Chilika MLA, who rammed car into crowd, denied bail, sent to judicial custody

On March 12, the MLA rammed his car into a crowd, including supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in the Khurda district, leaving at least 22 people injured including seven police personnel. The crowd had gathered outside the Banapur block development office for the block chairperson election when the incident had occurred. Banapur police station inspector-in-charge Rashmi Ranjan Sahoo was also injured when he attempted to stop the speeding vehicle of Jagdev.

The crowd had then pulled Jagdev out of his car and thrashed him sticks, leaving him injured.

Jagdev was booked under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 333 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The two-time MLA from Chilika has been termed as a “perpetual offender” by the Opposition. In September last year, he was suspended from the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for allegedly assaulting a local BJP leader. In August 2020, he allegedly misbehaved with a junior engineer working with the Chilika Development Authority. In 2016, he had allegedly attacked a woman tehsildar by throwing a kerosene lantern at her. In July, he thrashed BJP activists for showing black flags to a BJD leader in Boudh.