BHUBANESWAR: Odisha chief minister’s private secretary (5T) V K Pandian on Sunday forgave the man who threw ink on him in Puri district on Saturday and asked the police not to arrest him. Bhaskar Sahoo (38), a social worker of Kanas area, threw ink on Pandian, who had visited the area to listen to the grievances of people.
“Sahoo, who was detained, has been released by the police as the 5T secretary did not want to take any legal action against him. No case has been registered against Sahoo on the instruction of the 5T secretary,” a police source said.
Sahoo repented his act. He said he has been raising his voice against different issues concerning his locality for sometime and had come to air his grievances before Pandian. “I repent for my illegal act. I should not have resorted to an ink attack. I should have conveyed my grievances in an amicable manner. I apologise to the people at large. But I will not say sorry to Pandian sir,” Sahoo told reporters.
Sahoo, who had unsuccessfully contested for the post of panchayat samiti member as an independent candidate last year, said he was not affiliated to any political party. “I do not belong to any party, nor was paid by anyone to hurl ink on Pandian sir,” Sahoo said.
The ink attack had triggered a political blame game between the BJD and BJP. While BJD’s Satyabadi MLA Umakanta Samantaray accused the BJP of having engineered the ink attack on Pandian, the opposition party refuted the charges and said Sahoo was not a BJP member.
Unfazed by the ink attack incident, Pandian continued his official field visits and took stock of development work in Jharsuguda district on Sunday. Pandian reviewed the progress of ongoing two mega lift irrigation projects of Lakhanpur block at a cost of Rs 113 cr that will irrigate 7553 acres. The projects will be completed by September 2023.
He also reviewed the progress of mega piped water supply projects worth Rs 600 cr in Jharsuguda, Kirmira, Kolabira, Laikera and Lakhanpur blocks, and Rs 295 cr project for Brajrajnagar and Belpahar municipality areas. Pandian took stock of the progress of survey and settlement operation of 19 unsurveyed villages located in the periphery of Hirakud dam reservoir.
Police said there was no change in the existing security arrangements for Pandian. This is the second unpleasant situation faced by Pandian in the last five years. On February 10, 2018, a group of BJP supporters had vandalised Pandian’s quarters. Police had then arrested some vandals.
“Sahoo, who was detained, has been released by the police as the 5T secretary did not want to take any legal action against him. No case has been registered against Sahoo on the instruction of the 5T secretary,” a police source said.
Sahoo repented his act. He said he has been raising his voice against different issues concerning his locality for sometime and had come to air his grievances before Pandian. “I repent for my illegal act. I should not have resorted to an ink attack. I should have conveyed my grievances in an amicable manner. I apologise to the people at large. But I will not say sorry to Pandian sir,” Sahoo told reporters.
Sahoo, who had unsuccessfully contested for the post of panchayat samiti member as an independent candidate last year, said he was not affiliated to any political party. “I do not belong to any party, nor was paid by anyone to hurl ink on Pandian sir,” Sahoo said.
The ink attack had triggered a political blame game between the BJD and BJP. While BJD’s Satyabadi MLA Umakanta Samantaray accused the BJP of having engineered the ink attack on Pandian, the opposition party refuted the charges and said Sahoo was not a BJP member.
Unfazed by the ink attack incident, Pandian continued his official field visits and took stock of development work in Jharsuguda district on Sunday. Pandian reviewed the progress of ongoing two mega lift irrigation projects of Lakhanpur block at a cost of Rs 113 cr that will irrigate 7553 acres. The projects will be completed by September 2023.
He also reviewed the progress of mega piped water supply projects worth Rs 600 cr in Jharsuguda, Kirmira, Kolabira, Laikera and Lakhanpur blocks, and Rs 295 cr project for Brajrajnagar and Belpahar municipality areas. Pandian took stock of the progress of survey and settlement operation of 19 unsurveyed villages located in the periphery of Hirakud dam reservoir.
Police said there was no change in the existing security arrangements for Pandian. This is the second unpleasant situation faced by Pandian in the last five years. On February 10, 2018, a group of BJP supporters had vandalised Pandian’s quarters. Police had then arrested some vandals.