushed by Dharmasala MLA supporters– Manoj Samal and Ratikanta Jena – who are involved in illegal mining activities in the area. They had been planning this attack for the past two days. Armed with sticks, daggers, and swords, they attempted to kill me. I had informed the Jajpur SP before leaving Bhubaneswar, expressing concerns that such an incident might occur. Unfortunately, the attack happened right in front of the police. Following the incident, I saw footage showing the police seizing the weapons and it was clear that they were aware of the situation,” recounted Balabantaray while speaking to the media.
He further stated his gratitude to the villagers of Aruha, who helped him after the attack, allowing him to pray to ‘Maa Hingula’ with their assistance.
However, the former MLA did not hold back in criticizing the police. “This incident is a direct result of the police’s inaction. If the police had acted appropriately, this attack would not have taken place. The police’s failure to address my previous FIRs concerning earlier attacks on my house and vehicle has emboldened these miscreants,” he claimed. “The law and order situation in Dharmasala has worsened.”
“I will not file an FIR because I do not trust the Jajpur police. This incident occurred with the full knowledge of the police. All the police personnel were present and yet the attack took place right in front of them. Given that the police were aware of everything, I see no reason to file an FIR,” he stated.
In response to the allegations, Laxmidhar Swain, SDPO of Jajpur, assured that proper action would be taken regarding the incident.
“Police personnel had already been deployed in the area and in every incident, we will take action,” he said.
