Bhubaneswar, Nov 28: BJD leader Manmath Routray faces possible arrest after the BJP’s IT Cell filed a complaint against him with the Cyber Police Station in Bhubaneswar. Police have registered a case and may summon him at any time, a source said.

The complaint stems from a video recorded before the Nuapada by-election, in which Routray is seen using expletives against Prime Minister Narendra Modi while standing near a roadside poster of the PM. The video went viral during the campaign. Cyber police have booked him under BNS sections 294(2), 296, 353(2), 356(2) and Section 67 of the IT Act.

In the clip, Routray accuses BJP workers of placing Modi’s banners over Biju Patnaik’s statue and BJD posters, before launching into a series of derogatory remarks targeting the Prime Minister.

Routray has been no stranger to controversy since entering politics. He previously made headlines over a family dispute involving his elder brother Siddharth Routray and over a widely circulated photo with controversial Archana Nag. He also drew attention and criticism over his second marriage.

His father, senior leader Suresh Routray, had publicly expressed dissatisfaction with him at one point, amid speculation that Manmath might join the Congress. Manmath later denied the claim.

Routray contested the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat on a BJD ticket in 2024 but lost by a large margin to BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi. He was also trolled online for his self-styled “Captain” moniker, with some Youth Congress leaders mockingly referring to him as a “driver.”

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He had further attracted criticism for using abusive language while referring to his elder brother Siddharth Routray.