Samikshya Bureau
Former minister and BJD Pipili assembly constituency candidate Pradeep Maharathy was arrested late Sunday night after members of the election flying squad and static surveillance team came under attack while conducting a raid at his farmhouse at Hunkeipur village in Pipili.
Odisha director general of police R.P. Sharma said that Maharathy was arrested following a complaint in this regard.
The 15-member team led by an executive magistrate conducted a raid on Maharathy’s farm house after getting information that freebies like like cash and alcohol were allegedly being distributed there. But the team was attacked by Maharathy’s supporters. Fearing for their lives, the team members fled the scene leaving one car at the farmhouse.
However, after the issue snowballed into a controversy, Maharathy was arrested by the state police. He has been slapped with Section 307 (attempt to murder), 353 (assault on public servant), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 332 (causing hurt to public servant), 147, 148, 149 (relating to rioting, unlawful assembly), 171 (B) (bribery) and 186 (obstructing public servant) of IPC. Puri superintend of police Umashankar Das said that there were enough evidence against Maharathy to arrest him.
Executive magistrate of the flying squad, Rabi Narayan Patra, said that the inspector in charge of Pipili informed them about distribution of freebies at Maharathy’s house. He said: “When we reached, Maharathy arrived there, started hurling abuses and thrashed us. Assistant sub-inspector Binay Kumar Das, a driver and I sustained injuries in the attack.”
Patra expressed his anguish saying that they faced such unprecedented situation while attempting to control the violations ahead of the elections. The injured official was later rushed to the Capital Hospital.
The executive magistrate and police officers have sustained injuries due to the attack. We have recording their statements to identify all those involved in the crime, he added.
