Sambalpur: The BJP MP’s team that visited Sambalpur, the scene of violence between two communities during Hanuman Jayanti processions last month, on Tuesday, “blamed” the BJD government in Odisha for it and demanded a CBI probe into the incident.
Three members of the team – Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha member Brij Lal, party MP from Jharkhand Samir Oraon and Jyotirmay Singh Mahato from West Bengal visited the western Odisha city and will submit their report to BJP president J P Nadda.
During the visit, the team members interacted with Biswanath Sikka alias Kalia of Bhawanipali, who was injured in the incident. However, they could not meet the family of Chandrakant Mirdha, a tribal, of Jharmunda village, who was murdered on April 14.
Talking to reporters, Brij Lal, who led the delegation, said, the violence during the bike rally on April 12 was a “planned” incident.
The ruling Biju Janata Dal strongly opposed the BJP team’s visit to the violence hit Sambalpur and said that the saffron party would be “held responsible” if there is any recurrence of violence in the region.
“These people want violence to prevail and therefore instigating communities. The BJP team visits the place as they have no faith in police, administration, national human rights commission or even the national commission for ST,” BJD Mahila wing president Snehangini Chhuria told reporters at a press conference in Jharsuguda.
Brij Lal told reporters that the special branch of Odisha police had alerted the state government about the possibility of the violence. Even the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had also issued an advisory. But the deployment of police in such a sensitive place, where the violence took place on April 12, was “very poor”.
“This is not all, even police were not equipped to deal the situation. Anti-national slogans were raised during the rally. It is the complete failure of the state government and the police. Had there been adequate deployment, the violence could have been averted”, he said.
Brij Lal further said, the man who was murdered was the only son of the family. However, “we could not meet the family as the house was closed. Surprisingly, the administration has no answer on the whereabouts of the family,” he said and alleged that the tribal tradition had not been followed while performing the last rites of the tribal man, Chandarakant Mirdha.
The Sambalpur Superintendent of Police B Gangadhar said that police arrested at least six persons in connection with Mirdha’s murder.
His death had nothing to do with the violence in the city on April 12 and 14, the SP claimed, adding that many people including 10 police personnel were injured and a number of shops gutted during the clash.
The city was placed under curfew for several days and internet services were suspended in view of the violence.
Brij Lal said: “We met Biswanath Sikka who was injured in the incident and interacted with him. We also interacted with the different civil society organizations. During the visit, we found that the violence in Sambalpur was result of complete failure of the BJD.” He accused the BJD of doing appeasement politics.
“We will submit a report to our national president JP Nadda over the entire incident. We also demand the state government to write to the union government for investigation into the entire incident by CBI in assistance with the National Investigation Agency (NIA),” he said.
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