Bhubaneswar: Police have detained Patnagarh BJD MLA Saroj Meher on the charge of forcing PWD Junior Engineer Jayakant Sabar to do sit-ups 100 times in 5 minutes at Belpada village on June 5.

According to reports, the police have brought the MLA from Khadial to Patnagarh and are interrogating him now.

The police action assumes significance as it takes place a day before the first session of the 16th State Assembly scheduled to begin from June 25 and in the wake of the Zilla Adivasi Sangha threatening to gherao the Assembly the next day on June 26.

Earlier, Sabar’s wife had lodged a complaint against MLA Meher in this regard.