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Updated: Feb 19, 2019 19:20 IST

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Debashis Samantaray courted controversy after a video of him allegedly manhandling the kin of CRPF constable Manoj Behera, went viral.

Behera (33), from Odisha, was among the 40 CRPF personnel who were killed in a terrorist attack in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on February 14.

His last rites were being held the next day in his native village of Ratanpur in Cuttack district.

In the video, Samantaray was seen pushing and manhandling Behera’s uncle, who fell down near the coffin. The exact reason of the heckling could not be ascertained. Samantaray did not respond to calls.

During the incident, Odisha health minister Pratap Jena, local BJD MLAs Pramod Mallick and Pravat Biswal, were also present at the spot.

Protesting the incident, BJP workers burnt the effigy of Samantaray at the Niali Bazar area on Monday evening.

Apart from Behera, Jagatsinghpur’s Prasanna Sahu was the other CRPF jawan from Odisha to be killed in the Pulwama attack. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has announced Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia for the families of both.