"It is nothing but irony that 11 innocent persons were put into police lock-up on February 9 on the pretext of manhandling one BJD legislator," the BJP said in a memorandum to the DGP K B Singh.
Claiming that none of the arrested 11 could be seen in media clips or photos on the attack on the MLA, BJP said that its supporters had been booked on "political consideration".
"Tirttol Police Station was ransacked by so called ruling party supporters under the stewardship of some BJD law makers. Even, police couldn't come to the rescue of the helpless women who were manhandled by the hooligans," they alleged.
The electronic media telecast the violence by BJD legislators and ministers, the BJP leaders claimed.
"Media reports showed how MLA, Debashish Samantray scaring off people at Tirttol market with a bamboo stick in his hands and minister Pranab Prakash Das and another legislator Pranab Balwantray breaking barricades to the ground where the PM inaugurated IOCL refinery in Paradip," they said in the memorandum and sought stringent action against them.