Scribe assault : Uproar in Odisha Assembly, Oppn parties demand SP's arrest

Odisha Assembly was adjourned several times Thursday amid uproar by the opposition BJP and Congress demanding the arrest of the Kendrapara SP for allegedly assaulting a journalist covering Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's visit to the district.

The House witnessed a number of adjournments during pre-lunch and post-lunch sessions as opposition members stuck to their demand for action against SP Niti Sekhar.

In a viral video, Sekhar was seen attempting to slap a TV journalist during Patnaik's visit to Kendrapara on Wednesday, when the chief minister had gone to campaign for Patkura assembly election scheduled for July 20.

Speaker S N Patro told agitating MLAs that the superintendent of police has expressed regret. But the members rejected it, saying Patnagarh MLA Saroj Kumar Meher was jailed on the charge of forcing a junior engineer to do sit-ups, despite the lawmaker apologising.

A case was registered against Patnagarh MLA for forcing a JE to do sit-ups. Though he had apologised for it, he was arrested and sent to jail.

"If seeking an apology makes the SP guiltless, I think new rules should be introduced in the assembly," Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra said.

While Mishra and his partymen demanded the SP be immediately suspended and arrested, BJP legislators walked out of the House after demanding a ruling from the chair.

"In the Kendrapara case, the law will take its course," the speaker ruled, but it failed to satisfy BJP members.

The issue was raised in the House by the Leader of the Opposition Pradipta Kumar Naik.

Terming the SP's behaviour "unfortunate", he said this is not the only incident of its kind in the state.

"Members of the fourth pillar of democracy should not be treated in this manner. Journalists are facing similar situations in different parts of the state," he said.

"We want to know what action the government has taken against the SP," Naik said, adding officers who do not know how to behave in public should not be given the responsibility of managing big functions.

Coming down heavily on the BJD government, B C Sethi, the deputy leader in the House from the BJP, said the scribe was heckled in the presence of two former ministers just a day after the chief minister assured the assembly that his government was "fully committed" to protect life and property of all citizens and ensure maintenance of law and order.

Only Maharashtra has enacted a Journalist Protection Act, Sethi said, demanding the arrest of the SP.

Congress member Taraprasad Bahinipati dubbed the governance in Odisha as "Naveen tantra or police tantra but not ganatantra (democracy)."