Odisha BJP MLAs sit on 'dharna', boycott Assembly

BJP legislators in Odisha on Saturday boycotted proceedings of the Assembly and sat on a 'dharna' alleging that they were not allowed to speak inside the House on the "mysterious" death of a woman panchayat officer in Jajpur. As soon as the House assembled for the question hour at 10.30 am, the saffron party members stood up, their mouths covered with black scarves.

The BJP MLAs walked out of the House alleging that Speaker S N Patro did not allow the party's deputy leader in the House B C Sethi to speak on the death of woman panchayat officer and they sat on 'dharna'near Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Assembly premises. "Our members feel that there is no point sitting inside the Assembly, if the Speaker does not allow BJP MLAs to speak. Therefore, we boycotted the proceedings and protesting in a democratic manner," Leader of Opposition Pradipta Kumar Naik told reporters.

However, Patro requested them to participate in the question hour. The BJP has been demanding a CBI probe into the case.

A woman panchayat officer, Smitarani Biswal, was on October 16 found hanging at a private guest house owned by Rupesh Bhadra, known to have links with the ruling BJD. Bhadra was arrested a day after on the charge of abetting suicide.

"Though the woman was raped and killed, the police registered a case of unnatural death. One person has been arrested. We demand arrest of all the five persons present in the guest house under section 302 (murder) of IPC," Naik said. He also alleged that the Jajpur Superintendent of Police has not been neutral and the State Commission for Women has also attempted to "cover up the murder case as the ruling BJD members are involved in it".

"We have been agitating since beginning of the winter session on Wednesday and the Speaker is not giving us opportunity to speak," Sethi said. BJP's lone woman MLA Kusum Tete also alleged that crimes against women have gone up in Odisha.

"Though we are trying to raise the issue in the Assembly, our voices are being suppressed. We are not allowed to speak," Tete said. Asked about the party's next course of action, the Leader of Opposition said, "We are planning to meet the Governor and apprise him of the facts." PTI AAM BDC BDC.

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