Ink thrown at Odisha Cong chief Sarat Pattnayak

Bhubaneswar : Unidentified youths hurled ink at the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattnayak at his office here on Friday. Pattnayak was engaged in a conversation with some party members inside his chamber at Congress Bhawan when the miscreants barged into the room and threw ink at him.

While speaking to mediapersons following the incident, Pattnayak expressed suspicion that the miscreants committed the act at the behest of a political party or group.

“Lakhs of students across India have encountered difficulties due to the NEET examination scam under BJP government. The central leadership has instructed us to hold protests at the headquarters or capitals of each State. As per the instructions, we along with some students were on our way to hold the protest when some miscreants threw the substance kept in a bottle. I don’t know whether it was ink, motor oil or acid but I am feeling some pain in my eyes,” said Pattnayak. He said Congress always believed in the ideology of non-violence of Mahatma Gandhi.

Pattnayak said he had faced many ups and downs in his 40-year-long political career. He asserted that he has been a fighter since his youth days and no one could suppress him. “We will not tolerate those who are trying to weaken the Congress in the State,” asserted Pattnayak.

“A complaint has been lodged in this regard and we have initiated an investigation into the matter. We have been examining the CCTV footage and will soon arrest the accused persons,” said Sudhanshu Bhusan Jena, the inspector in-charge, Capital police station.

Meanwhile, the Congress leaders and workers on Friday held a peaceful protest against the NEET paper leak scam.