CM should oust tainted minister accused of sexually harassing woman: Odisha BJP

Bhubaneswar:  Seeking police action against a minister in the BJD government, the Opposition BJP today urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to show doors to the ‘tainted minister’.

A team of delegates from the Odisha unit of BJP today met Twin City Police Commissioner Saumendra Priyadarshi over police inaction and sought his intervention into alleged sexual harassment charges earlier brought against state Labour Minister Srikanta Sahu.

Despite a complaint being lodged by the ‘victim woman’ with Mahila police here nine days ago, FIR has not been registered against the tainted minister. Police should call him for questioning and the Chief Minister should sack his cabinet colleague, the party members demanded.

Commissionerate Police has been shielding several BJD leaders who have been accused of similar crimes. When our party workers are raising the issue, they are being targeted by the police, the saffron party leaders alleged.

“BJD has failed in giving justice to women victims in the State. A woman worker belonging to CM Patnaik’s party was even not given justice. The victim had to wait for more than 14 hours in the police station to get her FIR registered, but in vain,  BJP spokesperson Lekhashri Samantasinghar alleged.

A number of influential ministers in Odisha were accused of being involved in criminal conspiracies and to name a few are Dibya Shankar Mishra, Pratap Jena, Samir Ranjan Dash, Bijay Shankar Das, and now it’s Srikanta Sahu. Police should swing into action on sexual harassment and act against the Minister, the BJP demanded.