Indus Valley Times

By Sukant Mohanty

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 3: As many as 100 cases of murder have taken place in Hinjli, the assembly constituency of Naveen Patnaik, during his stint as chief minister of Odisha from 2000 to 2024.

Replying to a written question by BJP MLA Pradyumna Majhi, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi said at least 328 persons were arrested in connection with the 100 murder cases. While accused in nine cases have been convicted, there have been acquittal in 22 cases.

At le3ast 69 cases are still pending in the courts for disposal, the CM added.

The CM also shared information on police encounters in Ganjam district.

“Ganjam district witnessed at least 37 cases in which there was an exchange of fire between the police and the criminals. In the 37 cases, at least 63 cops have sustained bullet injuries while 41 criminals were encountered,” the CM said.

Naveen’s home district Ganjam was much in the news during his tenure as the CM of Odisha not because of development, but for political murders, recurrent hooch tragedies, distress migration of local people to other states for livelihoods, lack of irrigation facilities and drinking water scarcity.

Once considered as a fort of the Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the last twin Lok Sabha and assembly polls saw the regional party losing its ground in the district. In the 2024 assembly elections, the BJD won only one of the 13 seats in the district while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got 11. The remaining seat, Sanakhemundi, went to the Congress.

Brahmapur and Aska Lok Sabha constituencies which come under the Ganjam district also went to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

According to political analysts, the lawlessness in Ganjam district brought the doomsday for the BJD and eventually led to the fall of the Naveen Patnaik government. The BJD was restricted to 51 seats in the 147-member Odisha Legislative Assembly.

No comments were available from the BJD on the CM’s reply in the House.