MLAs privilege move against SP

BHUBANESWAR: Nabin Nanda, NCP legislator, on Thursday moved a privilege notice in the Assembly against Dhenkanal SP Satish Gajbhiye for allegedly using defamatory language and threatening to arrest him. Moving the notice during Zero Hour, the MLA from Dhenkanal thanked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for police registering a case on the basis of his FIR after two days of the incident. ‘’I thanked the Chief Minister for his intervention which resulted in police registering a case at 4.20 pm on Wednesday,’’ Nanda said. He alleged that the SP had used defamatory language against him on February 20 which constitutes breach of privilege.  Speaker Pradip Amat said he had received Nanda’s notice and would give his ruling on the matter later.  The MLA said the incident took place when some hooligans attacked him while he was travelling in his constituency, and badly injured his personal security officer and son in front of Nihalprasad Gram Panchayat office. Nanda said he reached Nihalprasad Police Station for help after the incident and sought adequate police protection as he was apprehending further attack on him. The legislator said he had lodged an FIR after an hour when the IIC reached the police station. He also spoke to the SP,  and the DIG about the incident seeking police protection, but nobody came even after four hours, he charged. Nanda said he was shifted to his Nua Nagena village with police assistance at about 1.45 pm.  ‘’Instead of apprehending the attackers, Gajbhiye spoke to TV reporters using defamatory language against me and even threatened to arrest me with the permission of honourable Speaker,’’ the MLA alleged. Terming the incident as serious, Nanda said as a public representative he was not allowed to move freely. Defending the Chief Minister, who was present in the House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raghunath Mohanty refuted Nanda’s allegation that the leader of the House had not intervened in the case.  Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh raked up the issue several times during the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address.