A woman police inspector from Sambalpur on Wednesday alleged that the Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly and senior BJP leader Jayanarayan Mishra misbehaved with her and even slapped her while she was doing her duty.

However, Mishra, 59, a four-time MLA from Sambalpur, denied the charge and accused the woman officer of misbehaving with him, pushing him in front of everybody, and even stamping on his foot with her boot.

The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon when the BJP workers led by Mishra were organising a protest rally in Sambalpur against the state government’s failure to maintain law and order in the state.

The party workers clashed with police while trying to break the cordon and enter the Sambalpur collectorate office, located in western Odisha.

The woman police officer told reporters: “I was on duty along with other women constables. The women cadres of the BJP tried to barge into the Sambalpur collectorate office. We were successful in preventing them from entering the collectorate premises. But suddenly the male cadres replaced the women cadres and we immediately tried to bring in the male constables to bring the situation under control.”

She said: “Suddenly the MLA appeared in the melee and charged at me. He even used abusive language against me in front of everyone. When he tried to publicly humiliate me by accusing that I am involved in corruption, I challenged him and asked him to prove it. Suddenly he lost control and slapped me. With due consultation with my seniors, I will lodge an FIR against Mishra. But now Mishra is telling a lie to divert the issue.”

However, Mishra said: “It’s a sheer lie. I was sitting on a chair while the protest was going on. I stood up and went near the spot seeing that our women cadres were being mistreated by the cops. But the woman officer pushed me twice. Even she crushed my foot with her boot. She had intentionally shoved me.”

Sambalpur superintendent of police, Battula Gangadhar, told The Telegraph: “We have received the complaint from the woman police officer. We will register a case.”