A PWD junior engineer, who was allegedly forced by a newly elected BJD MLA in Odisha to do sit-ups in public, on Friday claimed the legislator had also asked an executive engineer to slap him, even as the police registered a case against the lawmaker.
The alleged “rowdyism” of Saroj Kumar Meher, first-time MLA from Patnagarh in Bolangir district, also triggered a row with the Opposition BJP coming down heavily on the BJD government and demanding immediate arrest of the lawmaker and the Congress condemning the incident.
Mr. Meher, who drew flak after a video purportedly showed him forcing a PWD junior engineer to do sit-ups in public went viral, on Thursday apologised for his action, claiming he did so to assuage public anger. Later on Thursday, the engineer’s wife lodged a complaint with the police against the MLA, accusing him of publicly humiliating her husband.