A heated debate over law and order in Odisha led to the adjournment of the state assembly, as the opposition BJD accused the ruling BJP of failing to maintain public safety and cited specific incidents of violence.
The Odisha Assembly on Wednesday witnessed noisy scenes and was adjourned briefly following a heated exchange between members of the opposition BJD and the ruling BJP over the law and order situation in the state.
The issue was raised during Zero Hour when opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik of the BJD targeted the state government, accusing it of failing to maintain law and order.
Mallik cited an alleged attack on Shergarh block chairman Krushna Chandra Nayak at his office premises on Tuesday evening.
"Some miscreants attacked Nayak, leaving him seriously injured," she said, adding that he is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bhubaneswar.
The BJD leader alleged that crimes have been rising across Ganjam district.
Stating that no one is safe in Odisha under BJP rule, BJD member Sarada Prasanna Jena alleged that even people's representatives are not spared.
He claimed that people having allegiance to the BJP were behind the attack on Nayak.
BJD member Dhruba Charan Sahoo alleged that a woman Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer was attacked by BJP miscreants at Rajnagar in Kendrapara district.
"Instead of arresting the accused persons, the BJP government transferred the officer. This emboldens the miscreants," Sahoo alleged.
Treasury bench members Tankadhar Tripathy and Babu Singh countered the allegations, referring to incidents during the previous BJD regime, including the killing of a cabinet minister and an MLA allegedly attacking police personnel at a police station.
The allegations and counter-allegations between the ruling and opposition members created a noisy scene, forcing Speaker Surama Padhy to adjourn the proceedings for 10 minutes during the pre-lunch session.