IIC manhandles scribe

BHUBANESWAR: An Inspector-ranked officer of Puri district left the Odisha Police embarrassed on Sunday evening after he assaulted a news channel reporter in Capital Hospital here.

Identified as Ramakanta Patra, IIC of Talabania Police Station, was apparently in an inebriated state. He had come to Capital Hospital after being involved in a road accident.

Patra was being carried on a wheelchair when TV journalist Subhakanta Padhiary reached Capital Hospital. When the cameraman started recording, Patra got up from the wheelchair and targeted the device. Padhiary intervened but was abused.

“When I tried to stop him from attacking the cameraman, he hurled abuses at me, snatched my mobile phone and banged the device against a wall. He also threatened me to shoot me,” Padhiary said, adding that the cop then started raining punches on him.

The whole episode was, meanwhile, captured on the mobile phone and even in the camera. After receiving information about a cop manhandling a scribe, Capital Police Station officers rushed to the hospital to control the damage done by one of their colleagues. Patra also misbehaved with a sub-inspector rank officer and some doctors there.

After the incident, Puri SP Sarthak Sarangi immediately shifted Patra from Talabania to the headquarters.
Padhiary also registered a formal complaint with Capital Police Station in this regard. Inspector of Capital Police Station Manas Garnaik confirmed receiving the complaint and said further action will be taken after investigation. Patra was accompanied by his wife to the hospital. Puri SP said the inspector was in a depressed state after losing his brother to cancer.

BJP protest against BJD over fund use

Balangir: Hitting out at the BJD Government for lack of development in the State, BJP workers gheraoed Balangir Collectorate on Saturday.  Led by Patnagarh MLA and BJP leader KV Singhdeo, the agitators came down heavily on the BJD Government for failing to utilise funds for development works in the State. “The Narendra Modi-led Government at the Centre has substantially increased funds for the State. But, the BJD Government has failed to utilise the funds properly”, Singhdeo alleged.