Odisha Assembly adjourned for second consecutive day

Bhubaneswar: The proceedings of the Odisha Assembly’s budget session was disrupted for the second consecutive day on Wednesday following ruckus created by BJP members over the arrest of its senior party leader Jayanarayan Mishra in connection with the Banabira firing case.

The Speaker had first to adjourn the house till 11.30 am after BJP legislators stormed into the well of the house raising slogans in protest of Mishra’s arrest in Banabira violence in which Labour Minister Sushant Singh’s brother was allegedly attacked ahead of the Bijepur bypoll on February 22.

BJP alleged that Mishra’s arrest is ’politically motivated’ and the police is acting at the behest of the State government. The saffron party further demanded a CBI probe into the incident.

The Speaker then had to adjourn the Assembly session till 3 pm and then till tomorrow as the saffron party continued with its protest while its members disrupted the proceedings of the House over their demands.

"We are demanding for CBI probe to ascertain the truth behind the entire incident," said BJP’s legislature party leader Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo.

Deo further stated that whatever happened was unfortunate and if the State government wants to show its own transparency, it should hand over the case to CBI.

On the other hand BJD accused the BJP of stalling the proceedings of the house and demanding a probe by central investigating agency to ensure that Mishra gets away scot-free in the case.

"BJP is unable to show its face in the Assembly after recent defeat in Bijepur bypoll. The party has raised the issue to divert attention. It is unfortunate that the party is standing behind a murderer as Jayanarayan Mishra had accepted that he was present on the spot. The person who is a former minister and was a legislator for three terms was absconding for over 20 days after the incident," said Labour Minister Sushant Singh.

Mishra and his associate Shiba Kumar Diwan were earlier arrested on March 15 in connection with attack and firing on Labour Minister Sushant Singh’s brother Subrat Singh.

Subrat Singh’s driver Dileswar Sahu later died while undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital on February 23.