Holding the ruling BJP government responsible for unabated atrocities against Dalits, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has strongly condemned the broad daylight torture of two Dalits last Sunday in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
Two Dalit individuals were falsely accused of cattle smuggling, stripped half-naked, half tonsured, forced to drink drain water, and tied to the road and brutally assaulted in Khariagumma village under Dharakote block in Ganjam district, the regional party alleged.
This barbaric act has brought shame to Odisha at the national level, said BJD spokesperson and media coordinator Lenin Mohanty on Tuesday, stating, “It is a glaring example of the breakdown of law and order in the state. The current insensitive leadership continues to ignore such incidents, leading to complete administrative paralysis.”
Mohanty demanded exemplary punishment for the culprits involved in the Khariagumma incident and urged the Chief Minister, who holds the Home Department portfolio, to take immediate steps to ensure justice for the victims.
He further stated that such incidents are causing Odisha’s dignity to diminish day by day, and the Odia identity is being trampled repeatedly.
The regional party warned that if the government does not take strong and proactive action, the Biju Janata Dal, as a responsible opposition, will be forced to launch a statewide agitation in the coming days.