Cuttack: The Opposition Congress on Wednesday asked the Director General of Police (DGP) to bring two local BJD MLAs and the city mayor into the purview of a vigilance department investigation into relief material loot.
In a memorandum submitted to the DGP, the party alleged it was at the behest of Cuttack-Choudwar MLA Pravat Ranjan Biswal, Cuttack-Barabati MLA Debshis Samantray and city mayor Soumendra Kumar Ghosh, that some BJD corporators forcibly took away relief materials from the city civic body office on October 13.
"An FIR to this effect was lodged with the Purighat police station," the memorandum, which was signed by the city Congress chief Md Moquim, said.
No action was taken in this effect and the vigilance inquiry into it was nothing, but an eyewash, he alleged, urging the DGP to expedite the police investigation bringing the MLAs and the mayor into its purview.
Last month, the civic body had decided to provide cooked food for three days to at least 40,000 people who were evacuated from their homes prior to severe cyclone Phailin, which hit the coastal belt of state on October 12.
But, the CMC failed to provide cooked food, following which, BJD corporators forced their entry into the civic body office and allegedly took away rice, dal, cooking oil.
It was only after intervention of the central division RDC that some of the corporators returned the relief materials and those who could not return, had to deposit the exact amount of the relief material with the civic body.
"Returning money after almost seven days of the incident indicate the BJD corporators had sold the items," Moquim said, adding this was nothing but a clear proof that BJD corporators were involved in the loot of relief materials.
