EC officials attacked by BJD MLA during raid in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, April 22 (IANS) A team of Election Commission (EC) officials, including a magistrate, were allegedly attacked while conducting a raid in former minister and BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathy's farmhouse in Odisha's Pipili late on Sunday night.

Maharathy, who is a Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate from Pipili Assembly constituency, and his supporters allegedly attacked a flying squad team led by executive magistrate Rabi Narayan Patra while the officials were conducting a raid on his farmhouse.

The injured, including the magistrate, have been admitted to the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar.

"After getting information about the distribution of money and liquor at Pradeep Maharathy's farmhouse, I, along with the Static Surveillance Team (SST) team, had gone for investigation. As soon as the team reached there, Maharathy started hurling abuses and later attacked me and my team," alleged Patra.

"On the basis of the statement by the injured flying squad team members, police have registered a case. Statements of the victims have been recorded and the investigation is underway," Puri Collector Jyotiprakash Das said on Monday.

The Pipili Assembly constituency, a segment under the Puri Lok Sabha seat, will go to polls in the third phase on April 23.

Meanwhile, violence has increased in the state during the ongoing elections. Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik and some of the party workers were assaulted in Ghasipura Assembly constituency on Sunday.

In two separate incidents, bombs were hurled at the vehicles of BJD and BJP MLA candidates Anant Narayan Jena and Jagannath Pradhan, respectively, on Sunday night. Both the candidates are contesting from the Bhubaneswar Central seat.