May 8: Life came to a halt in western Odisha because of a dawn-to-dusk strike called in support of the ongoing agitation of lawyers in Sambalpur demanding arrest and removal of the district collector.
While the functioning of the Orissa High Court was disrupted, lawyers in most of the districts boycotted work in the lower courts in support of the agitating lawyers.
The lawyers abstained from attending court proceedings today. More than 500 cases, listed before different benches of the high court, could not be taken up for hearing. Of them, nearly a hundred were bail applications. Court proceedings in other courts in Cuttack were also disrupted.
The high court could not proceed with Durmila Sahoo’s petition seeking a CBI probe into the death of her son, Nabhagana Sahoo (chairman of Hindol block panchayat samiti), under mysterious circumstances on May 14 last year.
“The court was to consider on the progress of the crime branch probe for giving verdict on the necessity of CBI probe into the alleged murder,” PIL petitioner D.K. Mohapatra said. The court is adjudicating on the petition, along with a PIL. The outcome of the case has become significant, as alleged involvement of minister Anjali Behera was the basis of the PIL seeking CBI probe.
The Sambalpur lawyers and district collector Mrinalini Darswal have been at loggerheads since April 23, when Mrinalini was allegedly manhandled and her residence following an altercation.
Eighteen lawyers were arrested on the basis of the complaint lodged by the district collector.
The lawyers have accused the district collector of misbehaving with them and using abusive language against their fraternity, when they were going to Burla to stage a dharna in protest against unscheduled power cuts.
They demanded immediate arrest and removal of the collector. Not satisfied with the government’s decision to hold a crime branch probe into the episode, the lawyers have been on strike since May 1, demanding a judicial probe.
Functioning of banks, educational institutions, and government offices was paralysed because of picketing by the lawyers and strike supporters, while shops and business establishments downed their shutters. Vehicular movement was also disrupted in Jharsuguda, Sundergarh and Deogarh districts.
At Dharamgarh in Kalahandi district, local sub-collector Gouri Parasar was detained in her office for more than six hours as the agitating lawyers locked her office.
The Western Odisha Bar Associations, which had called for the strike, said the shutdown was “total and spontaneous”. “The strike passed off peacefully. No major untoward incident was reported,” said inspector general R.P. Koche.
Earlier, court proceedings were affected because of cease work by members of the High Court Bar from April 26 till they resumed their services on May 2.
Reports from Sambalpur said the lawyers had picketed in front of the office of revenue divisional commissioner and district collector. The strike’s impact was also felt in Bargarh, Deogarh and Jharsuguda districts.
Tension prevailed at the block office in Sonepur when some lawyers protested against the presence of officials in the office. The lawyers allegedly manhandled the officials. However, the situation was brought under control when the police arrived. In Birmaharajpur, the lawyers closed all the offices and other establishments. They also allegedly heckled the local tehsildar, when he was trying to unlock the office gate. Lawyers in Keonjhar and Anandpur also boycotted courts.
