Congress demand Chief Minister’s resignation in Kodala issue

….RDC office gherao by congress in Berhampur

Berhampur: Congress workers on Friday gheraoed the office of Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) here protesting the police brutality on the villagers near Kodala area and demanded resignation of chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

Thousands of protesters along with congress workers led by Pradesh Congress Committee President Niranjan Patnaik set out a rally and staged a dharna after gherao in front of the RDC office in Berhampur. After garlanding the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, the party workers started the rally to RDC office by giving various slogans against Chief Minister. Then a general meeting was organized, where a memorandum was given through RDC to the Governor of Odisha. RDC stated that he will forward the memorandum to the Governor.

They demanded the resignation of chief minister Naveen Patnaik for untoward incident in Kodala and a judicial enquiry into the matter. They also demanded Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the families of the deceased, who were killed in police firing in Kodala area and Rs 5 lakh for the injured persons wounded in the same police firing along with the strengthening of district administration in Ganjam.Some leaders have condemned direct police firing on the villagers without any announcement and demanded appropriate compensation for the families of the deceased and injured persons in the police firing in Kodala area.

“We demand a judicial enquiry into the matter of Kodala violence. Within three months, Government should give report on this matter otherwise congress will come again to the road for a massive protest against the government, even we will protest from village level against the anti-people behaviour of the government”, said PCC President Niranjan Patnaik to The Pioneer on Friday here.

Among others, former minister Chandrasekhar Sahu, former speaker Sarat Kumar Kar, Congress leader Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mahapatra, Arya Kumar Gyanendra, District Congress President Bhagaban Gantayat, Bikram Panda and others were taken the lead in the gherao.