Bhubaneswar: Hurt over forced entry of police into Congress Bhawan, the state headquarters of the oldest political party, senior leader Taraprasad Bahinipati Sunday offered to resign as MLA if police proved that the NSUI activists hurled stones on security personnel during an agitation on Friday.
Strongly condemning the police “excess” Mr.Bahinipati said, “I will quit politics if the Police Commissioner provides evidence of Congress activists pelting stones at the police. Rather, police personnel hurled stones at Congress Bhawan.”
Mr.Bahinipati, who is also a former police man, however, admitted that the NSUI activists have hurled eggs and tomatoes towards the security personnel while marching towards the Assembly building on Friday.
“The activists hurled tomatoes and eggs, but not stones. Will the Police Commissioner resign from service if their allegation will not be proved?” he asked, demanding that the incident be investigated either by a Magistrate or a High Court judge.
I will lead the party activists and ghearo Commissionerate Police office if no action is taken against the erring police officials, said Mr.Bahinipati.
Meanwhile, the OPCC President Niranjan Patnaik and CLP leader Narasingha Mishra have demanded a judicial inquiry into the police excess on the NSUI activists and subsequent police entry into the Congress Bhavan. They demanded unconditional apology from the police and stringent action against the erring policemen involved in “attack” on the Congress Bhavan.
The police on Friday had resorted to lathi charge on the student congress activists who were demanding removal of the Minister of State for Home DS Mishra for his alleged links with the prime accused in the Kalahandi woman teacher’s kidnap and murder case.
While the police have claimed that they were forced to resort to lathi charge as the activists hurled stones at them, the Congress leaders claimed otherwise.
As many as 10 NSUI activists were beaten black and blue by the police and one of them sustained grievous injury on head in the police action. Several others have fractured their legs and hands after police chased and beat them using excessive force. The police even chased the protestors and beat them mercilessly by breaking into the Congress Bhavan, they alleged.
“The police was instructed by the MoS, Home, to assault the protesters who demand his resignation,” the Congress MLA alleged.