Dharmendra Pradhan on the murder of a child and a politician

Dharmendra Pradhan, a senior BJP figure, lashed out at the state’s BJD administration on Thursday, calling the murders of a minister and a 15-year-old child “lawless Odisha is a reality.” The BJD strongly objected to the Union Education Minister’s remark and urged him not to disparage the state’s peace-loving populace. In a tweet, the Union Minister stated: “Lawless Odisha is a reality. It is past time for those in positions of authority to acknowledge the flaws in the state’s law and order situation. Young Samarth’s murder, which occurred precisely two months after Minister Naba Das’ murder in broad daylight, exposes the Odisha government’s exaggerated assertions about the rule of law.

Pradhan was referring to Samarth Agrawal, a Class 10 boy from the Jharsuguda area, who was allegedly abducted and killed for a ransom of Rs. 50 lakh. The victim’s partially burned body was found in the Bargarh district on Tuesday. The Union Minister’s tweet was posted at a time when the state administration was under fire in the Assembly from both the opposition BJP and the Congress for failing to find out why Naba Kishore Das was killed on January 29. Pradhan also asserted that neither individuals nor elected officials are secure in Odisha.

The Union Minister stated, “Gruesome instances like this on a daily basis, especially in Jharsuguda, have startled everyone and eroded the faith of the people of Odisha.”

Pradhan added that the Odisha government must pull up its socks to safeguard rule of law and the protection of residents, emphasizing that no amount of sympathy can provide comfort to the family of little Samarth. The state administration has come under fire from the opposition parties over the kidnapping and murder of the Class 10 student in Jharsuguda. Congress leaders asserted that the kidnapping and murder for ransom had shown the state’s actual situation with regard to law and order. Senior Congressman and MLA Santosh Singh Saluja claimed that as a result, people will be frightened to vote in the next by-election in Jharsuguda on May 10.