A shocking video has surfaced in which Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Nabarangpur district, Odisha and former MP Pradeep Majhi is brazenly seen instructing his party workers over the phone to prepare for an arson attack. He is heard asking his party workers to keep petrol and diesel ready and wait for further instructions before setting everything on fire.
“Keep petrol and diesel ready. The moment you get an order set everything on fire. We’ll see what happens next,” Majhi was caught on camera while talking to someone over the phone in his native Odia language.
“Keep petrol & diesel ready. The moment you get an order, set everything on fire.”#Odisha Congress leader Pradip Majhi caught on cam directing protesters to go on rampage in Nabarangpur over alleged gang rape & murder of a minor girl in Kosagumuda PS area #Watch pic.twitter.com/nSgjClQlMs
— OTV (@otvnews) December 26, 2019
Congress has been observing 12-hour ‘bandh’ in Nabarangpur today protesting ‘police inaction’ in connection with the alleged gang rape and murder of a minor girl in Kosagumuda Police Station area of the district on December 14.
According to a report by Odisha TV, Majhi was staging a protest near Kaunriaguda Chhak in the morning when the Additional SP of Nabarangpur intervened and asked him to withdraw agitation triggering an exchange of words between them. An infuriated Majhi later reportedly called his party cadres and asked them to keep petrol and diesel ready.
In a related development, a vehicle was set on fire by some miscreants near Ambedkar Chakk in Nabarangpur Town. Though their identities could not be established, sources suspect the car was set ablaze after Majhi’s call.
Interestingly, Pradip Majhi is the same Congress leader who had courted controversy after a video of his intimate moment with a woman went viral on social media in April this year.
Later, speaking to Odisha TV, the Congress leader acknowledged that he had directed his party workers to set everything on fire. “I am not at all repentant over my outburst”, said the Congress leader to the channel.
I am not at all repentant over my outbursts. We have decided not to follow Gandhi niti (ideology) any more & take Subash Bose way: Congress leader Pradip Majhi to #OTV #Odisha
Listen in. pic.twitter.com/aFmaIbHoeH
— OTV (@otvnews) December 26, 2019
Unremorseful of his action, the Congress leader said: “I don’t believe in democracy anymore. Women and girl children are being raped during BJD government rule and I cannot keep mum. First, a minor girl in Kundali was gang-raped by jawans. Now, another minor girl was gang-raped and murdered in Nabarangpur,” said Pradip Majhi.
“We are being forced to take law in our hands and the government has compelled us to do so. As Gandhian principles are no more helping us to ensure justice, we are bound to adopt the ideals of Subash Chandra Bose. We are forced to adopt violence to get justice. I don’t want to regret whatever I said over the phone. If I have to adopt violence to keep my mothers and sisters safe, I will not step back,” stated the Congress leader.
A 16-year-old tribal girl, who had gone missing from home on December 13 night, was found murdered after gang-rape in Gumundoli village in Nabarangpur district the next day.
Villagers found her dead body on the outskirts of the village in the morning. Her body bore multiple injury marks and police found two jeans trousers from the spot under Kosagumuda police station limits.
Koraput DIG Shefeen Ahamed said the investigation is on and the criminals would be arrested soon.
