Bhubaneswar, October 24: Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Friday dared the BJD, the main opposition force in the State, to approach the court if it finds any discrepancy in the investigation being conducted by the police in the brutal murder case of BJP leader and lawyer Pitabash Panda and arrest of former BJD MLA Bikram Panda.

“The police have conducted the investigation in the Pitabasa Panda murder case with full sincerity. If the Biju Janata Dal believes that there is any inconsistency in the investigation process, they can take the legal recourse. Instead of hitting the streets, they should pursue legal remedies,” said Harichandan.

He also asked the opposition BJD to not blame police without reason.

“It is not appropriate to blame the police without reason. The police have arrested the accused only after obtaining evidence against them; otherwise, they would not have made the arrests,” said the Law Minister.

BJD has been accusing the BJP Government of framing its leader and former MLA Bikram Panda in the murder case. The regional party also staged a protest rally in Berhampur yesterday in support of Bikram Panda. BJD alleged that Bikram was arrested in a murder case without an iota of evidence.

Bikram Panda, also the district unit president of the BJD in Ganjam, was among 13 persons arrested in connection with the October 6 murder of BJP leader and lawyer Pitabash Panda.

According to police, Bikram Panda and former Berhampur Mayor Siba Shankar Das allegedly hired two local youths to carry out the killing, motivated by political rivalry, financial loss and an old case involving Das.