Bhubaneswar: A day after the president of Odisha Pradesh Mahila Congress Sumitra Jena was allegedly manhandled while staging a dharna at Congress Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, OPCC Chief Niranjan Patnaik today held discussions with the woman leader and assured action after a detailed probe in connection with the incident.
Aggrieved over the proportion of ticket distribution among the male and female candidates by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in various Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies of Odisha, some women workers of the PCC under the leadership of Jena allegedly locked the main gate of Congress Bhawan yesterday evening and staged a demonstration.
However, a group of party workers reportedly from Bhadrak barged inside the Congress Bhawan, which triggered a scuffle between the two groups. Jena alleged that she was manhandled by the rival group and later sat on dharna in front of Congress Bhawan.
“We were staging peaceful demonstration when some outsiders who have no involvement with Congress called me inside and locked me up before manhandling me,” alleged Jena.
However, she withdrew her protest today after the OPCC Chief assured that a probe committee including Ananta Sethi, Chiranjib Biswal and Manas Choudhury will investigate the matter following which appropriate action would be taken against the persons involved.
"She is a respected member of Congress. However, anyone who is upset with any decision taken by the party should discuss with senior leaders rather than choosing the protest-way," said Patnaik on being asked about the resentment among the women members over ticket distribution.