Din in Odisha Assembly as oppn MLAs seek action against minister for 'links' with murder accused

The Odisha Assembly for the second consecutive day on Thursday witnessed unruly scenes as members of the opposition BJP and the Congress staged demonstrations in the well of the House, demanding immeidate removal and arrest of Minister of State for Home DS Mishra for his alleged links with the prime accused in the Kalahandi woman teacher's murder case.

The agitating members were already in the well of the House when the Question Hour commenced, some of them holding placards in hand that sought necessary action against Mishra.

Speaker S N Patro, ahead of the winter session, had urged the legislators to refrain from creating any ruckus in the House, especially during the Question Hour.

His word of advice seemed to have found no takers. Patro, amid the din, adjourned proceedings till 4 pm.

The opposition members, however, said that they would continue the agitation until some action is initiated against the minister. Earlier, the BJP had moved an adjournment motion notice over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Senior BJP leader and opposition chief whip Mohan Majhi told reporters outside the House, ''We have been demanding removal of Mishra for a while as the state police cannot investigate against its minister. We have also been seeking a CBI probe into the matter as we want the inquiry to be a neutral one.'' Majhi also expressed dismay over the manner in which the speaker adjourned the proceedings. ''The speaker could have adjourned the House for one hour, as it is done usually. Today, however, he under pressure from the government, adjourned the proceedings for several hours. The intention behind such decision was to avoid a discussion on the law and order situation,'' Majhi alleged.

Senior Congress member SS Sajula claimed that it was the responsibility of the government and the speaker to ensure smooth functioning of the House. ''We want the minister to step down as he has been accused of shielding the prime accused,'' Saluja stated.

The legislators of the ruling BJD, on their part, staged a dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi's statue on the Assembly premises, protesting price rise of essential commodities, including cooking gas.

''The Centre has turned deaf ears to our pleas for reduction in LPG price. Keeping in view the plight of people, women in particular, we have decided to hold a protest,'' said government chief whip Pramila Mallick.

Another senior BJD member, P K Deb, pointed out that the ''central government claimed that use of cylinders has increased by 98 per cent'', but the National Family Health Survey report has pegged the increase at only 20 per cent.

Despite a fall in the international price of LPG, the rate here has been increased in the country, he contended.

A group of BJD leaders and MLAs also staged another sit-in near Raj Bhavan over the same issue.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the opposition Congress, led by CLP leader Narasingha Mishra, met Director General of Police, Odisha, and apprised him of the ''deteriorating law and order situation'', particularly the rise in the crime against women across the state.

''We told the DGP that the investigation into the Kalahandi woman teacher's murder case is not being conducted in proper manner. Why haven't the police recorded the statement of the prime accused under section 164 of CrPC so far? The police are not probing the conspiracy angle,'' the CLP leader told reporters, adding that a high court-monitored special investigation team (SIT) should be formed to carry out the inquiry.

The body of a private school teacher in Odisha's Kalahandi district was exhumed from the playground of the institute on October 19, days after she went missing.

Two persons, including the prime accused -- the president of the school's managing committee -- have been arrested in this connection. Opposition parties have been mounting pressure on the BJD government for the removal of minister of state for home for his alleged closeness with the prime accused.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)