Some goons have hurled a bomb at the vehicle of the BJP Bhubaneswar (Central) assembly candidate Jagannath Pradhan in the state capital. However, Pradhan did not suffer any injuries as he escaped unhurt in the incident but the windows of his car were damaged.
Reportedly, Jagannath Pradhan has accused BJD goons of hurling bombs on his car. “I was returning from campaigning when the miscreants hurled a bomb to my car. I was lucky as the windows were closed,” alleged Pradhan.
Meanwhile, the Odisha Police have started an investigation to verify the allegations made by Pradhan. Bombs were also hurled at the vehicle of BJD candidate and a former mayor of Bhubaneshwar.
A similar incident had happened recently when BJP candidate Jagannath Pradhan was reportedly attacked during party’s rally in Bhubaneswar. Reportedly, Pradhan had accused the Biju Yuva Vahini activists of pelting stones at the BJP rally.
Union Minister and senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan reacted to the incident and said, “Violence in Odisha is increasing day by day. Today, BJP MLA candidate from Bhubaneswar Central, Jagannath Pradhan was attacked for the third time. A bomb was hurled at his car. We met EC officials and demanded that an investigation should be ordered.”
Incidents of political violence have been reported in Odisha since the announcement of elections in the state. On the eve of the second phase of Lok Sabha and assembly polls, the mutilated body of a BJP worker was found in the Agajhola village in Bhanjanagar, Ganjam. The BJP worker, a 26-year-old man named Santosh Pati was allegedly found dead in a pool of blood.
Similarly, a BJP Mandal president in Khurda town was shot dead earlier this week by unknown assailants near the party office while the MLA candidate had a narrow escape.
In another instance, the nephew of the BJP MLA candidate in the same Bhanjanagar area was attacked by violent miscreants and had sustained critical injuries. Ajit Pradhan, the nephew of BJP MLA candidate Pradyumna Nayak was violently attacked after a public meeting of union minister Dharmendra Pradhan.