By Pradip Pradhan, Bhubaneswar, March 15, 2015

The Naveen Patnaik government has found official probe as an alibi to douse the public anger and has never acted on the probe reports.

The longest serving Biju Janata Dal [BJD] government seems to be banking upon the dictum that public memory is short-lived. What else can explain the fact that though there was public debate on various incidents leading to some 24 inquiries by the Revenue Divisional Commissioners [RDC], the state government silently buried their reports without any protest from the public.

Whenever any incidence or law and order situation occurs and affects the public at large, the people took to the streets to protest and demand for action against the culprits and justice to the victims. On the spur of the moment, the Patnaik led government either suspended the erring officials or ordered for inquiry by RDC or Crime Branch or by Judiciary.

From 2000 to 2014, the state government had ordered for 24 RDC inquiries into different incidents such as boat capsize in river Baitarani of Jajpur district (2002), Idol Theft in Biraja Temple (2003), boat capsize in Upper Kolab Reservoir of Koraput (2003), alleged misbehaviour of Sankar Oram, MLA, Raghunathpalli Assembly Constituency (2003), alleged misbehaviour of Rajendra Oram, advocate Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district (2004), alleged assault on Pramila Giri, MLA, Baisingha, Mayurbhanj (2006), Police firing at village Bhatra, Rairkhol in Sambalpur district (2006), alleged gang-rape of a last year MCA student of Sambalpur University (2008), attack on Hussein Rabi Gandhi, BJD leader in Jajpur district (2012) etc, according to the information obtained through RTI.

However, the state government’s ulterior motive stands exposed as it did not take any action on any of the RDC inquiry reports.

Significantly, the RDCs have produced their reports within stipulated time frame. But the state government preferred the reports to gather dust. The victims were left high and dry and the culprits were never punished.

The classic case is the one of Hussein Rabi Gandhi, an eminent leader of the ruling BJD – who was beaten up by the supporters of a BJD MLA during his tour to Jajpur district. He had approached the chief minister several times demanding action against the culprits, but in vain.