TNI Bureau: Odisha BJP President Manmohan Samal today came down heavily on the State government over the violence in Sambalpur during a bike rally during the Hanuman Jayanti celebrations yesterday.
In a press meet today, Samal said that 24 hours have passed since the incident yesterday, however, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who heads the Home Ministry, is yet to give any explanation over the matter.
The incident has shown the failure of the police department and the intelligence bureau as the Hanuman Jayanti Coordination Committee had sought deployment of adequate police force. However, the district administration engaged only a few cops to maintain law and order.
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Videos and images of anti-social Muslim youths pelting stones at the cops and Hanuman Jayanti rally by the Hindus are doing the rounds on social media platforms. However, the police department has become a mute spectator just by declaring the prohibitory section of 144 in Sambalpur. None of the accused persons have been arrested so far, the BJP leader alleged.
“Hundreds of bikes of the Hindus have been vanadalised by the rioters. The working president of the Hanuman Jayanti Coordination Committee informed that several injured persons are undergoing treatment in critical condition while the common people in Sambalpur are now in terror,” Samal said.
“As the Hanuman Jayanti will be celebrated tomorrow, the government should take action to ensure that the common people observe the occasion peacefully and safely. If Odisha police is incapable of maintaining the law and order, then let them immediately request the central government to provide central forces,” he demanded adding that a high-level committee should be formed to investigate the incident and the all the accused persons should be arrested within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, protesting the violence, the Hanuman Jayanti Coordination Committee called for 36-hour bandh in Sambalpur Town starting from 3 PM today. The Sambalpur district unit of BJP has extended support to the bandh call.
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