By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: BJD Rajya Sabha MP and National Spokesperson, Dr Amar Patnaik on Thursday came down heavily on Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahy and his would son-in-law family that packed with arrested IFS officer Abhay Pathak and his history cheater son, Akash and compared their story, which was glorified by BJP leader Baijayant Panda wife Jagi Panda managed OTV, with that of ‘Charles Sobhrajsque Style Fraud’.
“It’s a Charles Sobhrajsque style fraud of monumental proportions by the team of the disgraced Hon’ble MLA of Gopalpur and his would be son-in-law’s family. And ours truly “objective and independent”@otvnews (expectedly) hails them as heroes of Odisha! What a shame!,”Dr. Amar Patnaik tweeted @Amar4Odisha.
“First #OTV snatches lands of poor scheduled caste people at Sarua by fraud and forgery. Now they support the team of fraudsters led by the “most honourable” Pradeep Panigrahi and the Pathaks.Tum bhi fraud, mein bhi fraud! Bhai Bhai!,”Dr Patnaik added.
Earlier, Party’s Rajya Sabha MP and National Spokesperson, Dr Sasmit Patra on Thursday asked the Odia TV Channel to stop biased reporting on such corrupted and fraud elements like Pathak and Panigrahy. In a series of tweets, Dr Patra alleged that OTV opting biased reporting to misguide the investigation of Vigilance and Crime Branch along with ED and IT into the corruption empire.
“#OTV are you aware that there are hundreds of poor, displaced people who were cheated by a criminal falsely promising them jobs in Ganjam, fraudulently using his would-be son-in-law as a Fake MD of Tata Motors? Have you seen the FIR? For a change, report facts not fiction!,” BJD MP Dr. Sasmit Patra tweeted @sasmitpatra
“How do you #OTV, run such biased programs favouring a criminal who misappropriated money from poor, displaced people of Ganjam. Your programs portraying him as a sorry figure, supporting his claims are shocking & goes against very grain of journalistic ethos. #OTVBiasedReporting,” the MP asked.
“#OTV please tell us how to depict, portray & showcase a criminal as a hero on television. What’s your secret sauce of success in effectively projecting a fraud & forger as a person wronged before the unsuspecting viewers. Some skills you have there, that others shouldn’t learn!,” he added.
The under scanner MLA was arrested under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 469, 471, 120-B of the IPC and Section 66C/66D of IT Act as there is sufficient prima facie evidence against him in this case, the Crime Branch said.Earlier, Vigilance, the anti-corruption agency of the State Police had arrested IFS officer Abhay Kant Pathak and his son Akash Kumar Pathak, who are accused of amassing assets worth crores disproportionate to their known sources of income.
