Bolangir: Bowing to severe criticism and public pressure, the district police Monday arrested BJD’s Patnagarh MLA Saroj Meher in connection with the incident of forcing a government official to do sit-ups as punishment for alleged poor quality of road construction work in his constituency.
The government official, who was forced to do sit-ups, is a Public Works Department (PWD) engineer. A case has been registered in this connection and Meher was produced before the Additional District Judge (ADJ) court.
Earlier this morning, the legislator was detained by the police in Nuapada and brought to Bolangir for questioning. His bail plea was rejected by Patnagarh ADJ and he was remanded in Patnagarh sub-jail.
Patnagarh police have already registered a case against the MLA on the basis of an FIR lodged by the government official’s wife. The case has been registered under Sections 341, 363, 294, 323, 353 and 355 of IPC and Section 3 of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
It is pertinent to mention here that a video clip surfaced in which the MLA was seen forcing Jaykant Sabar, JE of PwD of Belpada block in Bolangir district, to do sit-ups a hundred times. Sabar also alleged that the executive engineer of the PwD had slapped him in public on the order of the Patnagarh MLA.
The incident received flak from all quarters after the video went viral on social media following which the state government sought a report in this connection. In a report to the state government, Bolangir Collector Arindam Dakua stated that due to sub-standard road construction work, the MLA punished JE Sabar in public in Belpada area and directed the engineer-in-charge to slap the JE.
Though the newly-elected MLA tendered an apology, a day after the incident, a case was lodged against him on the basis of a complaint filed by the engineer’s wife accusing the MLA of publicly humiliating her husband.
Earlier, the District Tribal Welfare Association had threatened to gherao the State Assembly June 26 demanding action against the legislator.