Ex-Berhampur mayor held for land-grabbing

Berhampur: The former mayor of Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC), Siba Shankar Das, was arrested for allegedly grabbing land of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Ganjam district, police said on Friday.

Das, a BJP leader, had allegedly grabbed land in Golanthara police station area, the police said.

"He was picked up from his house at Goshaninuagon on Thursday," said sub divisional police officer (SDPO), Berhampur Sadara, Ashok Kumar Mohanty.

The former mayor, who is now a corporator of Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) of ward number 28, denied the allegation.

He was the first mayor of the BeMC from 2009 to 2013.

"Police falsely implicated a case against me," he said.

Earlier, he was arrested by the police from New Delhi on July 8, 2016, for illegally possessing explosive materials.

Police had also registered at least 36 other cases against him, including land-grabbing, attempt to murder and threatening.

Das was released on bail on July 8, last year, after spending more than one year in jail.

He switched over from ruling BJD to BJP before the state Assembly election in 2014 and unsuccessfully contested the elections from Berhampur assembly constituency on a BJP ticket.