Patnaik forms team to investigate detention of Odisha panchayat members in Chhattisgarh

Bhubaneswar's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has formed a fact-finding team to investigate the alleged detention of Odisha panchayat members and Vishal Das, son of a former minister, in Chhattisgarh. This follows Patnaik's letter to Chhattisgarh's Chief Minister requesting their release. The seven-member team, led by former minister Niranjan Pujari, will look into the circumstances of the detentions. The incident has been described as "disturbing" by Patnaik, who met with family members of those involved. Dipali Das, sister of Vishal, accused the BJP government of using police to prevent a no-confidence motion against a local leader. The BJP denied these claims, asserting their respect for democracy and accusing the BJD of obstructing justice.