The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday targeted the Odisha government over the recent vandalism and torching of Phiringia Police Station in Kandhamal district. State BJP vice-president Biranchi Narayan Tripathy said it is really a sensitive issue.
“The torching of Phiringia Police Station is nothing new. The police station was set ablaze twice in the past,” said Tripathy.
A fact-finding team of the BJP had also collected details from the region. According to Tripathy, the main reason which came to the fore is that there is growing mistrust among people over the police. Similarly, Ganja cultivation is going on in the region for a long time and there is the involvement of police personnel as well, he alleged.
On August 5, an irate mob set the police station on fire during a protest alleging the involvement of policemen in the smuggling of ganja. The mob assaulted several police personnel including the SDPO and ransacked the police station's furniture and burnt down several documents.
On August 7, as many as 19 people were arrested while cases have been registered against 50 others in connection with the vandalism of Phiringia Police Station in Kandhamal district. Earlier, the inspector-in-charge (IIC), Tapan Kumar Nahaka was transferred and posted at the district police headquarters.
Similarly, two accused home guards were disengaged from service. Meanwhile, the Odisha government officials and senior Odisha Police personnel could not be contacted over the allegations leveled by the BJP.
In a latest development, Odisha Police DG suspended Phiringia Police Station IIC, Tapan Nahak for negligence in duty and fleeing from police station during violence. The police station was ransacked and set on fire following allegations against the IIC.