Odisha police on Friday registered a suo-moto case against former Congress MP Pradip Majhi for instigating violence during the 12-hour strike called by the party here against alleged rape and murder of a minor girl in Kosagumuda area.
During the protest on Thursday, Majhi was caught on camera directing party workers to "keep petrol, diesel ready set everything ablaze" on his instructions.
Nitin Kusalkar, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Nabarangpur, said the police have registered a case against the former Nabarangpur MP under the various sections of Indian Penal Code.
Majhi, however, said that they were peacefully protesting against the police for not taking action in the rape case of the minor on December 14.
"We were protesting peacefully against the police for not taking action in the rape case occurred on December 14. However, when police tried to stop our peaceful protest and pushed the protesters, I had to take law in my hand and asked workers to keep petrol and diesel ready," the Congress leader told reporters.
The protest was against the administration for not ensuring safety and security to women, Majhi said and added it has nothing to do with the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Reacting to the incident, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that Congress was scared and trying to create violence.
"Yesterday, Odisha's former Congress MP Pradip Majhi was caught red-handed saying 'keep petrol, diesel ready, set everything ablaze when I say.' Congress is scared and trying to create violence. It believes in violence," Pradhan told .
( With inputs from ANI )