Puri: A youth attacked the state Panchayati Raj Minister Maheswar Mohanty and injured him seriously at a poll meeting in Puri district on Monday ahead of the panchayat elections in the state.
The youth dressed as a woman appeared on the dais from back side when Mohanty was addressing the meeting at Alandia village under Chandanpur police station and hit on the head of the minister with an iron pipe.
The senior BJD leader received injury on his head and was found profusely bleeding. to the district headquarters hospital by Local MLA Sanjay Dasburma and other party workers took him to district headquarters hospital where he was given treatment.However,Mohanty was shifted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar for further treatment.
BJD workers overpowered the attacker identified as Balbhadra Bhoi alias Mahari and handed him over to the police. Political rivalry was suspected to be the cause of the attack.Police is interrogating the attacker.