Bhubaneswar: A day after coming under attack for allegedly keeping a suspicious silence over the brutal murder of five-year-old Nayagarh girl 'Pari', the Odisha Congress unit on Tuesday launched a counter attack on the State government by raking up the deteriorating law and order situation issue.
The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president, Niranjan Patnaik today alleged that if severe lapses are being observed in the security of the Odisha Assembly, how can the people in the State feel safe.
While making a reference to the four back-to-back suicide bids in front of the State Assembly, Patnaik said that the intelligence wing of the government (police) has virtually collapsed for which such incidents continue to occur.
“It is the Speaker’s job for ensuring the security of Assembly. However, there were four repeated suicide attempts in front of the Assembly. The government has failed in intelligence gathering as the police was caught off guard. Even the Assembly is not safe,” alleged Patnaik.
Be it the custodial death in Puri or IIFL loot in Cuttack or the issue of missing children, people in Odisha are not safe and the law and order situation has deteriorated. Hence, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should resign on moral grounds, said the Congress chief.
In the Bhubaneswar gang rape case, the DGP had to personally appear before the High Court which expressed displeasure by stating that investigation in the case is not satisfactory, notices have been issued to additional DG, said Patnaik.
On Pari incident, the Congress also took a jibe at the police investigation as it failed to nab the miscreants even after four months of the incident. I personally feel that the Minister Arun Sahoo could not be directly involved in the murder case but may have shielded the accused as it is being alleged, he said.
Responding to BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra’s allegations that the Congress MLAs were intentionally stage-managed on the Pari issue, Niranjan Patnaik today urged the former to apologise for his comments.
“We urge Sambit Patra to apologise or else the Congress will take appropriate legal action against him and file a defamation case,” said Patnaik.
Earlier on Monday, Patra had slammed the Congress and said, “Both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi had launched a campaign seeking justice for the rape and murder victim at Hathras in Uttar Pradesh. They even visited her village in UP. But there party is silent on the Pari matter.”
“A minor girl was subjected to torture and killed in Odisha. I would like to ask Rahul Gandhi how much money the nine Congress MLAs in Odisha have taken from the BJD to remain silent,” Patra had questioned.