Naveen Patnaik forms fact-finding team to probe 'detention' of Odisha panchayat members in Chhattisgarh

Bhubaneswar: BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Saturday formed a fact-finding team of the opposition party to probe the alleged detention of some panchayat members from Odisha and the son of a former cabinet minister in neighbouring Chhattisgarh.

Patnaik formed the fact-finding team of the BJD a day after writing a letter to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai asking him to ensure the immediate release of Vishal Das, son of former Odisha minister Naba Kishore Das, and several panchayat representatives who were allegedly detained by police in the neighbouring state.

The former Odisha chief minister described the incident as "disturbing".

He formed a seven-member fact-finding team headed by former minister Niranjan Pujari and asked them to visit Jharsuguda and inquire into the circumstances under which the panchayat members went to Chhattisgarh, were detained and later released.

Pujari was asked to submit a report to the BJD president after detailed investigation.

Patnaik during the day met former MLA Dipali Das, who is also the daughter of slain former minister Naba Kishore Das and brother of Vishal Das.

"I met Patnaik and thanked him for standing beside my family as a member. He asked me to stay strong and face such dirty politics with confidence," Dipali told reporters after meeting Patnaik at Naveen Niwas, his residence.

At a press conference, Dipali came down heavily on the BJP government and accused it of violating democratic norms and using Chhattisgarh Police to detain the BJD's 12 panchayat members hailing from Jharsuguda district in order to prevent a no-confidence motion against the Kirimira block president.

Vishal Das, along with sarpanches and panchayat samiti members from Kirmira block, were kept at Sareipali police station in Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh and later released after Patnaik wrote a letter to Sai.

"My brother's arrest involved the collaboration of two states' police and my family is being targeted," Dipali alleged at the press conference at Sankha Bhavan, the BJD's state headquarters.

"When they (Vishal and others) sought to know about the reason behind their detention, they were told by the police that they were investigating the incident of missing persons. An inspector of a police station in Odisha was also present in Chhattisgarh," she said and alleged that the motive behind the incident was to stop the no-confidence motion against the Kirimira block chairperson.

Ruling BJP, however, strongly rejected Dipali's allegations.

"The BJP respects democracy. However, Naveen Patnaik has had always decimated democracy. Whoever is the culprit will be given exemplary punishment," BJP spokesperson Manoj Mohapatra said.

BJP MLA Babu Singh alleged that the BJD has been obstructing the law in this case and interfering with the work of police.