I was asked to get out of police station, says Majhi

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday recounted an incident from the past where an inspector asked him to “get out” of a police station.Majhi made the remark after inaugurating the two-day Collectors’ Conference here at Lok Seva Bhawan.

Reflecting on his experience that took place barely a month before he became the Chief Minister, Majhi said residents of Raisuan and Gopinathpur panchayats in Keonjhar constituency had staged a protest over drinking water crisis by blocking NH-20 on May 2, when the simultaneous polls in Odisha were underway.

Majhi assured them he would raise their concerns with the executive engineer of the department. However, when the then inspector in-charge, Trinath Sethi, invited the protesters to the police station, he questioned Majhi’s presence there, disregarding his role as an MLA.

“The inspector questioned my presence at the police station, stating the Model Code of Conduct was in effect, and told me to ‘get out’ or he would arrest me,” Majhi said. “Can’t an MLA, who is also a candidate, visit the police station with people’s problems?” Majhi questioned.Feeling humiliated, Majhi staged a sit-in outside the police station demanding accountability for the inspector’s actions.

“What was the definition of ‘Ama Thana’ launched during the previous government’s tenure? Whenever a common man is visiting a police station with his complaint, he/she should be treated properly by the staff at the help desk. When a person says that he has come to lodge an FIR, they should be taken to senior officials for appropriate action,” he said.

“Thanks to Lord Jagannath’s blessings, I became the Chief Minister. I could only imagine the inspector’s situation afterward. I forgave him, believing he acted under pressure,” Majhi remarked.

Majhi cited an example involving President Droupadi Murmu, who faced disrespect from a District Collector while serving as a minister two decades ago during a meeting in Keonjhar.He also recalled another incident involving President Murmu when she was a minister in the BJD-BJP coalition government.

While visiting a place with a Central minister, the District Collector greeted only the Union minister. “The officer did not even apologise for not greeting her,” Majhi noted.He urged officials to change these practices and foster a culture of respect and accountability within government institutions.