Odisha: 12-hr Kantabanji bandh against death threat to MLA Santosh Singh Saluja

Kantabanji: Congress observed a 12-hour bandh in Kantabanji in Odisha’s Balangir district protesting a death threat to MLA Santosh Singh Saluja.

The Nagar Congress Committee observed the dawn-to-dusk bandh intensifying the protest against the death threat.

Excluding schools and educational institutions, all the shops, market complexes, and business establishments remained closed due to the bandh. The protestors appealed to close the government offices.

Hundreds of Congress workers led by Kantabanji MLA Santosh Singh Saluja took out a motorcycle rally to protest the death threat.

“The 12-hour bandh call has been given by the Nagar Congress protesting posters threatening the MLA. We demand justice and seek stricter action against those involved in the act,” said Saluja.

The banners with death threats to Saluja surfaced from two places at Kantabanji town in Balangir district on Monday. The commuters spotted the posters, one near the Govt Girls’ High School and another near a cattle market. The posters were written with a red colour paint. A printed photograph of an unidentified person was also affixed in a poster. The text was written in Odia language stating, “I will kill MLA Santosh Singh Saluja within 15 days”.

Taking the matter seriously, the local police initiated a probe from all angles to ascertain persons involved in threatening the Congress legislator.