Bhubaneswar, June 7: In an incident of brazen misuse of power, a Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA in Odisha reportedly forced an engineer to do sit-ups in public as punishment. According to a video that went viral on social media, Saroj Kumar Meher, BJD MLA from Patnagarh is seen forcing a PWD junior engineer to do 100 sit-ups, allegedly for the poor quality of the road construction work in the area. The incident took place on Wednesday, June 5, in Belpada, Bolangir.

In the viral video, the Meher is seen confronting the government official while scores of people can be seen standing watching the incident. Few were seen recorded the entire incident on their mobile until the MLA leaves from there. After the video was circulated and went viral, the newly elected BJD MLA, who drew flak, later apologised for his action. Meher claimed that he did it to assuage public anger as there was resentment among locals against the engineer following which he gave the engineer a punishment. BJP MLA Udaybhan Chaudhary Caught on Camera Threatening Agra SDM With Political Clout; Watch Video.

Watch Video:

The MLA said, "I am sorry for the incident. But, I was compelled to ask the engineer to do sit-ups in the wake of public resentment". "When we went to the construction site and tested the quality of the road, we found it unsatisfactory. It brews resentment among locals against the engineer and they asked me to give him punishment. I am saddened by what I did," the MLA further added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 07, 2019 08:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).