The ransacked office of Puri Municipality and (below) councillors submit a memorandum to Puri collector Fakir Charan Satpathy. Pictures by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, March 18: Councillors of Puri Municipality today ransacked the council office, damaging almost all the tables, chairs and glass panes of windows. Sources said they were upset when a councillor started conducting a meeting that was supposed to be presided over by the chairperson, who was absent.

The council of the Puri Municipality has 32 members. While 20 councillors are from the BJD, five each are from the Congress and the BJP. Rest of the councillors are independents.

As the monthly meeting of February could not take place, the administration had issued letters to the councillors announcing that the meeting would be held today. All the councillors turned up at the council office for the meeting. The chairperson of Puri Municipality, Shantilata Pradhan, however, could not come.

As the chairperson was not present, Bhagaban Talachhu Mohapatra, councillor of ward No. 1, allegedly occupied the chair of Pradhan and started conducting the meeting. He allegedly did not stop even after other members raised objections about him presiding over the meeting.

Councillor Krushna Chandra Panda said: “According to the law, in the absence of the chairperson, the vice-chairman is the competent person to preside over the meeting. When we protested against Mohapatra’s conducting the meeting, a scuffle ensued. Mohapatra’s supporters then ransacked the office.”

However, Bhagaban Talachhu Mohapatra claimed that he was innocent and a conspiracy had been hatched to defame him. “Neither I nor my supporters indulged in any sort of indiscipline,” he said.

Vice-chairman Sabyasachi Mohapatra said he was assaulted by supporters of Talachhu Mohapatra. “I am going to lodge an FIR against him. He had earlier threatened to get rid of me. He and his followers even tried to obstruct the municipality’s tender process for cycle and taxi stands.”

District collector Fakir Charan Satpathy said: “I have got representations from the councillors on this issue. I will forward it to the director of municipal administration.”