TNI Bureau: “Writes to CM Mohan Majhi Over Alleged Attack on Athagarh MLA”  Leader of Opposition and BJD President Naveen Patnaik has written a strongly worded letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressing “deep concern and grave anxiety” over the deteriorating law and order situation in Odisha.

Naveen Patnaik referred to an incident in Tigiria Block under Athagarh Assembly constituency, where Athagarh MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain was reportedly “violently blocked, intimidated and physically prevented” from attending a Tigiria Panchayat Samiti meeting on May 22 by alleged BJP-backed miscreants.

Calling the incident a “direct and malicious assault on the democratic framework,” Patnaik said such acts go beyond routine political clashes and reflect a dangerous erosion of democratic norms in the state.

“If the very leaders chosen by the public are not safe from partisan hooliganism while performing their constitutional responsibilities, the safety of the common citizen becomes highly precarious,” the former Chief Minister stated in the letter.

Patnaik urged the Chief Minister to intervene immediately, ensure strict action against those responsible and restore public confidence in the state’s law and order machinery.

The development has further intensified the political confrontation between the ruling BJP and the opposition BJD, with the latter repeatedly accusing the government of failing to control rising incidents of political violence and intimidation in Odisha.