Supporters of BJP leaders Arindam Roy and Himanshu Mohanty engage in scuffle in Tangi

A scuffle was reported between the supporters of two BJP leaders in Tangi on Saturday. As per initial reports, the supporters of Arindam Roy and Himanshu Mohanty reportedly entered into a minor scuffle during their attempts to welcome Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The confrontation arose yesterday during a visit by Dharmendra Pradhan to the Tangi area for a meeting. The gathering, intended to bolster political cohesion, instead highlighted fissures within the party as supporters of Ray and Mohanty faced off aggressively.

For nearly 15 to 20 minutes, palpable tension prevailed at the spot. The entire incident took place in the presence of senior police officials including Cuttack Rural SP Prateek Singh. In his reaction, Himanshu Mohanty stated that some goon-like characters and supporters of Arindam Roy had come from Cuttack and there were some arguments with them.

“The goons tried to oppose me when we had gone to welcome the minister. This was opposed by my supporters. When Arindam Roy had first entered politics, he had come to seek my support and I had also supported him at that time,” said Himanshu Mohanty, BJP leader.

No comments were obtained from Arindam Roy regarding the incident and statements of Himanshu Mohanty. Meanwhile, the overall situation in the area is said to be calm and no formal police complaint has been filed by either group in connection with the incident.