Leader of the Opposition and president of the BJD Naveen Patnaik wrote to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai regarding the detention of Bishal Das, the son of former Odisha Minister Naba Das, as well as several Panchayat Raj representatives in Mahasamund district, Chhattisgarh.
Naveen described the incident as disturbing. He noted that Panchayat Raj representatives, including sarpanchs and Panchayat Samiti members from the Kirimira block in Jharsuguda district, were detained by the Chhattisgarh police at the Sareipali police station in Mahasamund. These representatives were unable to attend a no-confidence motion scheduled for 10:30 AM that morning because they had been detained since midnight the previous day, along with Bishal Das.
In his letter, Naveen requested that the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister look into the situation and facilitate their immediate release. He also urged that their safety and security be ensured as they travel back to the Odisha border, emphasizing that many of the detained individuals are women PRI members.
Bishal Das, a BJD leader, along with several Samiti members and a village sarpanch, was taken into custody by Saraipali police late on Thursday. The situation came to light when a social media video surfaced in which Bishal appealed to the Odisha government and the DGP for assistance in securing their release. “We were detained just hours before the no-confidence voting. It seems to be a conspiracy against us,” Bishal stated, noting that his hotel was searched the same day.
Bishal’s sister and former BJD MLA from Jharsuguda, Deepali Das, claimed they were detained without due legal process in an effort to sabotage the no-confidence motion.
