Sambalpur violence is outcome of 'governance deficit' in Odisha: Dharmendra Pradhan

Calling violence in Sambalpur during the Hanuman Jayanti procession which left 10 police personnel injured as a "governance deficit", senior BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Thursday alleged that law and order situation has "completely collapsed" in Odisha.

Terming Wednesday’s violence in Sambalpur as an "unfortunate" incident, Pradhan who hails from Odisha said that he was pained that the police personnel were targeted and 10 of them were injured besides a large number of civilians.

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BJD spokesperson Shreemayee Mishra urged Pradhan not to politicise the law and order situation in Odisha.

One on-duty woman police officer was also injured and undergoing treatment in hospital, the Union Education minister told PTI.

Police personnel getting injured in the clash is a classic case of "deterioration in law and order situation" in the state, he said, adding that the state government has "failed" to maintain order in Sambalpur, the city where Hanuman Jayanti celebrations are being held since a long time.

Apart from the police, a lot of poor and innocent people were also attacked and left injured, he said.

"The administration should get into the job and restore peace in Sambalpur," he said, adding that there has been a breach of peace in the western region of the state. A cabinet minister was killed by a policeman in broad daylight and a minor boy was kidnapped and murdered in the same Jharsuguda. Is it not sufficient to say that law and order situation has "completely collapsed", he asked.

Pradhan also condemned the state government accusing it of being "inefficient".

"Odisha government’s inefficiency is exposed after the policemen were left injured in the violence," he said while appealing to the people of Sambalpur to maintain peace in the locality.

The BJD spokesperson said to handle the law and order situation firmly all necessary steps have been taken to ensure normalcy and peace which is evident to everybody.

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"As a responsible minister in the Central Government in such a sensitive situation, it would have been appropriate if you had appealed to the people to maintain peace instead of politicising this law and order situation. The people of Odisha are peace-loving people and Odisha is a peaceful state. Don’t call people of Odisha lawless and insult them," Mishra said.

Violence erupted in Sambalpur on Wednesday evening when stones were allegedly thrown at the bike rally taken out to celebrate the Hanuman Jayanti. Every year a bike rally and a ritual 'Jhanda Sthapana' are organised prior to Hanuman Jayanti in the city. During the violence, some shops and several two-wheelers were set on fire while a number of cars were damaged.

Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated in Odisha on Maha Visuba Sankranti which falls on Friday this year.