Four days after an alleged armed clash during its Jan Sampark Padayatra in Jajpur, the Biju Janata Dal has taken the matter to the Director General of Police, Odisha, seeking personal intervention, an impartial probe, arrests, and enhanced security for former Dharmasala MLA Pranab Kumar Balabantray.
In a memorandum dated 8 October, BJD leaders said that at about 3 pm on 4 October, while Balabantray was taking part in the padyatra at Madhupurgada Gram Panchayat under Jenapur police station, a group of roughly 40 to 50 people assembled and attacked him and those with him. The party alleges that several in the group were carrying swords, axes and other dangerous weapons, and that four-wheelers and two-wheelers, including Balabantray’s vehicle, were deliberately damaged.
The memorandum frames the episode as a threat not only to one leader but to ordinary participants in a public political programme. It asks the DGP to ensure that evidence is preserved, that the role of every person involved is established, and that the safety of Balabantray, Jagdish Jenamani, witnesses, and others is secured. Enclosed with the letter are records of 14 earlier attacks and related incidents involving Balabantray between 4 June 2024 and 4 October 2026.
The complaint is not new to the district police. Balabantray lodged a complaint the same day and, with hundreds of supporters, demonstrated outside the Jajpur SP’s office demanding arrests. Reports said he escaped unhurt while his SUV was vandalised, and that the clash took place in the presence of police. He has accused supporters of sitting Dharmasala MLA Himanshu Sekhar Sahoo, a BJP-backed independent, and BJP workers. Sahoo and senior BJP functionaries have denied any role and said those found responsible should be arrested.
Police have registered two FIRs at Jenapur — one on Balabantray’s complaint and another from supporters of the sitting MLA — and a senior officer is supervising the inquiry, with personnel deployed at Gada Madhupur. Jajpur SP Yashpratap Shrimal has said the accused would be arrested and that security in the area has been tightened; the force also offered round-the-clock police cover for Balabantray. BJD leaders called off the SP-office protest after an assurance of arrests within 48 hours, warning they would return if the deadline was missed. Party leaders have since questioned the response of Jenapur police and the silence of the state government, which holds the home portfolio.
The 8 October memorandum raises the demand from the district to police headquarters. Whether the DGP orders a fresh supervisory review, or the existing Jenapur FIRs run their course, will decide if the Madhupurgada clash remains a local political dispute or becomes a test of how Odisha handles alleged armed disruption of opposition outreach.
