Eggs, if hurled at Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, are lethal. Not so when it is flung at any other person including a minister or MP. That, apparently, seems to be the interpretation of the overzealous police administration in the state. To cap it all CM Naveen Patnaik never tires of claiming that he has insulated police from political interference.

The egg as a lethal weapon was seen two years ago when a group of agitated youth and student Congress activists hurled a few eggs at the CM’s cavalcade as it was moving towards Vani Vahir. The police arrested the Congress activists and charged them under Section 307 IPC ( attempt to murder).

The Congress made it an issue and the police was the butt of ridicule everywhere. Police tried to explain that the attempt to murder charge was not for hurling eggs at the CM’s vehicle. The accused had attacked a policeman du r ing the tussle that followed and had caught a cop by the neck, was the justification for the charge.

The then firebrand Congress youth leader with unmatched grip over party cadre across the state Lulu Mahapatra took it up and organised similar egg hurling protests in different parts of the state during visits of ministers. BJD ministers were put to much embarrassment. The police retrained from foisting the charge of attempt to murder. Mahapatra is no more, but the form of protest introdu – ced in recent years by him continues to haunt politicians.

The police have not covered themselves in glory while handling such protests.Interestingly it becomes an attempt to murder when the egg is hurled at the CM but when eggs are missiles thrown at ruling BJD MP Baijayant Panda (one of it had hit his forehead), last year, by a rival faction of the ruling party, no action is taken.

It took Panda several tweets and agitated write-ups for the police to act and round up a few youths more than a month after the incident. Needless to say, Section 307 IPC was not invoked. The latest incident, two days ago, in Bhograi prompted police to institute a case under Section 307 IPC against a lady who hurled three eggs at the dias when the CM was about to address the gathering.

The lady was caught by police and allegedly dragged away even as a few tried to beat her. She has alleged assault by BJD supporters. But she is now faced with a charge of attempt to murder and her husband, a BJP worker, has been booked for conspiracy. People here ridicule the police action and the joke doing the rounds is one has to beware of buying eggs and carrying it home lest the police nab you for carrying such a missile to attack someone!