Bhubaneswar: BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik on Monday strongly criticised the Odisha government over the recent violent attack in Berhampur, alleging a collapse of law and order in the state.
Reacting to the brutal assault on a young man at Ambika Nagar in Berhampur’s Badabazar area, Patnaik described the visuals of the incident as “extremely disturbing” and said such repeated crimes were creating fear among people across Odisha.
In a post on X, the former chief minister said people were yet to recover from the recent assault on a young man and a woman in Berhampur when another shocking incident surfaced from the city.
Patnaik alleged that criminals were carrying out offences openly on public roads despite repeated warnings of police action, claiming it reflected the failure of the law-and-order machinery.
“A sense of lawlessness and fear is prevailing across the state,” he said, while urging the government to move beyond “big speeches” and take concrete measures to ensure public safety and maintain the rule of law.
Joining the attack, Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das also targeted the BJP government, saying the latest violence in Berhampur had once again exposed the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state.
In a post on X, Das alleged that rising crime and repeated administrative failures under the BJP government had weakened public confidence in governance and safety.
Meanwhile, the prime accused in the attack, identified as Jaga Sahu, sustained injuries during a police encounter in Berhampur.
Jaga and one of his associates had allegedly brutally attacked a man in the Ambika Nagar area, an incident that drew widespread criticism after visuals captured by bystanders went viral on social media.
Acting swiftly, the Berhampur police launched a manhunt to nab the accused. According to reports, Jaga attempted to flee and allegedly tried to hurl a bomb at the police team during the search operation.
In response, the police opened fire, injuring Jaga in both legs.
