BJD Demands CBI Probe into Odisha Police SI Recruitment Scam, Holds Protest in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Oct 7: Hundreds of members from the Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) and Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) — the youth and student wings of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) — staged a massive protest in Bhubaneswar on Sunday, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged Odisha Police Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment scam.

The protesters gathered near the busy Master Canteen area, holding placards and shouting slogans against the BJP-led state government. Tension flared as agitators broke police barricades in an attempt to march toward the Assembly, leading to a brief clash with police personnel. They later burned effigies of the Chief Minister and several cabinet ministers, reiterating their demand for a CBI inquiry. Police eventually detained the activists and cleared the area to restore traffic movement.

Senior BJD leader and former minister Pritiranjan Ghadei alleged that the Crime Branch investigation ordered by the government is a cover-up to shield influential individuals. “While brokers and aspirants are being arrested, the real culprits — senior officials and ruling party leaders — are being spared. Only a CBI probe can unearth the truth,” he said.

Ghadei further stated that the alleged recruitment scam has disheartened thousands of aspirants across Odisha and accused the government of “selling SI jobs through outsourcing.” He warned that the BJD would intensify its agitation across the state until a CBI probe is initiated.

Biju Yuva Janata Dal president Chinmay Sahu accused the BJP of deliberately creating communal tension in Cuttack to divert public attention from the multi-crore recruitment scam. He also criticised Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi for announcing major projects in poll-bound Nuapada while unrest prevailed in other parts of the state.

The Odisha government has already handed over the case to the Crime Branch for investigation. Meanwhile, political tensions continue to escalate, with both the ruling BJP and opposition BJD trading allegations of corruption and complicity.

BJP Yuva Morcha president Abhilash Panda countered the charges, claiming that two of the accused arrested by the Crime Branch are affiliated with the BJD and asserting that the government is committed to ensuring justice.

While the BJD continues to demand a CBI probe, the Congress and CPM have called for a judicial inquiry headed by a sitting judge to ensure transparency and public trust in the investigation.