BHUBANESWAR: A woman sarpanch candidate of Kandhamal on Thursday approached the State Election Commission (SEC) alleging that her husband had been branded as a Maoist by the local police and arrested.The complainant, Kumudini Pradhan of Juangia village under Sonepur gram panchayat of Kandhamal’s Daringibadi block, was formerly a sarpanch too.In her petition, Kumudini said, since she decided to contest from the area, there was palpable pressure on her and attempts were made to ensure that a particular candidate wins uncontested. However, her decision to join the fray threw a spanner on the rival’s plans.On January 15, police picked up her husband, Manmohan Pradhan and he was branded as a Maoist. Although there was no warrant against her husband, he was rounded up, made to walk in the forests after which police presented him with firearms to make it look like a genuine case. The woman, who also submitted a petition before the Orissa Human Rights Commission, alleged that the entire plan was to demoralise her and police have been gained over in the whole episode. In the past too, a sarpanch and block chairman have been arrested under similar charge. Seeking the Commission’s intervention, Kumudini prayed that the ‘tainted’ police officials be barred from poll duty.
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