Jayashree Murder Case: Court Allows DNA Test Of Skull

Sambalpur: The court of the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate on Wednesday allowed police to conduct the DNA test of the skull of Jayashree Mishra.

After the recovery of the remains of Jayashree Mishra and the arrest of the accused Basant Panda, eight years after her death, the Town Police had appealed to the court to conduct the DNA test of her skull.

The incident had occurred on October 13, 2011 when Jayashree Mishra of Nandapada in Sambalpur city had gone to distribute the wedding cards of her daughter. When she did not return home, her younger daughter, Bijayani lodged a complaint with the Town Police wherein she mentioned the name of Basant Panda, a distant relative, as a suspect. Instead of registering a case, the police remained silent. The jottings in the station diary said the woman might have eloped with someone. Despite Bijayani’s fervent requests for a thorough investigation, the police did not register the case.

After her mother’s death, Bijayani left for New Delhi to pursue her post-graduation in the Jawaharlal University (JNU). During her study, she was in constant touch with the Town Police IIC, Sambalpur SP and the DIG, Northern Range, requesting them to reopen the case. Failing to get any response, she met the Director General of Police (DGP) RP Sharma in Cuttack on June 17 this year and requested his intervention in the matter.

Taking account of her ordeal, the DGP directed the Sambalpur police, which registered a murder case and on the basis of the complaint, arrested the accused Basant Panda. Police later took the accused to a place at Badasinghara on Friday and exhumed the remains with the help of a JCB in the presence of the police, the magistrate and a scientific team.

Not content with the arrest of the accused, Bijayini later met the Crime Branch ADG, Santosh Upadhyay on July 28 and requested him for a thorough investigation into her mother’s murder. The ADG later directed the police to reopen the case.