police arrested two on the officer manhandled incident

Police arrested two local BJP leaders on Monday night in connection with the manhandled incident of deputy director (agriculture), Sambalpur. Police took this action soon after receiving a complaint from one of the subordinate staff of the victim officer. Both were sent to judicial custody after the magistrate rejected the bail plea.

Police sources said, two party leaders that took active part in the manhandled incident of the officer occurred in the Gangadhar mandap on Monday have been arrested soon after receiving a complint. The two are identified as Jaybrat Dey and Debasis Purohit. “We arrest Dey from his residence and Purohit from Zilla school chowck. We have sent them to judicial custody soon magistrate rejected their bail applications”. SDPO (Sambalpur) DK Deo told.

It may be mentioned here that angry mob led by BJP leader Jayabrat Dey manhandled the deputy director of agriculture DC Pal here at Gangadhar Mandap while the Krusak mela was under progress. The agitators had blacken the face of the officer and made him walk on the street. Police rescued him when the mob taken him to the office of collector. They alleged that the officer with out going to respective villages had prepared faulty report on farmers’ suicide.

Reacting on the arrest of party workers, the state BJP president Suresh Pujari said, agitation against injustice of farmers would continue in spite of the arrest of the workers. “Let police do their work”, Pujari said. Hinting on a full-fledged statewide agitation against the government’s anti-farmers policy, he said, “ BJP will bring out a strong agitation against the government’s anti-farmers policy very soon”

On the other hand the farmers association has warned the officials not to give any derogative statement on farmers suicide with out going into detail of the fact. The farmer leaders alleged that the Sambalpur Sub-collector Kailash Chandra Sahu had given derogative comments on the farmers’ suicide. But he left Sambalpur after hearing the incident of the deputy director. “He was supposed to convene the meeting of the Pani Panchayat was scheduled for on Monday afternoon. But sub-collector left Sambalpur before the scheduled time after hearing the incident of DDA”, farmer leader M Govindu told. “The officer was in target for giving derogative comments on the farmers suicide”, he added.