Political Clash Erupts in Dharamshala Constituency, Both Sides Trade Allegations

Bhubaneswar: Tension prevailed in the Dharamshala Assembly constituency following a violent political clash between supporters of the ruling BJD and the local MLA on Sunday, with both sides accusing each other of triggering the incident.

BJD workers, led by former Dharamshala MLA Pranab Balabantray, staged a protest in front of the DG Camp office, demanding the immediate arrest of Dharamshala MLA Himanshu Sekhar Sahu. The protest stems from a clash that reportedly took place at a farmhouse in Dharmasala on Sunday.

According to BJD leaders, the violence broke out when supporters of MLA Sahu allegedly attacked party workers, including women, who were attending a BJD meeting at Balabantray’s farmhouse. The party has issued a notice naming more than 100 supporters of Sahu, accusing them of abuse and misbehaviour towards a woman during the incident.

Balabantray, along with his supporters, continued an overnight protest, alleging police inaction. “We do not trust the district police. We will continue our protest until all the accused are arrested,” he said.

Meanwhile, supporters of MLA Himanshu Sekhar Sahu staged a counter-protest in front of the Jenapur police station, claiming that the violence was initiated by Balabantray’s supporters.

Police officials said a complaint has been registered and an investigation is underway to ascertain the sequence of events and identify those responsible for the clash.