Pradeep Majhi arrest: Cong warns of return to egg-pelting ways

Bhubaneswar: The Congress party on Monday said that it will observe a dawn-to-dusk Nabrangpur bandh on Tuesday to protest against the arrest of former MP Pradeep Majhi.

Party workers took out a bike rally here from Master Canteen square to Sishu Bhawan square here demanding an early release of Majhi. If the Congress leader is not released, the party will hit the streets and the ruling BJD will be responsible for it, the Congress warned.

“We will return to our egg-pelting strategy if Majhi is not released soon. We hope the BJD remembers our style of attack and it must get ready for that,” threatened a Congress worker.

The police had a tough time tackling the activists near the Sishu Bhawan square, but managed to stop then from proceeding towards Naveen Niwas. When the situation went beyond control, the police arrested nearly 50 party workers, including Student Congress leader Itish Pradhan.

“The police can arrest us but it can’t arrest our voice. We will continue to raise our voice against BJD’s autocracy,” Pradhan said.

On Saturday, Majhi and 16 others were arrested in Umerkote in Nabrangpur district for ransacking the Raighara ranger officer and beating up forest and police staff.