New Delhi, Sep 16: Former Orissa chief minister and Congress MP from Sundergarh Hemanand Biswal on Thursday claimed that he escaped a bid on his life at his residence here after a former aide allegedly attempted to open fire at him to take revenge for sacking him. Hemanand Biswal told police that his former aide Prabhat Kumar Sharma tried to shoot him at his 7, Kamaraj Lane residence at around 4 am.
Police said they were investigating the claims made by the 71-year-old lawmaker, who is also a former Chief Minister of Orissa, and a case has been registered under sections 456 (house tresspass with intention to hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code and Section 27 of Arms Act.
However, investigators expressed doubts over his claims as the scene of crime and MP's claims about a scuffle did not match.
There were no signs of a forced entry, they said. "The MP had not been shot at. No bullet has been fired at him. He did not suffer any injuries. He is safe," a senior police official said.
Biswal claimed that Sharma was looking after renovation of the building but was asked to leave some months ago after bunglings were detected in the accounts related to the work. Biswal said he had submitted a written complaint in this regard to authorities two months ago. He might have wanted to take revenge, he claimed.
According to the MP, he was going to the washroom when he saw Sharma opening one of his briefcases. "He encountered him and asked him what was he doing and caught him by his neck. I was taking him to another room when I fell on a sofa. Then he pulled out a pistol and put it on my head. I caught him by his hand," he told reporters.
Biswal claimed that Sharma then tried open fire at him but the weapon malfunctioned. "He pulled out another pistol but by the time, he became scared that he will be caught. He fled from the house," he said.
Asked how Sharma managed to flee from the house despite having two private security personnel guarding the premises, Biswal claimed that the former aide had knowledge of the area and how to escape from the spot. He also suggested that Sharma, who was also called 'Swamy' due to his looks, might have entered the house through a window in the kitchen. PTI
