Bhubaneswar: Trouble mounted for the city Mayor Anant Narayan Jena over his alleged involvement in the content of controversial video clips, as both BJP and Congress took to the street today demanding his immediate resignation and CBI probe into the entire episode.
The BJP activists today took out rallies at various places in the city and burnt effigies of the controversial BJD leader and CM Naveen Patnaik. The saffron party demanded the CM should oust the Mayor immediately for a fair probe.
The Congress also followed the suit by hitting the road in the evening where the activists of its youth wing had a face-off with police while proceeding towards Jena’s residence. The party activists demanded a CBI inquiry into the links of the video clips with the death of engineering student Rishi and resignation of Jena as Bhubaneswar Mayor.
"The Mayor is terrorising the family of Rishi. He should face any sort of investigation and quit his post on moral ground. Our agitation will be intensified more if he fails to do so by Sunday", Youth Congress president Loknath Maharathy said.
Hours before the Bhubaneswar civil judge court (senior division) asked student Congress leader Itish Pradhan and media not to telecast any news or video clips till further order, the president of the students wing of the party came to public again demanding a fair investigation.
"How a drug trader was released within 24 hours instead of being booked and forwarded to court? We suspect Rishi has been murdered; so that we demand a fair probe into the incident, which can bring the truth to fore", demanded Pradhan.
The BJD, however, took it as cheap politics before the panchayat polls. “The Opposition is making it an issue as the code of conduct for the ensuing panchayat election is about to be issued. We will go by the fact and not any allegation”, party spokesperson Pratap Deb said.
Excise minister Damodar Rout said Jena would be considered as a dangerous criminal if the charges against him are proved. "Mayor is the first citizen of the city. When finger is raised at someone's character, it should be based on proof. If it is proved; I would call him diabolical criminal. If anything is discussed against him before the allegation is proved, I would assume it as a conspiracy and a cheap politics to defame him", Rout said.
Similarly, the Mayor dubbed today’s court order as victory for him at packed media conference along with Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Patsani and all BJD corporaters. “It is victory in the court today as it puts an interim stay on the telecast of the content of the video. The court also directed that no news regarding the matter would be telecast through TV and e-media", Jena add