Ruckus in Assembly over Ravenshaw

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly on Friday witnessed a huge ruckus over the registration of a case against Biju Janata Dal (BJD) legislator Byomakesh Ray and senior party leaders Lenin Mohanty and Akram Khan over their alleged involvement in a group clash during a torch rally against the renaming of Ravenshaw University in Cuttack on Wednesday.Raising the issue in the House during Zero Hour, Ray said that the Arms Act has been imposed against him in the FIR and sought protection in the case.

Meanwhile, the House was adjourned twice after BJD leaders started protesting before Speaker Surama Padhy demanding the withdrawal of the case.Ray told mediapersons that as the Education Minister called for a debate over the issue of renaming Ravenshaw University, alumni and students of the university as well as the former presidents from different student unions convened a meeting for a debate. The BJD MLA said he joined the meeting organised on the lawn inside the university campus. After the meeting, the students held a torch rally around the university campus followed by a demonstration.

“A complaint was lodged against me by a person for participating in the demonstration and raising the issue in the Assembly. I am a three-time MLA and participated in a peaceful demonstration which is a part of the democratic process. However, it is very unfortunate that police, without properly investigating the matter, registered a case imposing serious charges against me under the Arms Act,” he said.

He said as a former student of the university, it is natural for him to join the rally to protest the renaming of the university. He accused the State government of intentionally registering an FIR against him.

Meanwhile, the BJP alleged that the Opposition has no relevant issue and so it is raising non-relevant issues to stall the House proceedings. The ruling party further accused the BJD of turning the Ravenshaw University renaming into a political issue.

On Wednesday night, a clash broke out between two groups during a torch rally in Cuttack to oppose the move to rename the university. Police on Thursday registered two separate cases on the basis of complaints lodged by Sidhant Sadangi, a student of the university, and Shyama Sundar Sahoo, a research scholar at the university. On the basis of a complaint lodged by Shyama Sundar, police registered a case against BJD Chandabali MLA Byomakesh Ray, Lenin Mohanty and Akram Khan.