Cops book Sanjay, Pranab under SC/ST Atrocity Act  

UMERKOTE:  Nabarangpur police has registered a case against deputy chairperson of the State Planning Board Sanjay Dasburma and organisational secretary of BJD Pranab Prakash Das for allegedly misbehaving with some SC/ST farmers and women. 

On Thursday, the District Judge of Nabarangpur had directed the local police to register a case against the two senior BJD leaders. Accordingly, police on Sunday booked Sanjay and Pranab under sections 143, 149 and 354 of the IPC and section 3 of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. 

Sources said Sanjay and Pranab, who is also the Jajpur MLA, had come to Nabarangpur in February 2021 to inaugurate a farmers’ information centre inside the RMC office premises at Nabarangpur. During their visit, farmers along with some BJP workers were staging protest in front of RMC gate over non-lifting of paddy from different mandis of the district. 

Instead of hearing the grievances of the agitating farmers, the two BJD leaders allegedly forced their way into the RMC premises to inaugurate the centre. When the agitators resisted them, the duo reportedly misbehaved with them. The security personnel accompanying the BJD leaders also allegedly manhandled some of the protestors which included women.

Following the incident, a farmer Gouri Shankar lodged an FIR in Nabarangpur police station against Sanjay and Pranab alleging that the BJD leaders manhandled some ST/SC farmers and women during the event. However, the complaint was not accepted by police. 

On February 5 last year, the district unit of BJP had approached the Nabarangpur SP in this regard but no action was taken. Alleging police inaction, Gouri then moved the SDJM court against Sanjay and Pranab.
The BJD is yet to issue any statement in this regard.