Cuttack, Aug. 13: The administrative inquiry into the alleged attack on BJD leader Hussain Rabi Gandhi reached its final stage today.
Out of 20 persons who had filed affidavits regarding the incident, statements of 19 were recorded before revenue divisional commissioner (central division) Arabind Padhee.
The BJD leader was attacked by a group of people on June 20 allegedly at the behest of some rival leaders of the same party.
The victim had named the legislator son of former finance minister Prafulla Ghadei to be the mastermind of the attack. Prafulla’s son Priti Ranjan Ghadei, an MLA from Korei, however, denied the allegation.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who had asked the revenue divisional commissioner to conduct a probe into the episode, had also dropped Prafulla from his council of ministers in the recent ministerial rejig.
“If needed, they would be served notices for further examination,” said the secretary to the revenue divisional commissioner, Uday Nath Mallick.
Official sources said terms of reference of the administrative probe include the circumstances that led to the incident, the persons responsible for the incident and whether police had taken any action in connection with the attack.
Mallick said among those who deposed before the revenue divisional commissioner included the complainant, Hussain Rabi Gandhi, inspector in charge of Jajpur Road police station Ashwini Sahu, and Nabaghana Das, and an eyewitness of the alleged attack.
On June 20, Gandhi, who is also the editor of Utkala Prasanga, was waylaid and allegedly attacked with stone and weapons when he had gone to attend a meeting of BJD workers at Mundamal in Jajpur by some members of his rival group within the party. Gandhi, who had sustained injuries on his eyes and hand, was rushed to Jajpur Hospital and later to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
Following the incident, Gandhi had lodged FIR against five persons. The Odisha government had later ordered an administrative probe by the revenue divisional commissioner of central division.
Jajpur police said four persons had been arrested in connection with the assault.
