Bhubaneswar: Former MP Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda on Wednesday appeared before Puri police through his lawyer and submitted documents relating to the flying details of the helicopter he flew over Chilika lagoon on September 15.

The police had summoned Panda and his two friends for allegedly flying over the Chilika at a height less than 500ft causing threat to the sensitive ecosystem of the lake and breaching aviation rules.

Along with Panda’s lawyer, a four-member team of Indian Metal and Ferro Alloys Limited (IMFA), the company that owns the helicopter, also appeared before the police. The police examined the flight details and route chart given by the team for nearly four hours. The team sought more time for the appearance of Panda and his two co-passengers before the police.

Puri district police chief Sarthak Sarangi said: “The former MP and his friends will appear before the police on September 21.”

Aviation manager, IMFA, Himanshu Mohapatra said: “Our chopper never landed on Chilika nor has it flown at a lower height. Besides, the timing mentioned in the FIR has some serious lapses. The time at which they said the chopper was flying is wrong. At that time, our chopper was at a different place.”

The team maintained that the chopper did not fly at a height less than 500ft and neither did it land on the lake’s water.

Sub-divisional police officer, Puri, Sushil Mishra said the police were examining all the records related to the incident. Though Panda did not turn up before the police, he questioned the intention of the FIR lodged by the Chilika Development Authority (CDA).

He tweeted on Wednesday: “FIR by Odisha Govt Ofcr changed “seaplane” to “helicopter” landed in Chilika 1.30pm >But I flew (& ATC shows) 8.45am-10.28am & 12.50pm-1.26 pm landing at Bhubaneswar >So NOW @odisha_police CHANGES alleged time to 9.30am in summons >BUT i have photo proof at Puri then.”

Earlier, the CDA in its FIR had maintained that the chopper was spotted around Chilika at 1.30pm on Saturday. “By that time, my chopper was at Bhubaneswar airport,” said Panda, who also condemned his friend Abhijit Iyer Mitra’s controversial posts as “immature” .

If the charge of Panda flying low in violation of aviation rules was not enough, the derogatory remarks of his friend Abhijit Iyer Mitra in reference to the Puri Jagannath temple, the Sun Temple at Konark and Odisha continue to evoke angry reactions.

Sensing the mood of the state, Panda condemned Iyer’s statement on Wednesday. He tweeted: “It was an immature thing to do. He may have been trying satire, & perhaps meant the opposite of what some ppl concluded, but sarcasm doesn't fit well w/religious & cultural sentiments, which call for sensitivity. Of course, it goes without saying i take pride in our heritage.”

In a video, posted in a social networking site, Panda said: “The video which he posted seems to be comic, sarcastic in nature. It looks like a parody type. I don’t support all these things. I condemn it.”

The Assembly also witnessed angry scenes on Wednesday over one of his tweets in 2017 in which he had said: “Orissa itself was discovered by Bengali explorers. The remarked “Ori Shala!!!” And it was named OriSha 2) Jaganath temple built by the Gangas, who were disgraced Pallava Tamil retainers 3) no such thing as Orissa, just the wild southern provinces of undivided Bengal.”

Servitors of Jagannath temple also reacted and demanded action against him.

“He does not know Jagannath culture. He should be put behind the bars,” said Puri Daitapati Association president Ramakrushana Das Mohapatra.

In the Assembly, Congress MLAs also trooped into the well of the House and demanded action against Iyer. Congress MLA Anshuman Mohanty said: “It is unfortunate that someone uses derogatory language lowering the dignity of Odias. Stringent action should be taken against him.”

BJD leader Sameer Dash said: “The way Iyer has been making derogatory remarks against Odisha and lord Jagannath is condemnable and a cognisable offence.”

BJP MLA K.V. Singh Deo said: “If Iyer has made any offensive statement, the state government should act against him.”