BJD left red-faced after arrest of youth leaders

JAGATSINGHPUR: The ruling BJD has been left red-faced in Jagatsinghpur district after a few of its office-bearers were arrested by the Crime Branch Special Task Force (STF) on charge of peddling brown sugar recently. 

On Saturday, the STF arrested five persons including three persons of Jagatsinghpur on the charge of smuggling brown sugar in Barunei of Khurda district.

While prime accused Bijay Mohanty was arrested from Khurda, four others were apprehended while they were on way to Balasore.  

The four accused are SK Jumman Badruddin of Balasore’s Jhadeswarpur and Soumyajit Parija, Sagar Ranjan Behera and Sapan Bhattacharya of Jagatsinghpur town. Around 1.5 kg brown sugar, a car and `5.30 lakh cash were seized from their possession.

Incidentally, Sagar is the vice-president of Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) in Jagatsinghpur municipal committee while Soumyajit’s wife works as the general secretary of the ruling party’s local student wing.

Similarly, Sapan is also a BJD leader in Jagatsinghpur town. Earlier, excise officials had arrested one Ranjan Das of Alanahat whose father is a leader of BJD’s Naugaon block unit.

Following the arrests, BJP State general secretary Lekhashree Samantsinghar had strongly criticised the BJD for the involvement of its leaders in brown sugar trade in Odisha.

BJP district Yuva Morcha president Sai Manas Mohapatra alleged that Jagatsinghpur has turned into a hub of brown sugar trade as drug peddlers are operating in the district with help of local BJD leaders. 

“A video showing nexus between brown sugar mafia and BJD leaders recently went viral on social media proving that the ruling party is hand in glove with drug peddlers and promoting the illegal trade in the district,” he said. 

Sai urged police to nab the kingpin of the brown sugar trade immediately and expose the racket involving BJD leaders.

Meanwhile, district president BCJD Samit Kumar Lenka has suspended Sagar and Soumyajit’s wife Jenish Parija from BJD for their involvement in the brown sugar trade.